Business Resilience Manager

Cigna; Dubai; On-site; AED 400,000 - 640,000; Full time

Job summary

Cigna MEA is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Business Continuity & Resilience Manager to establish, strengthen, and continuously improve the business continuity and operational resilience posture across the Middle East & Africa region.

This role will serve as the central point of accountability for business continuity management (BCM), crisis management, and operational resilience - ensuring that frameworks are effectively designed, implemented, tested, and maintained in alignment

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in Business Resilience, Business Administration, or a related field is a plus.
• Professional certification in business continuity or resilience strongly preferred - e.g., CBCI, CBCP, MBCI, ISO 22301 Lead Implementer/Auditor, or equivalent. Additional risk certifications (e.g., CRISC, IRM) are advantageous.
• 5-8 years of experience in business continuity management, operational resilience, crisis management, or related functions, preferably within financial services, insurance, or healthcare.
• Demonstrated experience in building and managing BCM frameworks across multiple geographies or entities.
• Strong knowledge of business continuity standards (ISO 22301, BCI Good Practice Guidelines), operational resilience frameworks, and regional regulatory expectations in the Middle East.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to collaborate across functions, geographies, and cultures.
• Strong business acumen and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex resilience concepts into practical, actionable solutions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and BCM/risk management tools. Experience with platforms such as Fusion, Castellan, Onspring, or similar is a plus.
• Professional demeanour with the confidence to engage senior leaders, regulators, and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and manage a standardised BCM framework across all MEA entities, aligned with ISO 22301, regulatory requirements, and Cigna global standards.
• Establish and maintain governance processes for the identification, assessment, and management of BCM risks, including clear escalation pathways.
• Develop and maintain BIAs, BCPs, Crisis Management Plans, and Disaster Recovery alignment across MEA functions and entities.
• Ensure BCM documentation is complete, accurate, regularly reviewed, and audit-ready.
• Design and lead a comprehensive BCM testing and exercising programme, including tabletop exercises, simulation drills, and scenario-based walkthroughs.
• Track remediation of gaps identified through testing, incidents, and audits, embedding lessons learned into plans and procedures.
• Monitor and report on BCM maturity, resilience metrics, and readiness posture to senior leadership and relevant committees.
• Support the regional crisis management capability, including activation protocols, communication plans, and post-incident reviews.
• Act as a key coordinator during business disruptions, ensuring effective response and recovery in line with established plans.
• Maintain and test crisis communication channels and stakeholder notification procedures.
• Drive the development of the MEA operational resilience programme, including identification of important business services, impact tolerances, and scenario planning.
• Align regional resilience activities with global operational resilience initiatives and ensure consistency with international standards and group-level expectations.
• Partner with Technology and Information Security teams to ensure alignment between BCPs, IT DR plans, and cyber resilience strategies.
• Ensure BCM practices meet regulatory requirements (CB UAE, SAMA, CBB, CBO, etc.) across MEA.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Governance & compliance

BCM frameworks

Regulatory awareness

Communication skills

Analytical problem solving

MS Office/SharePoint

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree in Business Resilience/Related field

Tools

Fusion

Castellan

Onspring

Job description

The job profile for this position is Business Project Senior Analyst, which is a Band 3 Senior Contributor Career Track Role.

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About Cigna

Cigna International is a leading global health services company dedicated to improving the health, well-being, and vitality of those we serve. Our Middle East & Africa (MEA) region spans the UAE, KSA, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Lebanon, and select African markets - serving a diverse portfolio of individual, corporate, and government clients. We are committed to building a resilient and sustainable operating model that protects our customers, people, and stakeholders in an increasingly complex risk environment.

Position Summary

Cigna MEA is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Business Continuity & Resilience Manager to establish, strengthen, and continuously improve the business continuity and operational resilience posture across the Middle East & Africa region. This role will serve as the central point of accountability for business continuity management (BCM), crisis management, and operational resilience - ensuring that frameworks are effectively designed, implemented, tested, and maintained in alignment with regulatory expectations and global best practices.

80% Business Continuity & Resilience|20% Operational Risk Support

The Business Continuity & Resilience Manager will partner with functional leaders across MEA, including Operations, Technology, Claims, Clinical, Finance, Compliance, Information Security, and Third-Party Management, to embed a sustainable, regionally aligned approach to business resilience. The role will closely collaborate with the MEA Risk Management function and global operational resilience initiatives to ensure MEA practices are seamlessly integrated into the broader Cigna enterprise framework.

