Senior Manager / Manager (Procurement Business Partner)

National Gallery Singapore; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

National Gallery Singapore is seeking a seasoned Procurement Business Partner to engage early with operating departments and their stewards. You will guide complex procurements, coordinate with department heads and ensure policy-compliant options while maintaining departmental ownership of processes.

You will advise on scope, route, and evaluation design, and work with Procurement Operations to resolve non-compliance.

Qualifications

• Degree in Procurement, Supply Chain or related discipline; CIPS preferred.
• 8+ years procurement, sourcing or advisory experience in a business-facing role.
• Senior Manager requires broader experience in complex, high-value procurements and influencing senior stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of end-to-end sourcing, governance, integrity and COI processes.
• Ability to manage concurrent cases across departments, prioritise by risk and timeline.
• Experience contributing to procurement policies or process controls.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to coach non-specialists.
• Public sector, statutory board, charity, cultural institution or IPC experience is highly desirable.
• Experience in procurement process redesign, system implementation or digital transformation is an advantage; familiarity with e-procurement platforms such as Coupa or SAP is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the named partner for assigned departments and their Stewards, building understanding of their operations and recurring needs.
• Map complex cases, recontracts and option-year decisions with each department's Steward, aligned with plans and budgets.
• Hold regular touchpoints with Department Heads, Requesting Officers and Stewards to review needs and risks.
• Engage at the planning stage to agree procurement approach and timelines.
• Advise on scope, sourcing approach, specifications, evaluation criteria and governance requirements.
• Collaborate with departments to ensure complete, compliant submissions for timely approvals.
• Work with Procurement Operations, Finance and other teams to align objectives and controls.
• Coach Stewards and deliver targeted training on procurement gaps.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Communication

Risk judgement

Policy interpretation

Education

Degree in Procurement / Supply Chain / Business or related discipline

CIPS certification preferred

Tools

Coupa

SAP

Job description

Overview

Reporting to the Assistant Director (Procurement), the Procurement Business Partner bridges operating departments, their Procurement Stewards and Central Procurement. Working alongside the Assistant Director (Procurement) as one of two Business Partners, the role partners named departments on complex and non-standard procurements, which may include direct contracting, tenders or other cases requiring specialist judgement.The role engages early, explains procurement requirements in clear and practical terms, and offers workable, policy-compliant options. Operating departments continue to own and run their procurement processes, including tenders; the Business Partner works closely with them so that issues are resolved early and procurement lead times do not put operations or project timelines at risk. The role is advisory and kept separate from the independent compliance review by Procurement Operations, while working closely with Procurement Operations to resolve compliance issues and contributing to sound procurement controls.

Key Responsibilities

Business Partnering and Early Engagement

• Serve as the named partner for assigned departments and their Stewards, building a working understanding of their operations, programmes, projects and recurring needs.
• Map complex cases, recontracts and option-year decisions with each department's Steward, aligned with approved plans and budgets; departments retain ownership of procurement calendars.
• Hold regular touchpoints with Department Heads, Requesting Officers and Stewards to review needs, live cases and risks, prompting early action where timelines are at risk.
• Engage at the planning stage, before specifications and approval papers are drafted, to agree the procurement approach and a realistic timeline.
• Accept all referrals from Stewards; the referral threshold reflects case complexity and the Steward's experience.

Solutions-oriented Advisory

• Advise on scope, sourcing approach, procurement route, specifications, evaluation methodology and criteria, and governance requirements.
• Challenge requirements, specifications and contract terms from a procurement perspective, while relying on departments for artistic, curatorial and technical expertise.
• Advise on fair market engagement for complex or specialist needs, such as RFIs or industry briefings, without compromising the subsequent procurement.
• Translate policy into plain, practical guidance, explaining the reason behind each requirement rather than the rule alone.
• Apply risk-based judgement and propose policy-compliant options, such as phasing, lotting or evaluation design, explaining trade-offs and required approvals.
• Advise departments in the preparation of a complete, fit-for-purpose submissions so that cases clear compliance review with minimal rework.

Supporting Smooth Procurement Delivery

• Work closely with Requesting Officers and Stewards through key milestones of complex cases, from planning to award, while the department leads its procurement process.
• Anticipate and resolve bottlenecks early, including incomplete documents, approval dependencies and evaluation issues; elevate material risks with a recommended solution.

Working with Procurement Operations and Other Teams

• Collaborate with Procurement Operations, Finance and other departments to align procurement objectives, coordination and process controls.
• Work with Procurement Operations, departments and Stewards to understand non-compliance and develop practical, policy-compliant resolutions.
• Facilitate timely closure of review queries while respecting Procurement Operations' independent decision; elevate unresolved differences to the AD (Procurement).
• Share recurring non-compliance themes with Procurement Operations and Stewards, so that issues are addressed at source and not repeated.

Steward Partnership and Capability Building

• Work through the Procurement Stewards so that they remain the first line of support and are not bypassed.
• Coach Stewards on referred cases and review selected Steward-handled cases with them, so that they can handle similar cases independently over time.
• Deliver targeted Steward training on recurring gaps raised at the Procurement Stewards Committee, and bite-size procurement sessions Gallery-wide.

Procurement Controls, Transformation and Continuous Improvement

• Help develop and implement practical procurement controls that promote prudence and compliance with the Gallery's policies and procedures.
• Support procurement digital transformation and system replacement by shaping requirements and controls, and supporting testing, change management and adoption.
• Recommend practical, risk-proportionate controls, and feed recurring issues to the AD (Procurement) to improve policy, templates, guidance and processes.

Governance and Coverage

• Uphold independence, integrity and ethical conduct by flagging non-compliant approaches, offering compliant alternatives and declaring conflicts of interest.
• Keep business-partner advice separate from independent compliance review, and consistent with the Procurement Policy & Guidelines and the Delegation of Authority.
• Reinforce departmental ownership: departments remain accountable for requirements, quotations, purchase requisitions, evaluations and recontracting decisions.
• Provide mutual portfolio coverage with the AD (Procurement) during absence.

Qualifications

• Degree in Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Business or a related discipline; professional certification such as CIPS is preferred.
• At least 8 years of procurement, sourcing or advisory experience in a business-facing role. Senior Manager appointment requires broader experience in complex, high-value procurements and influencing senior stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of end-to-end sourcing, including tenders, governance, integrity and ethical conduct, conflicts of interest and delegated approval frameworks.
• Proven ability to apply risk-based judgement and develop practical, compliant alternatives for complex or non-standard requirements.
• Ability to manage concurrent cases across departments, prioritise by risk and timeline, and follow through under tight deadlines.
• Experience contributing to procurement policies or process controls, balancing control effectiveness with operational practicality.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to explain procurement simply and coach non-specialists.
• Public sector, statutory board, charity, cultural institution or IPC experience is highly desirable.
• Experience in procurement process redesign, system implementation or digital transformation is an advantage; familiarity with e-procurement platforms such as Coupa or SAP is a plus.
• Customer-oriented, composed under pressure and comfortable balancing service, timeliness, value for money and governance in a lean team.