Associate Director, DKHMCC

Singapore Management University; Singapore; On-site; SGD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Singapore Management University invites an experienced leader to head the Dato' Kho Hui Meng Career Centre initiatives. You will guide career coaching, internship programs, and alumni engagement to enhance student employability and industry ties.

The role requires strategic planning, stakeholder collaboration across departments and external partners, and hands-on delivery of workshops and events. Strong communication, project management, and data-driven decision making are essential.

Qualifications

• Degree holder with at least 10 to 12 years of relevant work experience in a student facing role within a university or client facing stakeholder management in a corporate or public service setting.
• Meticulous and detail-oriented, with a strong appreciation for thorough planning, accurate documentation, and process consistency.
• Demonstrated commitment to service excellence, with a service-oriented mindset and practical experience in implementing customer service strategies.
• Possesses in-depth knowledge of the higher education landscape and university organizational structures; experience in account management with corporate partners is an added advantage.
• Resilient and adept at time management, ensuring efficient and effective case management.
• Committed to working with students, with a strong understanding of current trends in student affairs within the higher education context and the ability to navigate its complexities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, complemented by strong interpersonal and negotiation abilities, and a proven track record in stakeholder management to build and maintain productive relationships.
• Highly motivated, adaptable, and results-driven, with a readiness to embrace change and a capacity for rapid learning.
• Driven self-starter with strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills; capable of identifying opportunities for operational improvements and implementing solutions independently.
• Strong team player who is resourceful, resilient, and thrives in fast-paced, results-oriented, and ambiguous work environments.
• Exercises sound judgment, discretion, and decision-making when handling confidential and sensitive matters.
• Capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to work independently using a structured approach of questioning, organizing, researching, and analyzing to interpret information.
• High cultural intelligence and sensitivity to diversity, with the ability to communicate and engage effectively with individuals from varied cultural backgrounds.
• Technologically proficient, with advanced expertise in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access. Professional experience with social media platforms for regular engagement of stakeholders and brand building activities for DKHMCC and SMU would be a strong advantage.
• Proficient in Microsoft Power Automate for workflow automation and digital form/survey creation, and skilled in using Power BI to develop dashboards and support data-driven decision-making.
• Proficiency in Career coaching with relevant certifications would be a strong advantage.

Responsibilities

• Career Coaching: Conduct one-on-one career coaching sessions to help students identify their career goals, strengths, and areas for improvement. Assist students in crafting personalized career roadmaps, considering their interests, skill sets, and the evolving employment landscape.
• Skill development: Collaborate with industry practitioners to design and deliver workshops on resume writing, interview preparation, networking strategies, and other in-demand skills specific to the industries partnered by SMU in complementing the curriculum.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build and maintain strong relationships with employers and their HR and their leadership across the portfolio, other SMU departments, government agencies, and other stakeholders to develop a strong pipeline of internship and job opportunities for students. Organize SMU career fairs, networking events, and employer panels to connect students with thought leaders and leading employers in the portfolio.
• Resource Creation and Management: Curate and distribute resources, such as job postings, career guides, and industry insights, tailored to the needs of SMU students.
• Tracking Success: Monitor and report on student career outcomes to continually refine strategies and implementation plans in partnership with the school to enhance employability and employment outcomes of the students.
• Support university led impact assessments and seek opportunities to enhance offerings to students to boost employability.
• Internship Administration and Graduate placements: Source and post all internships from select sectors managed as part of the portfolio on the university portal along with processing of internships, issuance of the paperwork to all stakeholders and grading of the internships towards degree requirements.
• Monitor and enhance graduate placements and ensure best outcomes for students on internships and training contracts secured. Manage and support intervention measures to track the employment outcomes for students.
• Support tracking of internships in upcoming sectors and factors influencing trends and latest employment developments in the industry.
• Management of Advisory Council: Support the activities and meetings of the DKHMCC advisory council to ensure regular updates and discussions about latest employment developments, sharing of latest industry information and seek general counsel on employability to aid the activities of the career Centre.
• Policy, Administration & Planning Support: Support DKHMCC Director with execution of strategic projects and work plans and serve as liaison for other SMU departments and support planning and achievement of department targets and allocation of resources.
• Serve as a liaison to OCCM to support and plan employment engagement strategies and leverage technology to implement impact measurements, manage communication and branding efforts.
• Lead the team members assigned and support the events and activities of the Career Centre and handle the operations of the career centre across events, planning, resources allocation and service delivery to students and stakeholders.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Career coaching

Stakeholder management

Event planning

Strategic planning

Communication

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in relevant field

Tools

Power BI

Microsoft Office

Power Automate

Job description

• This position is for Dato' Kho Hui Meng Career Centre.