Key Responsibilities

Business Continuity & Resilience (80%)

Framework & Governance

• Design, implement, and manage a standardised Business Continuity Management (BCM) framework across all MEA entities, aligned with ISO 22301, regulatory requirements, and Cigna global standards.
• Establish and maintain governance processes for the identification, assessment, and management of business continuity risks, including clear escalation pathways.
• Develop and maintain Business Impact Analyses (BIAs), Business Continuity Plans (BCPs), Crisis Management Plans, and Disaster Recovery alignment across MEA functions and entities.
• Ensure BCM documentation is complete, accurate, regularly reviewed, and audit-ready.

Testing, Exercising & Continuous Improvement

• Design and lead a comprehensive BCM testing and exercising programme, including tabletop exercises, simulation drills, and scenario-based walkthroughs.
• Track remediation of gaps identified through testing, incidents, and audits, embedding lessons learned into plans and procedures.
• Monitor and report on BCM maturity, resilience metrics, and readiness posture to senior leadership and relevant committees.

Crisis & Incident Management

• Support the regional crisis management capability, including activation protocols, communication plans, and post-incident reviews.
• Act as a key coordinator during business disruptions, ensuring effective response and recovery in line with established plans.
• Maintain and test crisis communication channels and stakeholder notification procedures.

Operational Resilience

• Drive the development of the MEA operational resilience programme, including identification of important business services, impact tolerances, and scenario planning.
• Align regional resilience activities with global operational resilience initiatives and ensure consistency with international standards and group-level expectations.
• Partner with Technology and Information Security teams to ensure alignment between BCPs, IT Disaster Recovery (DR) plans, and cyber resilience strategies.

Regulatory & Compliance

• Ensure BCM practices meet the requirements of applicable regional regulators, including but not limited to CBUAE, SAMA, CBB, CBO, and relevant African regulatory bodies.
• Support regulatory submissions, examinations, and audits related to business continuity and operational resilience.
• Monitor the evolving regulatory landscape across MEA and proactively adapt frameworks to meet emerging requirements.

Operational Risk Support (20%)

• Support first line teams in maintaining and updating operational risk registers (level 3) across MEA entities.
• Assist in the identification, assessment, and monitoring of key operational risks, ensuring alignment with the enterprise risk management framework.
• Contribute to risk reporting, including preparation of risk dashboards and inputs to risk committees.
• Support risk-related projects and initiatives as directed by the COO and CRO, including risk assessments, control evaluations, and thematic reviews.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Lead cross-functional BCM and resilience conversations with Operations, Finance, Compliance, Technology, Legal, Risk, Clinical, and business leaders across MEA.
• Provide resilience reporting and updates to MEA senior leadership, the COO, and the CRO, as well as to regulatory committees and external auditors as required.
• Act as a subject matter expert for business continuity and operational resilience, providing guidance, training, and awareness programmes to business units across the region.
• Promote a culture of preparedness, ownership, and continuous improvement across all MEA teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in Business Resilience, Business Administration, or a related field is a plus.
• Professional certification in business continuity or resilience strongly preferred - e.g., CBCI, CBCP, MBCI, ISO 22301 Lead Implementer/Auditor, or equivalent. Additional risk certifications (e.g., CRISC, IRM) are advantageous.
• 5-8 years of experience in business continuity management, operational resilience, crisis management, or related functions, preferably within financial services, insurance, or healthcare.
• Demonstrated experience in building and managing BCM frameworks across multiple geographies or entities.
• Strong knowledge of business continuity standards (ISO 22301, BCI Good Practice Guidelines), operational resilience frameworks, and regional regulatory expectations in the Middle East.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to collaborate across functions, geographies, and cultures.
• Strong business acumen and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex resilience concepts into practical, actionable solutions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and BCM/risk management tools. Experience with platforms such as Fusion, Castellan, Onspring, or similar is a plus.
• Professional demeanour with the confidence to engage senior leaders, regulators, and external stakeholders.

Key Competencies

• Resilience-first mindset — proactive, pragmatic, and solutions-focused.
• Strong governance, compliance, and control orientation.
• Leadership and influence in cross-functional, multi-geography environments.
• Analytical and detail-oriented, with the ability to see the big picture.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and presentation skills.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and managing competing priorities.

Culturally aware and sensitive to the nuances of op

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