When Did One Resilience Job Become Six?

A recent Resilience360 Market Intelligence post sparked one of the most engaging discussions I've seen in quite some time.  The data was straightforward. Across more than 250 resilience job descriptions, the average role now spans 5.5 different disciplines, and 55% of Resilience roles combine both Business Continuity and Crisis Management.  The comments, however, told a much bigger story.

Some professionals questioned whether organizations are searching for "resilience unicorns", one person expected to do everything. Others suggested organizations still struggle to define what resilience really means. Several pointed out that while resilience programs have matured, many job descriptions, reporting structures, and compensation models have not kept pace.

After spending more than twenty-five years working exclusively within the resilience profession, I believe there is truth in all of those perspectives.  What I don't believe is that the profession is moving in the wrong direction.  In fact, I think the convergence of resilience disciplines is one of the healthiest developments we've seen over the past two decades.

Business Continuity, Crisis Management, Operational Resilience, Disaster Recovery, Cyber Resilience, Third-Party Risk, Emergency Management, and Enterprise Risk Management have always been closely connected. Organizations are increasingly recognizing that these capabilities shouldn't operate as isolated programs. When they are aligned under a common strategy, they create a stronger, more coordinated approach to preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disruption.  That's progress.

Where organizations sometimes run into challenges is confusing convergence with compression.  Leading an enterprise resilience program that spans multiple disciplines is very different from expecting one individual to personally execute every aspect of those disciplines. Some capabilities naturally complement one another. Others require highly specialized technical expertise. Bringing those disciplines together under one leadership structure can absolutely strengthen resilience, but that doesn't necessarily mean every responsibility belongs to one person.  That distinction is often difficult to recognize from a job description alone.

When I review resilience positions, I often find myself asking questions that candidates are asking as well. Is this a strategic leadership role or an execution role? How mature is the program? How many people are already supporting it? Which responsibilities does the leader oversee versus personally perform? Does the reporting structure provide the authority needed to be successful? Does the compensation reflect the scope and complexity of the position?  Unfortunately, those details rarely appear in the posting itself.

That matters because job descriptions do more than list responsibilities; they shape how the market perceives the opportunity. Experienced resilience professionals quickly recognize when expectations appear misaligned with the organizational support behind the role. It's one of the reasons we continue to see resilience positions remain open for extended periods or appear on the market multiple times.

Our recent hiring analysis found that 59% of resilience positions had already been reposted, with several remaining open for more than six months. While every organization's circumstances are different, prolonged searches often create an opportunity to pause and ask whether the challenge is candidate availability or whether the role itself deserves another look before relaunching the search.   Sometimes the most valuable step in the hiring process isn't finding more candidates.  It's validating that the role reflects today's resilience profession.

That may mean benchmarking compensation against the market, refining the job description, evaluating reporting structures, reassessing staffing levels, or determining whether the responsibilities have outgrown a single position. Likewise, specialized resilience recruitment isn't simply about identifying candidates; it's about helping organizations define a role that the market understands and the right professionals are excited to pursue.  The resilience profession hasn't become less specialized.  It has become more connected.

As organizations continue integrating resilience disciplines, perhaps the conversation should move beyond asking, "How much can one person do?" and instead ask, "How do we design resilience roles that set both the individual and the organization up for long-term success?"  Because getting the right person almost always starts with defining the right role.

Ready to Start the Conversation?

If this week's market intelligence prompted you to think differently about an open resilience role, perhaps it's worth taking a fresh look before reposting it again. Sometimes a few objective adjustments made before a search begins can significantly improve hiring outcomes.

Whether you're planning to expand your resilience team, struggling to fill a critical role, evaluating whether compensation is competitive, refining a job description, or simply looking for an objective assessment before launching or relaunching a search, we'd welcome the opportunity to learn more about your objectives.

Schedule a complimentary discovery conversation to discuss your resilience staffing strategy: https://calendly.com/cheyene/strategic-staffing-advisory-solutions-discovery

Explore how our benchmarking and market intelligence services can help you validate compensation, staffing strategies, reporting structures, job descriptions, and hiring approaches before launching or relaunching your next resilience search: https://calendly.com/cheyene/executive-benchmarking-strategic-insights-discussion

About Resilience360 Advisory

For more than 25 years, Resilience360 Advisory has supported hundreds of organizations and thousands of resilience professionals through specialized staffing, executive benchmarking, compensation analysis, organizational design, research analytics, and strategic advisory services. Our expertise spans Business Continuity, Operational Resilience, Disaster Recovery, Crisis Management, Security, Emergency Management, Cyber Resilience, Third-Party and Supplier Resilience, and Enterprise Risk.

By combining one of the world's largest resilience networks with decades of market intelligence, we help organizations build stronger programs by making informed decisions about people, structure, and strategy.