Manager / Senior Manager / Senior Assistant Director (SPEED)

A*STAR - Agency for Science, Technology and Research; Singapore; On-site; SGD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

A*STAR’s Advanced Energy & Decarbonisation Office (AEDO) seeks a highly qualified leader to join the SPEED Programme on a fixed-term contract through 31 August 2027. The role drives scale-up, pilots and deployment of climate technologies under Singapore’s Decarbonisation Grand Challenge.

You will oversee multi-disciplinary teams, manage a sizeable budget, and coordinate with government agencies to ensure SPEED aligns with national energy needs and RIE priorities.

Qualifications

• 3-10 years of leadership experience and stakeholder management
• Strong communication and stakeholder management capabilities
• Good understanding of power- and grid-related systems and technologies
• Able to work in an unstructured environment and exercise sound judgement
• Robust understanding of climate mitigation technologies and deployment in Singapore

Responsibilities

• Support SPEED Executive Director in managing a cleantech pilot deployment budget of about S$250M over five years
• Lead efforts to identify and co‑fund up to 15-20 pilot projects over a five‑year tranche
• Oversee technology scanning around power and industry decarbonisation technologies with focus on power generation, transmission, storage and grid innovations
• Manage end-to-end development and management of SPEED projects from origination through proposal evaluation, deal structuring, government approval, award and post‑award portfolio management
• Develop and launch targeted thematic grant calls to address strategic tech gaps or decarbonisation needs
• Coordinate cross‑functional teams across A*STAR to evaluate, structure, award and manage SPEED projects
• Work with MOE, EMA, EDB, NRF and other stakeholders to align SPEED with national decarbonisation plans and RIE priorities
• Monitor and report to the Singapore Government on programme accomplishments and budget utilisation

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Project management

Strategic thinking

Communication skills

Business acumen

Networking

International experience

Job description

The Singapore Government established the Advanced Energy & Decarbonisation Office (AEDO) as Singapore’s national platform for driving energy and industry decarbonisation research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) under the $800 million Decarbonisation Grand Challenge (DGC). It will oversee the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 (RIE 2030) mandate focusing on scalable decarbonisation solutions (e.g. carbon capture and low-carbon fuels and alternatives) and power system enablers (e.g. power transmission and energy storage) that support Singapore’s transition to a low-carbon economy.

AEDO will be housed under A*STAR and is envisioned to play a critical role in aligning RD&D efforts with national decarbonisation strategies, translating innovation, managing major funding initiatives, and forging effective partnerships across government, academia, industry, and international experts.

To accelerate pathfinding efforts for Singapore, the Singapore Pilots for Energy and Enterprise Decarbonisation (SPEED) program was set up to seek out and establish promising decarbonisation-related technologies for local pilot deployment. SPEED will be a part of AEDO moving forward.

Summary

We are seeking a highly qualified individual to join the SPEED Programme on a term contract till 31 Aug 2027. SPEED is a new DGC initiative that supports the scale up, pilot and deployment of climate technologies to decarbonise the power and industry sectors in Singapore, specifically in the range of technology readiness levels (TRL) of 6-8.

Job Responsibilities

• Support the SPEED Executive Director in managing a cleantech pilot deployment budget of about S$250M over five years over the upcoming Research, Innovation, & Enterprise (RIE) 2030 tranche
• Lead efforts to identify and co‑fund up to 15-20 pilot projects over a five‑year tranche, to uncover new national carbon mitigation pathways for Singapore
• Oversee technology scanning around power and industry decarbonisation technologies , with a focus on the power generation, transmission, storage and grid‑related innovations.
• Manage end-to-end development and management of SPEED projects from project and company origination through proposal evaluation, deal structuring, government approval , award and post‑award portfolio management
• Develop and launch targeted thematic grant calls where strategic technology gaps or national decarbonisation needs warrant a more directed funding approach.
• Coordinate cross‑functional teams across A*STAR , incl. technical and techno-economic experts, grants administration, legal and finance, to evaluate , structure, award and manage SPEED projects.
• Work closely with Ministry of Energy , Trade and Industry (METI) , Energy Market Authority (EMA) , Economic Development Board (EDB) , National Research Foundation (NRF) and other relevant government stakeholders to ensure SPEED’s portfolio and projects remain aligned with national decarbonisation plans , energy needs , and RIE priorities.
• Monitor, account, and oversee the regular reporting to the Singapore Government about the programme’s accomplishments and budget utilisation

Job Requirements

• Possess 3-10 years of experience with proven track record of leadership experience and effective stakeholder management. Exceptional individuals who do not meet the years of experience could also be considered.
• Strong communication skills and evidence of strong stakeholder management
• Good understanding of power- and grid-related systems and technologies
• Prepared to work in an unstructured environment, and able to exercise a sound judgement to problem solve.
• Robust understanding of climate mitigation technologies, including their deployment in Singapore’s context
• Strong project management and leadership skills
• Deep understanding of technology research funding processes, including public, private, and combined public-private streams
• Ability to build partnerships and coalitions with stakeholders in academia, industry, Government agencies, both locally and globally
• Must possess an entrepreneurial spirit and have the executive presence to effectively market the SPEED program to a diverse audience base including foreign investors, founders and asset owners in Singapore
• International experience, especially in key markets like the US and China, would be viewed favourably
• Strong understanding of venture capital, venture debt, project financing and blended finance structures would be viewed very favourably
• Strong connections with the local and global venture capital and innovation ecosystem would be viewed very favourably
• Strong connections with the local base of energy‑intensive asset owners (e.g. Energy & Chemical, Generation companies, Data Centres etc) would be viewed very favourably
• Prepared to embark on understanding the finer details of scaling technology at the TRL 6-8 range
• Strong business acumen and understanding of new energy technologies’ role in energy and economic futures
• International travel (10%) may be required