Assistant Manager, Research Operations and Administration

National University of Singapore; Singapore; On-site; SGD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious research university in Singapore is seeking an Assistant Manager to provide operational and administrative leadership for their research group. The role involves managing finance administration, procurement, HR, and event logistics while ensuring compliance with institutional and grantor requirements. The ideal candidate should have a Bachelor's degree and at least 5 years of relevant experience, with strong finance skills and proficiency in procurement workflows. This role offers an opportunity to liaise across academic and clinical entities, ensuring robust research governance.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years of experience in research administration, finance/grant operations, or lab/department operations.
• Proficiency with procurement and HR workflows; experience coordinating across institutions.
• Strong document control and version management.

Responsibilities

• Support lab and office operations, including procurement and budgeting support.
• Coordinate documentation and reporting for research grants.
• Monitor grant utilisation and prepare regular variance reports.

Skills

Finance administration skills

Stakeholder management

Excellent communication skills

Detail-oriented

Organisational skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in relevant field

Tools

SAP/Ariba

SharePoint

Google Sheets

Job description

The National University of Singapore is the national research university of Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest higher education institution in Singapore.

Job Description

We are seeking an Assistant Manager to provide comprehensive operational and administrative leadership for our research group and laboratory. This role ensures smooth day-to-day functioning across finance administration, procurement, HR, and event logistics, while supporting compliance with institutional and grantor requirements. You will liaise across academic, clinical, and administrative entities (e.g., NUS, NUH, external partners) to enable robust research governance, data management, and collaborative projects.

Job Responsibilities

Research Administration

• Support lab and office operations, including procurement, budgeting support, and inventory tracking
• Coordinate documentation and reporting for research grants and submissions; maintain orderly records and dashboards
• Support admin-related HR matters
• Manage PI's calendar, travel arrangements, and claims
• Plan and execute logistics for meetings, workshops, and research events

Finance and Grant Management

• Support fund administration: billing, grant claims, revenue tracking, and audit coordination
• Monitor grant utilisation and prepare regular variance and utilisation reports; track expenditures against cost centres/WBS
• Liaise with research teams and institutional offices for fund setup, procurement routing, and expenditure approvals; ensure timely subawardee claims

Research Operations and Compliance

• Coordinate with NUS, NUH, and external institutions on research governance, data sharing, and clinical trial compliance
• Support documentation and implementation of data security protocols; maintain data sharing and collaboration agreements
• Track ethics workflows (e.g., DSRB/IRB submissions, amendments, renewals) and ensure timely, compliant submissions

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (e.g., sciences, management, healthcare administration, business).
• At least 5 years of experience in research administration, finance/grant operations, or lab/department operations within academia, healthcare, or biotech.
• Strong finance administration skills: grant claims, billing, utilisation/variance reporting, audit support.
• Proficiency with procurement and HR workflows; experience with enterprise systems (e.g., SAP/Ariba, eProcurement portals) and collaboration tools (e.g., SharePoint, Teams).
• Familiarity with research governance, data sharing, and ethics processes (DSRB/IRB); experience coordinating across institutions.
• Advanced Excel/Google Sheets for trackers and dashboards; strong document control and version management.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills; ability to liaise across academic, clinical, and administrative teams.
• Detail-oriented, well-organised, and deadline-driven, with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver accurate, timely outputs with minimal supervision.

More Information

Location: Kent Ridge Campus

Organization: Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine

Department: Dean-Med-Research Office

Employee Referral Eligible: No

Job Requisition ID: 31440