Senior/Associate (Executive Assistant), EPD Pillar (Contract)

Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD); Singapore; On-site; SGD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) seeks an Executive Assistant to provide high-level support to the Pillar Head. The role demands independent judgment, ownership of outcomes, and proactive anticipation of needs in a busy academic leadership office spanning curriculum, research, grant review, and external representation.

Key duties include managing a complex calendar, conducting briefings, drafting concise correspondence, and coordinating travel and meetings end-to-end.

Qualifications

• 5–8 years' experience as a Personal Assistant/Executive Assistant to senior leadership in academic, research, or institutional settings.
• Own outcomes, not just tasks, and ensure results meet purpose.
• Excellent written communication with clear, actionable correspondence.
• Strong calendar and stakeholder management with meticulous attention to detail.
• Discretion and sound judgment in confidential academic matters.
• Self-directed, organized and proactive with regular structured briefings.
• Collaborative cross-functional collaboration with Programme Directors, Lab Managers, Student Administration, Teaching Support, Outreach.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams).

Responsibilities

• Manage a complex, fast-changing calendar with full ownership and proactive conflict resolution.
• Conduct structured daily/weekly briefings to confirm priorities and surface issues.
• Draft, summarize, and manage correspondence with complete information for action.
• Coordinate travel, events, and meetings end-to-end with attendance ownership.
• Liaise confidentially with faculty, university leadership, and external stakeholders.
• Anticipate issues and address them to minimise disruption to work.
• Exercise judgment to distinguish urgent matters from routine items.
• Collaborate with Pillar admin team to ensure efficient information flow across functions.
• Serve as coordination point between Pillar Head's office and cross-functional teams.
• Build strong working relationships across the administrative team.

Skills

Calendar management

Stakeholder management

Discretion

Written communication

MS Office

Independent judgment

Tools

MS Office Suite

Job description

The Engineering Product Development (EPD) Pillar at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) is seeking an Executive Assistant to provide high-level, proactive support to the Pillar Head. This is a support role suited to an experienced PA who can operate with a high degree of independent judgment, take ownership of outcomes rather than tasks, and anticipate the needs of a busy academic leadership office spanning curriculum, research, grant review, faculty affairs, and institutional representation.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage a complex, fast-changing calendar with full ownership, proactively resolving conflicts, verifying meeting logistics and access details in advance, and ensuring the Pillar Head arrives at every engagement fully briefed.
• Conduct structured daily/weekly briefings to confirm priorities, close out action items, and surface issues early, keeping a systematic and professional communications.
• Draft, summarise, and manage correspondence with complete, self-contained information, incorporating substantive content directly for clarity and ease of action.
• Coordinate travel, events, and meetings (including the quarterly faculty meeting) end-to-end, with full ownership of outcomes such as attendance.
• Liaise professionally and confidentially with faculty, university leadership, and external stakeholders (government agencies, industry partners) on the Pillar Head's behalf.
• Anticipate potential issues and address them in advance, minimising disruption to ongoing work.
• Exercise sound judgment in distinguishing matters requiring immediate attention from those that can be addressed at the next scheduled briefing.
• Collaborate closely with the wider Pillar administrative team, including Programme Director, Lab Managers, Student Administration, Teaching Support, and Outreach, to ensure effective coordination and information flow across functions.
• Serve as a coordination point between the Pillar Head's office and these functions, following up on cross-team action items and tracking deadlines and dependencies to completion.
• Build strong, collegial working relationships across the administrative team, recognising that effective support to the Pillar Head depends on close cross-functional collaboration.

What We're Looking For

• At least 5–8 years' experience as a Personal Assistant /Executive Assistant to senior leadership, ideally in an academic, research, or institutional setting.
• A demonstrated track record of owning outcomes, not just completing tasks, someone who checks whether a result serves its purpose, not only whether an instruction was followed.
• Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, complete, and actionable correspondence.
• Strong calendar and stakeholder management skills, with meticulous attention to detail.
• Discretion and sound judgment in handling confidential academic, personnel, and administrative matters.
• Self-directed, organised, and proactive, with the ability to stay well aligned through regular structured briefings.
• A collaborative, team-oriented working style, with the ability to build good working relationships across a diverse administrative team (Programme Directors, Lab Managers, Student Administration, Teaching Support, Outreach).
• Proficiency in MS Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams).

Working Arrangements

This role is based on-site with the Pillar Head, with regular structured briefings forming the core of day-to-day coordination. Work-from-home arrangements may be considered on a planned basis in line with university policy.