Disaster Recovery Program Manager

GCI's Disaster Recovery Program Manager will lead the development, governance, and execution of the enterprise’s statewide Disaster Recovery (DR) program, ensuring the organization can effectively prepare for, withstand, and recover from events that threaten critical network, technology, and operational services in a 24x7 environment. Bring together cross‑functional teams to drive strategic initiatives that enhance operational resilience, maintain regulatory compliance, and safeguard customer trust by balancing risk, cost, and recovery objectives. Strengthen service continuity, support public safety, and uphold the company’s commitment to reliable service delivery for Alaskans.  ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AT ALL LEVELS: Disaster Recovery Program Leadership & Governance - Align Disaster Recovery (DR) initiatives with strategic vision, long-range plan (LRP), budgets, and organizational risk posture. - Develop and maintain the cross organizational DR roadmap, including timelines, milestones, readiness targets, testing cycles, and capital/operating budgets. - Translate enterprise risks, regulatory needs, and operational priorities into actionable DR initiatives and recovery strategies. - Establish and enforce governance frameworks (roles & responsibilities, approvals & escalation, lifecycle phases, risk mitigation). - Manage DR programs/projects across a matrixed organization, including scope, schedule, budget, resources, risk, and communication. - Integrate DR planning with Major Incident Management, Business Continuity, Cybersecurity, Network Operations, and Infrastructure teams. - Build and maintain DR standards, methodologies, playbooks, and execution practices. - Lead tabletop exercises, functional tests, and full‑scale recovery exercises and track findings and remediation. - Provide executive‑level reporting on readiness, risks, test outcomes, gaps, and improvements. Program Analysis, Discovery & Continuous Improvement - Identify opportunities to strengthen preparedness by assessing technology resilience, operational processes, organizational capabilities, and lessons learned. - Support adaptive program management to promote continuous learning and improvement. - Partner with business and technical teams to develop, analyze, and maintain metrics, data sets, and models supporting DR planning and readiness assessments. - Analyze risk trends and recovery performance to guide investment and leadership decisions. - Evaluate new technologies, architectures, and initiatives for DR and resiliency impact. Cross‑Functional Collaboration & Advisory Support - Build collaborative relationships across Network Operations, Application Technology, Engineering, Security, Compliance, Consumer, and executive teams. - Collaborate on organization‑wide training programs for Disaster Recovery and Incident Response. - Serve as a trusted advisor on DR readiness, risk posture, and response capabilities. Vendor, Partner & Resource Management - Manage DR‑related vendor relationships, including procurement, contracts, performance evaluation, and third‑party resiliency services. - Ensure vendor solutions align with recovery objectives, regulatory obligations, and operational requirements. - Coordinate with state and federal agencies during regional disasters. - Validate DR business cases and financial assumptions to ensure effective use of capital and operating budgets. - Support staffing and resource planning, prioritizing and managing dependencies. - Monitor budgets, variances, and financial risks for DR initiatives. - Evaluate completed DR initiatives for performance against scope, schedule, budget, and strategic goals. COMPETENCIES: - ACCOUNTABILITY- Takes ownership for actions, decisions, and results; openly accepts feedback and demonstrates a willingness to improve. - Proactive self‑starter with strong initiative and the ability to identify needs and work independently with minimal supervision  - BASIC PRINCIPLES - Interacts with people in a way that builds mutual trust, confidence, and respect; adheres to GCI’s Code of Conduct for Employees – the Basic Principles. - COLLABORATION - Works effectively with others to accomplish common goals and objectives; maintains positive relationships even under difficult circumstances. - Strong cross‑functional collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively at all levels of the organization and build relationships that support key priorities. - COMMUNICATION- Conveys thoughts and expresses ideas appropriately and professionally. - Excellent verbal, written, and digital communication skills, with demonstrated persuasiveness and the ability to influence diverse audiences. - COMPLIANCE - Follows internal controls; protects confidential information; abides by GCI’s Code of Business Conduct & Ethics. - CUSTOMER FOCUS - Demonstrates commitment to service excellence; gives high priority to customer satisfaction. - RELIABILITY - Consistently follows through on assigned tasks as expected; demonstrates timely attendance at meetings, training, and other work obligations. - RESULTS - Uses a combination of job knowledge, initiative, sound decision making, innovation, adaptability, and problem solving. - Ability to operate within a geographically distributed organization, effectively coordinating across departments and leveraging enterprise resources to achieve program objectives. - Proven capability to shape, execute, and measure a proactive policy or program agenda aligned with defined outcomes and organizational goals.  - Skilled in managing multiple concurrent sub‑programs while maintaining strategic perspective and alignment to overall program goals. - Proficient in reporting, tracking, and analytical tools used to monitor program performance and budget adherence. - CHANGE MANAGEMENT: champions and supports department and company change. - DECISION MAKING: uses sound, logical judgment based on data, research, and experience to choose an appropriate course of action. - Strong problem‑solving and analytical abilities, capable of evaluating complex issues and identifying optimal solutions. - Creative and adaptive issue resolution skills, applying innovative approaches when addressing challenges. - PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION: analyzes workload and establishes appropriate priorities; sets measurable and achievable goals and objectives for the team. - MENTORING & DEVELOPMENT: utilizes interpersonal skills to guide, direct, and influence others to achieve results. - PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT: sets clear performance expectations for team. - SAFETY & SECURITY - Supports a safe work environment by following all workplace safety rules and guidelines; complies with applicable Security policies and procedures. - Proficient computer skills and MS Office knowledge (e.g., Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel) to complete job duties effectively. Additional Job Requirements: This is an intermediate level position within the discipline demonstrating broad knowledge and proficiency in areas of responsibility. Performs moderately complex tasks and job duties with general organizational impact. Works under moderate supervision with latitude for independent judgment, receiving general instruction on routine work and new assignments. Supports higher level staff in implementing more complex projects. Provides training and guidance to lower-level staff. Minimum Qualifications:  Required: *A combination of relevant work experience and/or education sufficient to perform the duties of the job may substitute to meet the total years required on a year-for-year basis - High School diploma or equivalent. - Bachelor’s degree in IT/IS, project management, cybersecurity, business, or related field. * - Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible relevant experience in Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery, Project/Program Management, Engineering, and/or Information Security/Technology, or related field. Preferred:  - Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity certifications (CBCP, MBCI, CISM, CISSP) - Experience with disaster recovery testing, incident response, or compliance environments. - Telecommunications or critical infrastructure experience. - National Incident Management System (NIMS) experience. - Project Management Certification (PMP). - Financial analysis or compliance and audit experience. - Other relevant telecom industry or job specific certifications.  DRIVING REQUIREMENTS:   - This position requires access to reliable transportation for occasional travel, such as, between retail store locations, offices, worksites, or other locations as needed.  PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS and WORKING CONDITIONS:   - Most responsibilities for this position can be performed remotely. - The role requires occasional travel to support on-site activities, with some work conducted at customer premises. - Work is primarily sedentary, requiring daily routine computer usage. - Ability to work shifts as assigned, work in standard office/home office setting, and operate standard office equipment. - Ability to accurately communicate information and ideas to others effectively. - Physical agility and effort sufficient to perform job duties safely and effectively. - Ability to make valid judgments and decisions.  - Must be able to perform in high stress situations and deal with all levels of customer management.  - Must be able to deal with conflict in a professional and courteous manner. - Available to work additional time on weekends, holidays, before or after normal work hours when necessary.  - Must work well in a team environment and be able to work with a diverse group of people and customers. - Virtual workers must comply with remote work policies and agreements. The company and its subsidiaries operate in a 24/7 environment providing critical services to Alaskans and may need to respond to public health and safety matters or other business emergencies. Due to business needs employees may be contacted outside of the core business hours to respond to an immediate emergency. As such, you will be requested to provide emergency after hours contact numbers, to include your home and cell phone numbers if you have those services. Culture, Engagement, and Connection: At GCI, we foster an environment where the unique perspectives of our employees, customers, and fellow Alaskans are celebrated. We add value to our community by nurturing and empowering each member of our workforce, ensuring equal opportunities for every Trailblazer. EEO: GCI is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, veteran status, or any other status or classification protected under applicable state or federal law.  DISCLAIMER:  The above information in this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification.  It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job. All employees of GCI work in support of the GCI Mission Statement and Declaration of Principles which are located on the GCI Career page and Employee portal.