Senior Associate Director (Finance Lead)

National University of Singapore; Singapore; On-site; SGD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious research university in Singapore seeks a Finance Lead to manage the full spectrum of financial activities for NUS Enterprise. This role involves providing financial insights, ensuring compliance with policies, and leading a team to support strategic initiatives. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in finance leadership, strong SAP skills, and a degree in Accounting. Join to drive meaningful impact and support the university's financial sustainability.

Benefits

Continuous learning opportunities

Mentorship program

Collaborative culture

Qualifications

• 10-15 years of progressive experience in finance.
• Proven track record in leadership and team management.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team to manage financial activities for NUS Enterprise.
• Provide financial insights and advisory to support planning.
• Oversee accounting processes to ensure compliance.

Skills

Strong proficiency in SAP

Strong verbal and written communication skills

Advanced skills in Microsoft Office applications

Education

Degree in Accounting and Finance or related field

Professional accounting certification (CPA preferred)

Tools

MYOB

Job description

Company 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

About Us

Join the National University of Singapore (NUS) Finance Team - Where Innovation Meets Excellence

At NUS, the Office of Finance stands as a dynamic and strategic partner, driving financial sustainability and operational excellence. Our team plays a crucial role in overseeing financial planning, optimising resources, and enabling the University's ambition and innovation.

We are at the forefront of formulating, reviewing, and analysing the University's operating, strategic, and capital budgets. Through strong governance, robust financial processes, and cutting‑edge systems, we ensure every dollar is put to its best use, fueling research, education, and transformation.

Why Join Us?

🚀 Make an Impact: Play a key role in shaping financial strategies that influence the University's growth and global standing.

📈 Growth & Development: We believe in continuous learning, offering mentorship, career development, and upskilling opportunities.

🤝 Collaborative Culture: Join a high‑performing team that values trust, innovation, and excellence.

🔹 Finance Transformation: Be part of initiatives leveraging SAP S4 Hana, AI‑driven analytics, and digital finance solutions to drive efficiency and future‑ready finance operations.

If you are passionate about finance, thrive in a dynamic environment, and want to be part of a team that drives meaningful impact, we'd love to hear from you!

Join us and be a part of shaping the future of finance at NUS!

Website: https://www.nus.edu.sg/finance

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nus-office-of-finance/

Job Description

The Office of Finance (OFN) is seeking a dynamic and experienced Finance Lead to join our team supporting NUS Enterprise. In this pivotal role, you will be responsible for leading a team of four to manage the full spectrum of financial activities for NUS Enterprise and its overseas subsidiaries.

As a strategic finance business partner, you will provide meaningful financial insights and advisory to management, shaping financial strategy, planning, and long‑term sustainability. This position requires a hands‑on leader and effective problem solver who can develop solutions for operational challenges, ensure the effective execution of daily finance operations, oversee complex accounting processes across different jurisdictions (including China and US), and ensure compliance with all university policies and grant requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a key Finance Business Partner to NUS Enterprise management, providing expert financial support, advisory, and strategic guidance to support planning and sustainability.
• Act as the focal business partner for NUS Enterprise, facilitating effective communication and collaboration with Central Departments to support key business initiatives and drive optimal operational outcomes.
• Provide guidance on budget submissions and accounting queries, including the review of agreements to ensure compliance with statutory requirements and NUS policies and procedures.

Grant & Donor Claims Management

• Lead the end‑to‑end management of grant and donor claims. Support the organisation with grant proposal and reporting to ensure timely and accurate submissions to secure funding.
• Maintain meticulous documentation and ensure strict compliance with all grants, donations and funding terms and conditions.
• Coordinate the reconciliation of financial statements to verify that all received funds are accurately recorded and tracked for timely receipts.
• Support programme teams on grant audits by external auditors.

Subsidiary Accounting & Consolidation

• Oversee the full‑cycle accounting process for local and overseas subsidiaries to ensure timely and accurate year‑end closings and ensuring that financial statements comply with local statutory & tax requirements.
• Collaborate closely with external outsourced accounting firms for the overseas subsidiaries to ensure seamless financial closing for consolidated NUS reporting.
• Act as the key point of contact for all internal and external stakeholders on matters related to subsidiary accounts including the annual financial audits and day‑to‑day operational processes.

Internal Control and Process Excellence

• Perform regular reviews and document business‑unit level testing on the Risk Control Matrix Framework to ensure robust controls and risk mitigation plans are in place.
• Responsible for driving gap closure for business processes and controls with the relevant business and Central Department team members.
• Support a culture of continuous improvement by spearheading initiatives to improve business processes, controls and enhance financial governance.
• Lead and support the implementation of accounting systems, dashboards, workflows and tools to improve the quality and timeliness of financial reporting and achieve operation efficiency for the business.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, and mentor the team through hands‑on support, with a dedicated focus on developing individual competencies and fostering professional growth.
• Cultivate a culture of trust, engagement, and high performance, while building strong collaborative partnerships with Business Operations and Central Departments to drive collective success.

Qualifications and Skills

Education: A degree in Accounting and Finance or a related field. Candidates with a professional accounting certification such as CPA are preferred.

Experience: At least 10 to 15 years of progressive experience in finance, with a proven track record in a leadership and team management capacity.

Technical Skills:

• Strong proficiency in SAP is essential.
• Solid working knowledge of audit principles, accounting standards, statutory and tax regulations.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, for financial analysis, reporting, and presentations.
• Working knowledge of MYOB is an advantage.

Personal Attributes:

• Possesses strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate ideas clearly across all levels.
• Demonstrates a high degree of accountability and initiative for driving projects to successful completion and delivering on commitments.
• A relationship‑builder who excels at building trust, uniting diverse teams and stakeholders. Adept at fostering a spirit of cooperation to solve business challenges and co‑create effective solutions.
• Champions a culture for continuous improvement by leading the team to proactively identify and act on opportunities to enhance processes, efficiency, and outcomes for stakeholders.
• Able to flexibly adjust to changing priorities and pivot quickly when needed.

The position is only open to Singaporeans and Permanent Residents.

More Information

Location: Kent Ridge Campus

Organization: National University of Singapore

Department : Office of Finance

Employee Referral Eligible: Yes

Job requisition ID : 31553