• Career Coaching: Conduct one-on-one career coaching sessions to help students identify their career goals, strengths, and areas for improvement. Assist students in crafting personalized career roadmaps, considering their interests, skill sets, and the evolving employment landscape.

• Skill development: Collaborate with industry practitioners to design and deliver workshops on resume writing, interview preparation, networking strategies, and other in-demand skills specific to the industries partnered by SMU in complementing the curriculum.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Build and maintain strong relationships with employers and their HR and their leadership across the portfolio, other SMU departments, government agencies, and other stakeholders to develop a strong pipeline of internship and job opportunities for students. Organize SMU career fairs, networking events, and employer panels to connect students with thought leaders and leading employers in the portfolio.

• Resource Creation and Management: Curate and distribute resources, such as job postings, career guides, and industry insights, tailored to the needs of SMU students.

• Tracking Success: Monitor and report on student career outcomes to continually refine strategies and implementation plans in partnership with the school to enhance employability and employment outcomes of the students.

• Support university led impact assessments and seek opportunities to enhance offerings to students to boost employability.

• Internship Administration and Graduate placements:

  • Source and post all internships from select sectors managed as part of the portfolio on the university portal along with processing of internships, issuance of the paperwork to all stakeholders and grading of the internships towards degree requirements.

  • Monitor and enhance graduate placements and ensure best outcomes for students on internships and training contracts secured. Manage and support intervention measures to track the employment outcomes for students.

  • Support tracking of internships in upcoming sectors and factors influencing trends and latest employment developments in the industry.

• Management of Advisory Council:

  • Support the activities and meetings of the DKHMCC advisory council to ensure regular updates and discussions about latest employment developments, sharing of latest industry information and seek general counsel on employability to aid the activities of the career Centre.

• Policy, Administration & Planning Support:

  • Support DKHMCC Director with execution of strategic projects and work plans and serve as liaison for other SMU departments and support planning and achievement of department targets and allocation of resources.

  • Serve as a liaison to OCCM to support and plan employment engagement strategies and leverage technology to implement impact measurements, manage communication and branding efforts.

  • Lead the team members assigned and support the events and activities of the Career Centre and handle the operations of the career centre across events, planning, resources allocation and service delivery to students and stakeholders.

• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Degree holder with at least 10 to 12 years of relevant work experience in a student facing role within a university or client facing stakeholder management in a corporate or public service setting. Any career coaching certifications would be most beneficial and a strong advantage.

• Meticulous and detail-oriented, with a strong appreciation for thorough planning, accurate documentation, and process consistency.

• Demonstrated commitment to service excellence, with a service-oriented mindset and practical experience in implementing customer service strategies.

• Possesses in-depth knowledge of the higher education landscape and university organizational structures; experience in account management with corporate partners is an added advantage.

• Resilient and adept at time management, ensuring efficient and effective case management.

• Committed to working with students, with a strong understanding of current trends in student affairs within the higher education context and the ability to navigate its complexities.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, complemented by strong interpersonal and negotiation abilities, and a proven track record in stakeholder management to build and maintain productive relationships.

• Highly motivated, adaptable, and results-driven, with a readiness to embrace change and a capacity for rapid learning.

• Driven self-starter with strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills; capable of identifying opportunities for operational improvements and implementing solutions independently.

• Strong team player who is resourceful, resilient, and thrives in fast-paced, results-oriented, and ambiguous work environments.

• Exercises sound judgment, discretion, and decision-making when handling confidential and sensitive matters.

• Capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.

• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to work independently using a structured approach of questioning, organizing, researching, and analyzing to interpret information.

• High cultural intelligence and sensitivity to diversity, with the ability to communicate and engage effectively with individuals from varied cultural backgrounds.

• Technologically proficient, with advanced expertise in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access. Professional experience with social media platforms for regular engagement of stakeholders and brand building activities for DKHMCC and SMU would be a strong advantage.

• Proficient in Microsoft Power Automate for workflow automation and digital form/survey creation, and skilled in using Power BI to develop dashboards and support data-driven decision-making.

• Proficiency in Career coaching with relevant certifications would be a strong advantage.

Other Information

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Candidates who do not possess the stipulated qualifications but have relevant work experience may still apply. Remuneration and appointment terms shall commensurate with qualifications and experience. SMU reserves the right to modify the appointment terms where necessary.