How to hire a business continuity specialist

How to hire a business continuity specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step business continuity specialist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a business continuity specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new business continuity specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a business continuity specialist do?

Post a business continuity specialist job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your business continuity specialist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a business continuity specialist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A business continuity specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, business continuity specialists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of business continuity specialists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Business Continuity Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Business Continuity Specialist		$28-47
   Operations Internship	Operations interns learn the management techniques on how to lead and supervise others. Interns usually gain experience by being an unpaid employee in the operational department... Show more	$12-20
   Operations Coordinator	An operations coordinator's role is to oversee the progress of various departments in a company or organization, ensuring that all operations meet the set goals and adhere to the company's policies and regulations. An operations coordinator may also be responsible for supervising the procurement of supplies, contract negotiations, sales monitoring, and even maintenance operations within the company... Show more	$14-27

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • Lean Six Sigma
   • Six Sigma Training
   • Value Stream
   • Business Impact Analysis
   • Lean Manufacturing
   • Disaster Recovery
   • Data Collection
   • Data Analysis
   • Kaizen Events
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Business Continuity
   • Impact Analysis
   • DMAIC

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead highly productive DR team of disparate groups of professionals providing recovery administration, planning and operational functions.
   • Design the department website using Sharepoint.
   • Update and revise ISO work instructions as necessary and issue the new and revise instructions.
   • Aid in initiatives to efficiently train staff in continuity skills and to enhance continuity awareness throughout the WBG.
   • Full BIA, risk analysis, risk mediation planning, and risk management project addressing all critical systems and revenue streams.
   • Participate in development of BCM risk mitigation and recovery strategies.

   More business continuity specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your business continuity specialist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A business continuity specialist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a business continuity specialist in South Dakota may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level business continuity specialist usually earns less than a senior-level business continuity specialist. Additionally, a business continuity specialist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average business continuity specialist salary

   $77,509yearly

   $37.26 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level business continuity specialist salary

   $60,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average business continuity specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$92,049	$44
   2	Washington	$90,953	$44
   3	Nevada	$88,709	$43
   4	California	$87,291	$42
   5	Ohio	$85,551	$41
   6	Utah	$85,502	$41
   7	Alaska	$84,924	$41
   8	Oregon	$84,908	$41
   9	New York	$81,908	$39
   10	Pennsylvania	$81,682	$39
   11	Louisiana	$81,638	$39
   12	Georgia	$80,727	$39
   13	Arizona	$80,174	$39
   14	Illinois	$79,140	$38
   15	Michigan	$77,909	$37
   16	Missouri	$77,416	$37
   17	Delaware	$75,897	$36
   18	Texas	$75,871	$36
   19	Indiana	$74,070	$36
   20	West Virginia	$73,924	$36

   Average business continuity specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	BNY Mellon	$98,545	$47.38	6
   2	BMO Capital Markets	$97,410	$46.83	5
   3	Cargill	$92,431	$44.44	17
   4	Blue Shield of California	$92,345	$44.40	3
   5	UBS	$88,096	$42.35	3
   6	Pfizer	$87,544	$42.09	7
   7	Federal Reserve Bank	$85,875	$41.29	6
   8	Federal Reserve	$85,751	$41.23
   9	Nosco	$84,685	$40.71
   10	Kohl's	$84,236	$40.50
   11	Michigan Automotive Compressor	$84,157	$40.46
   12	Mentor	$84,153	$40.46
   13	Thermo Fisher Scientific	$83,736	$40.26	36
   14	Regal Beloit	$82,709	$39.76	3
   15	Goodman Manufacturing	$82,651	$39.74
   16	Gallagher	$82,338	$39.59
   17	TreeHouse Foods	$80,739	$38.82	2
   18	The PNC Financial Services Group	$80,226	$38.57	116
   19	Mars	$79,866	$38.40	8
   20	Omaha Public Power District	$79,814	$38.37

4. Writing a business continuity specialist job description

   A job description for a business continuity specialist role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a business continuity specialist job description:

   Business continuity specialist job description example

   The Business Continuity Specialist is responsible for the development, implementation, growth, and ongoing administration of the Business Continuity Program. The Specialist will work cross-functionally with stakeholder groups to maintain and advance the business continuity framework and support critical business areas.
   Essential Functions:
   
   Represent Pinkerton's core values of integrity, vigilance, and excellence. Provide input in the development and execution of the Business Continuity Program. Identify and influence the adoption of business continuity best practices, as defined by the client's culture and unique business needs. Manage the business impact analysis process to determine program focus priorities. Identify opportunities to improve the program and maintain a state of audit-readiness to support regulatory and partner requirements. Serve as an owner of business continuity management-related materials including business continuity policies and standards. Support business units in the identification of critical processes and functions, formulation of responses to business disruptions, completion of business impact analysis updates, and performance of ongoing maintenance and testing activities; Identify and when required, incorporate new business units, systems, and processes into the business continuity program. Provide periodic reports on overall program status and effectiveness. Track and drive the resolution of all corrective action activity. Manage business continuity service provider contracts and relationships. Create programs to assess and monitor vendor BC/DR compliance. Identify and when required, incorporate new business units, systems, and processes into the business continuity program. Collaborate with other service functions such as Regional Security Managers, IT, PE, ER, Finance, and Legal. All other duties, as assigned. Education, Experience, and Certifications:
   
   Bachelor's degree with professional qualifications, DRI or BCI preferred, and at least five years of experience in a similar role within a global organization implementing and managing business continuity or risk management programs or an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to perform the essential functions of the job, as determined by the company. Pinkerton is an inclusive employer who seeks candidates with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.
   
   Competencies:
   
   Understanding of ITDR principles. Strategic program management and consulting skills. Able to manage multiple projects simultaneously with competing priorities and deadlines. Ability to identify risk and define mitigation measures. Effective written and verbal communication skills. Able to multi-task and organize workload for effective implementation. Strong client orientation and results driven. Effective independent judgment and decision-making ability. Able to interact effectively at all levels and across diverse cultures. Able to analyze complex situations and recommend solutions. Able to facilitate progressive change. Computer skills; Microsoft Office. Working Conditions:
   
   With or without reasonable accommodation, requires the physical and mental capacity to effectively perform all essential functions; Exposure to sensitive and confidential information. Regular computer usage. Occasional reaching and lifting of small objects and operating office equipment. Ability to adjust focus between close and distance vision. 24/7 availability to accommodate global time zones and/or respond to emergencies. Travel, as required. Pinkerton is an equal opportunity employer and provides equal opportunity to all applicants for all positions without regard to race/ethnicity, color, national origin, ancestry, sex/gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital/prenatal status, pregnancy/childbirth or related conditions, religion, creed, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status or any protected status by local, state, federal or country-specific law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find business continuity specialists for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your business continuity specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit business continuity specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with business continuity specialist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new business continuity specialist

   Once you've found the business continuity specialist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new business continuity specialist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a business continuity specialist?