Why Entry- to Mid-Level Resilience Roles Are Especially Hard to Hire For

Business continuity and resilience management have never been more important. Organizations know they need strong continuity plans, effective crisis response capabilities, and robust supplier risk oversight. Yet many hiring managers find that entry-to-mid-level resilience roles are some of the hardest positions to fill.  Why?  Even when you have budget approval, a clear job description, and executive urgency, these hires can be unexpectedly challenging. Below are a few reasons these roles can be particularly tough to recruit for, and some guidance on how to approach the problem more effectively.

1. Compensation Range Expectations

One growing challenge comes from how salary ranges are communicated and perceived.  Many organizations now include compensation ranges in their job postings, sometimes due to legal requirements, sometimes in the spirit of transparency and pay equity. While this is generally positive, it creates a common friction point: Candidates almost always assume they will land at the top of the posted range.  Meanwhile, most organizations have budgeted these roles at or near the midpoint of that range. This expectation gap can be particularly tough at the entry-to-mid-level, where budgets are tighter and bands are narrower.

The result?

• Candidates may feel disappointed or misled.

• Negotiations can stall or break down late in the process.

• Some candidates may self-select out early, assuming they’re either over- or under-qualified.

What can help?

Aligning posted ranges with realistic, budgeted offers and having early, transparent conversations about compensation are essential. This is also where working with a recruiter who knows the resilience market can add value. A specialist can help calibrate salary expectations to market realities and ensure candidates have a clear, realistic view from the start.

2. Non-Linear Career Paths and Salary Expectations

Resilience management is rarely someone’s first career.  Our research consistently shows that professionals in dedicated resilience roles typically spend an average of 15 years working in other fields before specializing in resilience. This non-linear career path creates complexity for hiring at the entry-to-mid-tier level.

For example:

• Your job description might ask for “5+ years of resilience experience.”

• The qualified candidate might have 5 years in resilience plus 10–15 years in IT, security, risk management, or operations.

• Their total career experience drives higher salary expectations, even if your budget anticipates a “junior” or “mid-level” hire.

From the candidate’s perspective, they see their full background and expect to be compensated accordingly.

How to navigate this:

• Recognize the value of transferable experience, such as stakeholder management, crisis response, or program leadership.

• Be prepared to discuss how prior experience fits into your role, and your budget.

• Consider collaborating with specialized recruiters who understand these non-linear career paths. They can help you evaluate how adjacent experience can strengthen your team and advise on market-aligned compensation.

3. Limited Candidate Pool at Early and Mid-Career Stages

Another challenge is simply the supply and demand dynamic.  Unlike accounting, software engineering, or other fields with robust entry-level pipelines, resilience management doesn’t have a standardized undergraduate path or consistent early-career training track.  Most professionals discover resilience management later in their careers, after time in risk, security, emergency management, IT, compliance, or operations.

As a result:

• The pool of “true entry-level” candidates is small.

• Mid-tier roles often require a balance of hands-on experience and affordability that’s hard to find.

• Job postings alone rarely yield a strong short-list of qualified applicants.

What can help?

Building your own internal pipeline and investing in professional development are important strategies. Equally valuable is leveraging industry-specific recruiters with deep networks. Experienced partners can often surface passive candidates you wouldn’t reach through standard job postings and can help you think creatively about backgrounds that might be an excellent fit.

4. Diverse Backgrounds Require Thoughtful Evaluation

Finally, resilience management candidates come from a wide range of professional backgrounds.

At the entry to mid-level, you’ll see resumes featuring:

• IT disaster recovery planning

• Security incident management

• Emergency management

• Vendor risk and compliance

• Business analysis or project management

These diverse profiles can bring real value to your resilience program, but they don’t always map neatly onto a traditional job description.

How to approach this:

• Focus on the core competencies your role truly requires.

• Define which skills are essential versus trainable.

• Be prepared to evaluate candidates holistically.

Experienced recruiters who specialize in resilience management can help hiring teams recognize valuable transferable skills and avoid dismissing strong candidates simply because their resume doesn’t fit a rigid mold.

Conclusion: It’s Complex, but Manageable

Hiring entry-to-mid-tier resilience professionals is undeniably challenging. Salary expectations, non-linear career paths, limited candidate pools, and diverse professional backgrounds all mean these roles require more planning, flexibility, and creativity than many hiring managers expect.

But these challenges aren’t insurmountable. By understanding the dynamics at play, valuing transferable experience, managing compensation conversations thoughtfully, and tapping into specialist networks, organizations can build the strong, adaptable teams needed to navigate today’s complex risk landscape.

As someone who has spent over 25 years helping organizations fill resilience management roles, from entry-level through senior leadership, I’ve seen firsthand how much a targeted, informed approach can improve outcomes. Whether it’s refining a job description, aligning budgeted salary ranges to market data, or identifying the right professional through an expansive network, specialized support can make all the difference.

Please feel free to reach out to us with any staffing questions. We are here to help you assess the appropriate personnel need, be it managed services, consulting referrals, temporary, or a permanent hire. Additionally, we have sample job descriptions and several BCM Research Reports available for review. You can also find great hiring manager video content posted on the BC Management YouTube channel. Visit our website to schedule a discovery call or request staff.

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Resilience360 Advisory will offer a holistic approach by integrating Career Coaching • Program Counsel • Strategic Staffing into a single, comprehensive solution. With over 25 years of experience in staffing, resiliency program benchmarking, and leadership development, we provide a unique value proposition to empower professionals to achieve their career goals and partner with organizations to build and strengthen resilience programs through peer-driven data, elite consulting referrals, and smart hiring strategies.