Continuity of Operations (COOP) Program Manager

$100K — $130K *
US-AnywhereRemote in United States
Education, Government & Non-Profit
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Active Top Secret clearance required
  • Bachelor's degree in relevant field (IT, Emergency Management, etc.)
  • 10+ years in COOP or disaster recovery
  • Experience in federal or DoD environments
  • Proven leadership in continuity and resilience strategies
  • Strong technical knowledge of COOP frameworks
  • Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP) required

Responsibilities

  • Lead enterprise COOP and disaster recovery planning
  • Maintain COOP/CP Plan aligned with DoD requirements
  • Develop and update Business Impact Analyses (BIAs)
  • Define and validate Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs)
  • Oversee continuity exercises and post-exercise reporting
  • Coordinate with technical teams for COOP alignment
  • Track risks and gaps in continuity planning

Benefits

  • Fully remote position
  • Opportunity to lead critical continuity initiatives
  • Involvement in large-scale federal missions
  • Collaborative environment with technical experts
  • Focus on mission resilience and continuous improvement
Full Job Description
Overview

DecisionPoint seeks a Senior Continuity of Operations (COOP) Program Manager to lead enterprise-wide continuity strategy, contingency planning, and disaster recovery readiness for a large federal and DoD-aligned mission environment. This senior role owns the development, maintenance, and execution of COOP plans, business impact analyses (BIAs), recovery prioritization frameworks, and continuity exercises to ensure mission resilience and compliance with DoD continuity directives.

The COOP Program Manager oversees enterprise recovery strategies, defines RTO/RPO requirements, leads cross-team coordination during incidents, and ensures that continuity documentation, exercises, and readiness activities support uninterrupted mission operations under all conditions.

This position is fully remote.

Duties & Responsibilities

The Continuity of Operations (COOP) Program Manager will:

  • Lead enterprise COOP, contingency planning, continuity governance, and disaster recovery planning activities.
  • Own and maintain the COOP/CP Plan, ensuring alignment with DoD continuity requirements and mission priorities.
  • Develop and update Business Impact Analyses (BIAs), recovery prioritization models, and mission essential function definitions.
  • Define and validate Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs), Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs), and resilience strategies.
  • Oversee continuity exercises, tabletop sessions, failover drills, and post-exercise reporting.
  • Coordinate with cloud engineering, database teams, cybersecurity, and infrastructure personnel to align COOP requirements with technical capabilities.
  • Ensure continuity integration across application, data, network, cybersecurity, and hosting environments.
  • Track risks, gaps, and corrective actions relating to business continuity and disaster recovery.
  • Provide continuity readiness reporting to leadership and prepare executive briefings.
  • Maintain compliance documentation, including continuity annexes, test plans, after-action reports, and corrective action plans.
  • Support continuous improvement efforts for continuity planning, disaster recovery workflows, and mission resilience.
Qualifications

Clearance Requirement

Must hold an active Top Secret clearance, supported by a Tier 5 background investigation.

Education (Required)

Bachelors degree in Information Technology, Emergency Management, Cybersecurity, Systems Engineering, or a related field.

Experience (Required)

  • Minimum 10 years of experience in COOP, business continuity, disaster recovery, or mission resilience.
  • Experience leading continuity programs for federal or DoD environments.
  • Experience developing BIAs, continuity plans, RTO/RPO frameworks, and resilience strategies.
  • Experience conducting continuity exercises and managing post-exercise corrective actions.
  • Experience collaborating with engineering, cloud, and cybersecurity teams to support technical continuity capabilities.

Technical Knowledge (Required)

  • Strong understanding of COOP/CP frameworks, DR strategies, and continuity governance requirements.
  • Knowledge of DoD continuity policies, mission assurance, and resilience requirements.
  • Familiarity with ITIL v4 processes and their alignment with continuity operations.
  • Understanding of cloud, hosting, and infrastructure dependencies related to continuity planning.

Technical Knowledge (Preferred)

  • Experience supporting large-scale enterprise IT programs.
  • Familiarity with RMF, cybersecurity controls, and compliance processes.
  • Experience with automation or orchestration tools supporting continuity workflows.

Certifications

Required:

  • Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP)
  • ITIL v4 Foundation
  • CompTIA Security+

Preferred:

  • Additional continuity or resilience certifications
  • PMP or Agile certification

Skills

  • Strong leadership skills with the ability to coordinate complex, cross-functional continuity efforts.
  • Excellent analytical and risk-assessment abilities.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills for executive reporting and policy development.
  • Ability to oversee continuity exercises and translate findings into actionable improvements.
  • High attention to detail and commitment to mission resilience and compliance.

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