Senior Assistant Director - FP&A (AI Data Analytics & Automation)

A*STAR Research; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A*STAR Research is seeking a Senior Assistant Director - FP&A to lead AI-powered financial planning, forecasting, and automation across the enterprise. You will design predictive models, drive scenario analysis, and deliver self-serve analytics through enterprise dashboards to empower decision makers.

You'll partner with Data Engineering, ensure data quality, and manage an OKR-driven program for AI and automation. Singapore-based candidates are preferred, with PRs welcome.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Data Science, or Engineering.
• 6 to 10 years experience in FP&A, Finance Transformation, or Data Analytics; at least 2 to 3 years leading automation or predictive analytics initiatives.
• Demonstrated success implementing forecasting models, BI dashboards, or RPA in a corporate finance context.
• Strong knowledge of financial statements, consolidation, and performance metrics.
• Strong financial modelling and analytical skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel, ERP systems (S4/Hana, Planning Software), and BI tools, and AI-driven reporting, forecasting and automation technologies.
• Open to Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents (PRs)

Responsibilities

• Design, validate, and operationalize predictive models for Revenue, Cost of Sales, Opex, Working Capital, and Cash Flow.
• Build driver-based forecasting and scenario analysis (e.g., Headcount, Grants Secured & Pipeline etc…).
• Implement model monitoring (accuracy, drift, recalibration cadence) and document assumptions for auditability.
• Provide any ad-hoc financial management reports and financial analysis
• Develop and maintain enterprise-wide dashboards for self-help management reporting
• Automate monthly/quarterly Management Reports, variance analysis, and KPI dashboards using RPA, low-code tools, and data pipelines.
• Establish standardized metric definitions and data lineage for finance reporting (single source of truth).
• Enable finance teams with self-service analytics (Power BI/Planning Solution + governed data marts).
• Partner with Data Engineering to define finance data models, transformation logic, and master data (CoA, CRM, Grants Portal…).
• Implement quality checks (reconciliation rules, anomaly detection, data completeness/consistency).
• Maintain model documentation, version control, and access governance aligned with finance control frameworks.
• Translate complex analytics into business-friendly narratives and decision-ready insights for Finance leadership, BU heads, and Sales Ops.
• Run change management (training, playbooks, adoption KPIs) to embed new tools and ways of working.
• Prioritize the analytics backlog based on measurable business impact (time-to-insight, accuracy, cost-to-serve).
• Define and track OKRs for AI & automation initiatives—time saved, forecast accuracy improvements, cycle time reduction, and user adoption.
• Run agile cadences (backlog grooming, sprint reviews, release notes) and manage vendor/contractor deliverables.
• Ensure ethical and compliant AI usage (bias checks, explainability, data privacy, access controls).

Skills

Forecasting

BI dashboards

RPA

Data analytics

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Data Science, or Engineering

Tools

S4/Hana

Planning Software

Power BI

Data pipelines

Job description

Senior Assistant Director - FP&A (AI Data Analytics & Automation)

Summary

Reporting to the Director FP&A, the Senior Assistant Director, FP&A is accountable for building and scaling AI-powered FP&A capabilities, driving automated reporting, predictive forecasting, scenario modelling, and insight generation across the enterprise. A*STAR is recognized by many accountancy organizations: ISCA, ACCA, CPA Australia, and ICAEW.

Key Responsibilities:

Predictive Forecasting & Modelling

• Design, validate, and operationalize predictive models for Revenue, Cost of Sales, Opex, Working Capital, and Cash Flow.
• Build driver-based forecasting and scenario analysis (e.g., Headcount, Grants Secured & Pipeline etc…).
• Implement model monitoring (accuracy, drift, recalibration cadence) and document assumptions for auditability.
• Provide any ad-hoc financial management reports and financial analysis
• Develop and maintain enterprise-wide dashboards for self-help management reporting

Automation & Self-Service Analytics

• Automate monthly/quarterly Management Reports, variance analysis, and KPI dashboards using RPA, low-code tools, and data pipelines.
• Establish standardized metric definitions and data lineage for finance reporting (single source of truth).
• Enable finance teams with self-service analytics (Power BI/Planning Solution + governed data marts).

Data Governance & Quality

• Partner with Data Engineering to define finance data models, transformation logic, and master data (CoA, CRM, Grants Portal…).
• Implement quality checks (reconciliation rules, anomaly detection, data completeness/consistency).
• Maintain model documentation, version control, and access governance aligned with finance control frameworks.

Stakeholder Management & Change Adoption

• Translate complex analytics into business-friendly narratives and decision-ready insights for Finance leadership, BU heads, and Sales Ops.
• Run change management (training, playbooks, adoption KPIs) to embed new tools and ways of working.
• Prioritize the analytics backlog based on measurable business impact (time-to-insight, accuracy, cost-to-serve).

Performance & Program Governance

• Define and track OKRs for AI & automation initiatives—time saved, forecast accuracy improvements, cycle time reduction, and user adoption.
• Run agile cadences (backlog grooming, sprint reviews, release notes) and manage vendor/contractor deliverables.
• Ensure ethical and compliant AI usage (bias checks, explainability, data privacy, access controls).

Qualifications & Skills:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Data Science, or Engineering.
• 6 to 10 years experience in FP&A, Finance Transformation, or Data Analytics; at least 2 to 3 years leading automation or predictive analytics initiatives.
• Demonstrated success implementing forecasting models, BI dashboards, or RPA in a corporate finance context.
• Strong knowledge of financial statements, consolidation, and performance metrics.
• Strong financial modelling and analytical skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel, ERP systems (S4/Hana, Planning Software), and BI tools, and AI-driven reporting, forecasting and automation technologies.
• Open to Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents (PRs)

The above eligibility criteria are not exhaustive. A*STAR may include additional selection criteria based on its prevailing recruitment policies. These policies may be amended from time to time without notice. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

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