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What does a business continuity planner do?

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
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Business continuity planner responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real business continuity planner resumes:

  • Lead highly productive DR team of disparate groups of professionals providing recovery administration, planning and operational functions.
  • Lead highly productive DR team of disparate groups of professionals providing recovery administration, planning and operational functions.
  • Provide documentation as required for all receiving facilities in accordance with current HIPPA requirements.

Business continuity planner skills and personality traits

We calculated that 31% of Business Continuity Planners are proficient in Business Impact Analysis, Impact Analysis, and Crisis Management.

We break down the percentage of Business Continuity Planners that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Business Impact Analysis, 31%

    Designed and implemented a procedure for gathering functional business process information and conducting business impact analysis.

  • Impact Analysis, 13%

    Conducted disaster recovery (DR) and component failure impact analysis of Skype's telecommunication and service delivery infrastructure.

  • Crisis Management, 12%

    Background Certified Business Continuity Planner with a strong background in business continuity management, crisis management and associated support tools.

  • Business Continuity Planning, 9%

    Provided professional, specialized skills, including business continuity planning, project management and problem analysis and resolution.

  • Coop, 5%

    Coordinated the off-site storage of the COOP documentation for retrieving during an incident.

  • Business Continuity, 4%

    Managed business continuity and incident management for 77 investor centers and Retail Brokerage Division in Boston adhering to Enterprise Continuity Standards.

Most business continuity planners use their skills in "business impact analysis," "impact analysis," and "crisis management" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential business continuity planner responsibilities here:

Most common business continuity planner skills

Compare different business continuity planners

Business continuity planner vs. Disaster recovery specialist

A disaster recovery specialist helps businesses protect software, hardware, and data from different kinds of disasters. They are primarily in charge of creating recovery and continuity plans, helping companies run smoothly and efficiently despite issues brought by the disasters. Their duties also include performing research and analyses, obtaining data from different departments, coordinating with fellow specialists, conducting systems tests and inspections, and utilizing research findings to develop plans and recommendations. Moreover, a disaster recovery specialist may also train staff and provide technical support as necessary.

If we compare the average business continuity planner annual salary with that of a disaster recovery specialist, we find that disaster recovery specialists typically earn a $14,350 lower salary than business continuity planners make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both business continuity planner and disaster recovery specialist positions are skilled in business impact analysis, impact analysis, and business continuity.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between business continuity planners and disaster recovery specialist. For instance, business continuity planner responsibilities require skills such as "crisis management," "business continuity planning," "cbcp," and "coop." Whereas a disaster recovery specialist is skilled in "grants management," "infrastructure," "project management," and "technical assistance." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Disaster recovery specialists tend to reach similar levels of education than business continuity planners. In fact, disaster recovery specialists are 3.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.2% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Business continuity planner vs. Disaster recovery analyst

A disaster recovery analyst supports a company's disaster recovery team in planning and implementing continuity and recovery plans to protect data and networks from security breaches or other kinds of disasters. They primarily focus on conducting research and analyses, performing audits and risk assessments, gathering and analyzing data from different departments, and developing training and learning materials for staff. Through their research findings, a disaster recovery analyst may develop solutions against vulnerable areas and strategies to optimize operations.

A career as a disaster recovery analyst brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a business continuity planner. In fact, disaster recovery analysts salary is $17,751 lower than the salary of business continuity planners per year.A few skills overlap for business continuity planners and disaster recovery analysts. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "business impact analysis," "impact analysis," and "coop. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, business continuity planner responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "crisis management," "business continuity planning," "cbcp," and "plan development." Meanwhile, a disaster recovery analyst has duties that require skills in areas such as "infrastructure," "project management," "strong analytical," and "recovery strategies." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Disaster recovery analysts earn a lower average salary than business continuity planners. But disaster recovery analysts earn the highest pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $76,919. Additionally, business continuity planners earn the highest salaries in the retail with average pay of $98,821 annually.In general, disaster recovery analysts achieve similar levels of education than business continuity planners. They're 4.1% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Business continuity planner vs. Risk assessment analyst

A risk assessment analyst conducts extensive assessments to identify potential operational risks and recommend strategies to prevent them, thereby avoiding financial losses and optimizing an organization's workflow. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their place or industry of employment, it usually includes coordinating with different departments to gather and analyze data, suggesting budgets and guidelines, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of current operations, and implementing solutions against problem areas, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

An average risk assessment analyst eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of business continuity planners. The difference in salaries amounts to risk assessment analysts earning a $6,474 lower average salary than business continuity planners.business continuity planners and risk assessment analysts both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "risk assessments," "fema," and "sharepoint," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from business continuity planner resumes include skills like "business impact analysis," "impact analysis," "crisis management," and "business continuity planning," whereas a risk assessment analyst is more likely to list skills in "nist," "security risk assessment," "hipaa," and "data analysis. "

Risk assessment analysts earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $91,091. Business continuity planners earn the highest pay from the retail industry, with an average salary of $98,821.Most risk assessment analysts achieve a higher degree level compared to business continuity planners. For example, they're 5.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Business continuity planner vs. Disaster recovery manager

A disaster recovery manager oversees the procedures put into developing and implementing recovery and continuity plans against various kinds of disasters or security breaches that could affect company data, hardware, and software. They are primarily in charge of managing disaster recovery teams, setting objectives and guidelines, performing tests and risk assessments, and developing regular reports. Moreover, a disaster recovery manager can also be responsible for liaising with external parties and training new members of the workforce while implementing company standards and policies.

Disaster recovery managers typically earn lower pay than business continuity planners. On average, disaster recovery managers earn a $1,514 lower salary per year.While both business continuity planners and disaster recovery managers complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like business impact analysis, impact analysis, and coop, the two careers vary in some skills.While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "crisis management," "business continuity planning," "cbcp," and "plan development" are skills that commonly show up on business continuity planner resumes. On the other hand, disaster recovery managers use skills like infrastructure, project management, continuous improvement, and recovery procedures on their resumes.In general, disaster recovery managers hold similar degree levels compared to business continuity planners. Disaster recovery managers are 1.4% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 1.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of business continuity planner

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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