Business Continuity Officer

You will support the councils organisational resilience through business continuity arrangements, providing knowledge and expertise to support departments. Supporting the Business Continuity Manager, you will assist in plan reviews, new plans, threat mitigations, impact and risk assessments, and testing arrangements, whilst engaging with departments as part of the BC Programme. You will support the delivery of the Council's statutory duties as a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, working collaboratively to embed operational resilience and business continuity across the Council, including undertaking an administrative role within the statutory Borough Resilience Forum and wider multi-agency arrangements.,

• To support the deliver the implementation of the Council's statutory duties as a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, working collaboratively to strengthen operational resilience and emergency preparedness across the Council. This includes undertaking an admin and coordination role in support of the Borough Resilience Forum and multi agency arrangements.
• Supports preparation of business impact assessments, risk assessments, and business continuity plans, and tests business continuity arrangements.
• To participate in the Council's 24/7 corporate crisis response arrangements, supporting the coordination of the Corporate Emergency Response Team, associated resources and equipment. The post holder will report to Corporate Directors and Directors undertaking Gold roles and provide timely advice and recommendations to senior officers and elected Members, up to Leader and Chief Executive level.
• Assist in ensuring that the council has the ability to open and manage the Borough Emergency Control Centre to co-ordinate the council's response and provide the community with an emergency centre during an emergency.
• Provide support to the Business Continuity Manager to assist briefings to managers on organisational resilience, emergency planning, and multi agency crisis response protocols.
• To design and propose safety and security measures for events, security measures and to respond to threats and risks to elected members, sending proposals to the Business Continuity Manager to approve mitigation measures.
• Co-ordinates the council's response to unplanned incidents, manages Local Authority Liaison Officers and Crisis Response Volunteers, and supports emergency responders and recovery.
• Maintains communication channels with emergency services and other responders at a tactical level.
• To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of civil contingency legislation, associated procedures and guidance and to maintain competency for the role.

Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff.

The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population.

We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace.

The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives:

- Promoting equality of opportunity

- Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage

- Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels.

- Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all.

Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.

To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting.

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council.

• Experience in the delivery of business continuity functions with the ability to deputise for the Senior Business Continuity Officer.
• Experience of participating in a wide range of projects and activities including multi agency exercises.
• Knowledge and experience of business continuity, multi agency crisis response protocols, regional plans, and recovery protocols.
• Experience of applying principles of risk assessment to business continuity.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to demonstrate this with senior officers and stakeholders.
• Possess the skills to be able to assess competency of crisis response team members against standards and identify training to meet development needs.
• Ability to participate in the crisis response on call rota in either tactical response or advisor roles and attend the scene of incidents or other locations in the borough within 90 minutes of call out, reporting to corporate directors or directors as Golds.
• Ability to maintain divisional emergency plans, working in conjunction with team managers.
• Possess a flexible approach to new or emerging challenges affecting civil protection and resilience with the ability to prioritise work according to risk or threat.
• To work outside of normal office hours where required, as part of response to emergencies and attendance at events.

Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.

We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities.

Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.

This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.