Operational Resilience Test Specialist

An exceptional opportunity has arisen for you to join a leading international financial institution as an Operational Resilience Test Specialist based in Dublin. This role offers the chance to play a pivotal part in shaping and executing the organisation’s resilience testing strategy, ensuring robust business continuity and regulatory compliance across EMEA operations.

What you'll do:

As an Operational Resilience Test Specialist, you will

• Support the planning and execution of the Annual Test Plan for Resilience Testing across EMEA, ensuring all critical business services are assessed for service resilience and business continuity.
• Assist in developing and maintaining the Resilience Testing Strategy, Standards, Scenario Library, and other key assets required for effective test planning and execution in line with evolving regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate with other assurance activities to ensure integrated scenario coverage, sharing lessons learned and best practices across teams to enhance overall resilience.
• Engage with stakeholders from various departments—including Business Continuity, IT Disaster Recovery, Incident Management, Crisis Management, Recovery Suite, Work-from-Home strategies—to validate recovery plans and identify areas for improvement.
• Document test plans thoroughly, execute tests according to established protocols, capture results accurately, and report findings including vulnerabilities or gaps requiring remediation.
• Contribute to the ongoing enhancement of communication plans related to resilience testing throughout EMEA operations.
• Provide detailed test reporting by updating service management information (MI) dashboards with insights gained from testing activities.
• Apply structured testing practices such as test plan development, gap identification, scenario analysis, and documentation of lessons learned to ensure high standards of quality and compliance.
• Foster effective working relationships with Service Owners, Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), Incident & Crisis teams to drive positive outcomes from resilience initiatives.
• Support the Resilience Testing Lead in advancing the maturity of testing standards and contributing ideas for continuous improvement.

What you bring:

To excel as an Operational Resilience Test Specialist, you bring proven experience from similar roles within financial services or regulated industries where operational risk management is paramount.

Your background includes:

• Experience in planning and performing operational resilience testing within a regulated financial services environment is essential for success in this position.

• Comprehensive understanding of UK (FCA/PRA) Operational Resilience regulations as well as familiarity with EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) requirements is highly desirable.
• Proficiency in structured testing methodologies including scenario analysis, test plan development, gap identification, execution documentation, and lessons learned reporting is required.
• Strong communication skills are necessary for engaging effectively with stakeholders at all organisational levels and tailoring messages appropriately for different audiences.
• Attention to detail combined with the ability to navigate complex scenarios enables you to identify strengths or weaknesses within existing frameworks.
• Experience coordinating resilience testing across multiple entities or regions is beneficial for managing large-scale projects efficiently.
• Awareness of dependency management principles and service mapping techniques supports comprehensive risk assessment during testing activities.
• Ability to build trust among sponsors, peers, and stakeholders ensures successful collaboration throughout project lifecycles.
• Knowledge of incident management protocols, crisis communication strategies, business continuity best practices (including ISO22301), and IT disaster recovery enhances your effectiveness in this multifaceted role.
• A customer-focused mindset coupled with sound judgement allows you to prioritise actions that deliver tangible improvements in operational resilience.

What sets this company apart:

This organisation stands out as a trusted partner committed not only to long-term client success but also to the personal growth of its employees. With an international presence spanning EMEA markets, and an award-winning suite of corporate finance products—the company offers unparalleled exposure to diverse projects at the forefront of industry transformation.

Employees benefit from competitive hybrid working arrangements designed around flexibility; generous paid leave; private medical insurance; life cover; mental health support via counselling services; active sport & social clubs; diversity networks; plus ongoing access to learning resources tailored for career progression.

What's next:

If you are ready to take your career in operational resilience management further within an inclusive global environment that values your expertise, please contact Suzanne Feeney for more information

Robert Walters Operations Limited is an employment business and employment agency and welcomes applications from all candidates