Senior Operational Resilience Manager

As a Senior Operational Resilience Manager at Xero, your key responsibilities revolve around maintaining and enhancing the Business Continuity Management (BCM) framework. You will be driving ownership and fostering a resilience mindset across the company, ensuring best practices are not just established but actively implemented. This includes conducting risk assessments, developing business impact assessments, and coordinating crisis management processes. You'll also oversee documentation compliance with standards like ISO 27001 and SOC2 while collaborating with cross-functional teams to identify and minimize potential risks.

Xero seeks candidates with a strong background in business continuity management and risk management, preferably within a cloud or tech company. Essential qualifications include a deep understanding of key BCM principles and frameworks, along with experience in developing innovative risk management strategies. Effective communication skills for interacting with diverse stakeholders and a capability to produce clear, non-technical reports are also vital. Previous experience in a fast-paced business environment will serve you well in this role.

The Senior Operational Resilience Manager plays a crucial role in ensuring that Xero can continue delivering exceptional service even during disruptive events. By proactively identifying risks, you will implement strategies that minimize impacts on operations and restore service quickly. This not only protects our customers and enhances our brand reputation but also supports Xero's mission of helping small businesses thrive. Your ability to foster a culture of resilience across the organization will directly contribute to building a stronger economy.

At Xero, you can expect a collaborative and flexible work environment where innovation thrives. As the Senior Operational Resilience Manager, you will work remotely with a global team, engaging with colleagues across various time zones. This flexibility allows for a better work-life balance while you contribute to important business continuity initiatives. The company values its employees, offering generous benefits that ensure your well-being, making it a great place to grow both personally and professionally.

Success in the Senior Operational Resilience Manager role at Xero translates to high engagement levels in BCM practices across the business, where business continuity planning is not only relevant but impactful. Achieving and maintaining compliance with BCM elements of ISO 27001 certification is essential, as is the continual improvement of our capacity to manage emerging risks effectively. Strong relationships with stakeholders, consistent updates on readiness procedures, and proactive risk mitigation are all measures of success in this critical position.

When asked about Business Continuity Management, it's essential to articulate its purpose in maintaining operations during disruptive events. You should emphasize your knowledge of frameworks and tools involved in BCM, such as risk assessments and business impact analysis. Sharing specific experiences where you’ve implemented or improved BCM processes can highlight your expertise and how you would add value at Xero.

In discussing crisis management, it’s crucial to outline a structured approach. Describe how you assess the situation, activate crisis plans, coordinate with teams, and communicate effectively. Providing an example of a previous crisis you've managed—what actions you took and the outcomes—can demonstrate your readiness for the Senior Operational Resilience Manager role at Xero.

Employers value candidates who can collaborate across departments. Share a scenario where you coordinated with multiple teams to meet a common objective. Focus on the steps you took to build relationships and ensure clear communication. Highlight the outcome and what you learned about fostering collaboration, which is key for success in the Senior Operational Resilience Manager role at Xero.

When discussing risk management strategies, detail approaches such as regular assessments, stakeholder interviews, and data analysis to spot potential risks. Explain how you prioritize these risks and formulate mitigation plans. Use specific examples from your experience to illustrate your methodology and show how you can enhance resilience at Xero.

To address documentation compliance, explain your familiarity with ISO 27001 requirements and the importance of thorough documentation in BCM. Discuss methods you’ve used to maintain compliance, such as conducting regular audits, creating a compliance checklist, and training staff on documentation procedures. Your ability to articulate this will demonstrate your preparedness for the Senior Operational Resilience Manager position.

Engaging stakeholders is vital in the role of Senior Operational Resilience Manager. Speak to your experience in managing relationships with various stakeholders—including senior leadership, operational teams, and external partners. Highlight your approach to ensuring stakeholders are informed and involved in BCM initiatives. Provide an example of a successful engagement to showcase your ability to foster collaboration.

Keeping abreast of industry trends is essential for developing effective strategies. Share methods you use to stay informed, such as attending relevant conferences, participating in webinars, and reading industry publications. Discuss how you’ve applied insights from these trends to improve organizational resilience, demonstrating your proactive nature—an essential trait for the Senior Operational Resilience Manager at Xero.

When discussing your experience with business impact assessments (BIAs), provide a structured example. Outline the steps you took to identify critical processes, evaluate potential impacts of disruption, and support the organization in prioritizing recovery efforts. This will illuminate your practical knowledge and capacity for thorough analysis, crucial for the Senior Operational Resilience Manager role.

To foster a culture of resilience, focus on strategies like leading by example, training employees, and encouraging open communication about risks and recovery plans. Share an experience where you successfully engaged teams in resilience initiatives, emphasizing the importance of a collective effort in building a resilient organization, which is central to the position at Xero.

In response, highlight a few contemporary risks, such as cyber threats or pandemic-related disruptions. Discuss why you believe these risks are significant and how they affect operations globally. Emphasizing your forward-thinking mindset and understanding of evolving threats can demonstrate your readiness to take on the Senior Operational Resilience Manager role at Xero, ensuring the company stays ahead of potential challenges.