Senior Manager / Assistant Director, Applied Research Office

Singapore Institute of Technology; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Singapore Institute of Technology is seeking an experienced Grants leader to own the end-to-end lifecycle from pre-award to post-award, enhancing governance and driving AI-enabled improvements across the grants function.

Leading the Grants Administration team, you will collaborate with HR, CIT, FIN and Academic staff to streamline processes, deliver KPI dashboards, and present data-driven insights to senior management. ARO priorities guide daily work and strategic actions.

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering, Science, Business, or an equivalent field with a minimum of 10 years of work experience.
• At least 5 years in management and leadership roles.
• Proven leadership in project management, change management, and stakeholder engagement.
• Substantial experience in grant management at organisational and national levels.
• Proficiency in IT frameworks for grant submission, management, and reporting; ability to adopt new digital and AI tools.
• Experience with AI-enabled productivity and analytics tools (e.g., Microsoft Copilot, Excel and Power BI)

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end grants lifecycle from pre-award to post-award, including grant calls, proposal checks, grantor engagement, faculty support in project execution, performance monitoring, and claims and audit readiness.
• Provide leadership to the Grants Administration team, including priority setting and guidance on grant lifecycle processes.
• Lead enhancement of the grants management framework and governance and communicate changes and risks clearly to key stakeholders and senior management.
• Plan and lead the adoption of IT applications and AI-enabled tools to support SIT's applied research efforts and grant management.
• Partner with key stakeholders (i.e., HR, CIT, FIN and Academic staff) to streamline processes and remove barriers to applied research.
• Manage key grant portfolio operations, initiate and implement process enhancements.
• Compile, analyse and present grants data for reporting to stakeholders, using AI tools (where appropriate) to generate statistics, insights and summaries for key meetings.
• Oversee ARO KPI monitoring, and prepare KPI dashboards and statistical summaries, using AI tools (where appropriate), to support key meetings and platforms.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Director, in support of ARO's strategic priorities.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Change management

Stakeholder engagement

Grant management

AI tools proficiency

Communication

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, or Business

Tools

Microsoft Copilot

Excel

Power BI

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end grants lifecycle from pre-award to post-award, including grant calls, proposal checks, grantor engagement, faculty support in project execution, performance monitoring, and claims and audit readiness.
• Provide leadership to the Grants Administration team, including priority setting and guidance on grant lifecycle processes.
• Lead enhancement of the grants management framework and governance and communicate changes and risks clearly to key stakeholders and senior management.
• Plan and lead the adoption of IT applications and AI-enabled tools to support SIT's applied research efforts and grant management.
• Partner with key stakeholders (i.e., HR, CIT, FIN and Academic staff) to streamline processes and remove barriers to applied research.
• Manage key grant portfolio operations, initiate and implement process enhancements.
• Compile, analyse and present grants data for reporting to stakeholders, using AI tools (where appropriate) to generate statistics, insights and summaries for key meetings.
• Oversee ARO KPI monitoring, and prepare KPI dashboards and statistical summaries, using AI tools (where appropriate), to support key meetings and platforms.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Director, in support of ARO's strategic priorities.

Job Requirements

• A degree in Engineering, Science, Business, or an equivalent field, along with a minimum of 10 years of work experience, including at least 5 years in management and leadership roles.
• Demonstrated leadership skills with a proven track record in project management, change management, and stakeholder engagement.
• Substantial experience in grant management, spanning both organisational and national levels.
• Proficiency in IT frameworks for grant submission, management, and reporting, with the ability to evaluate and adopt new digital and AI tools to improve grant administration processes.
• Working proficiency in AI-enabled productivity and analytics tools (e.g., Microsoft Copilot, Excel and Power BI) to analyse grants data, generate statistical reports and prepare clear, decision-ready summaries for key meetings, with sound judgement in validating AI-generated outputs.
• Resourceful and self-directed, able to work independently, exercise sound judgement on complex grants matters, and escalat? risks to the Director in a timely manner.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) and ability to collaborate effectively with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple competing deadlines and deliver accurate outputs under tight grant call and reporting timelines.