Lead, Industry and Research Collaborations, College of Engineering

The College of Engineering (CoE) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore invites applications for the position of Lead, Industry and Research Collaborations.

CoE is NTU’s largest and most research‑intensive college, comprising five internationally recognised engineering schools and sitting at the strategic core of the University’s academic mission. Working within CoE offers the opportunity to operate at College level, supporting impactful research collaborations that span disciplines, Schools, and external partners, within a collaborative and mission‑driven environment committed to research excellence and institutional impact.

Role Overview

The Lead, Industry and Research Collaborations provides College‑level leadership for the end‑to‑end administration, governance, and continuous improvement of industry and research agreements within CoE. Reporting to the Head, Research and Partnerships, the role leads a small team responsible for managing the full life‑cycle of research agreements, oversees defined operational portfolios, and supports strategic College‑level research and partnership initiatives.

This role offers meaningful ownership of complex research agreements and operational processes, with significant influence over how policies, workflows, and standards are applied in practice across the College. Operating in a trusted leadership capacity, the role works closely with senior academic and administrative stakeholders to ensure research collaborations are executed in a timely, compliant, and effective manner, while strengthening transparency, consistency, and operational excellence across CoE’s research and partnership activities.

Job Responsibilities:

Research Agreements Leadership and Governance

• Lead College‑level oversight of the full life‑cycle of research agreements, including pre‑contract advisory, drafting, internal clearance, negotiation support, execution, variations, extensions, and project closure.

• Provide guidance to faculty and stakeholders on appropriate agreement structures, templates, and processes across different collaboration models.

• Review draft agreements and key clauses, including identification of key governance, compliance, and operational considerations prior to legal submission, ensuring completeness, consistency, and alignment with University policies and governance requirements.

• Coordinate closely across Schools, central offices, faculty, and external stakeholders to facilitate timely review, negotiation, resolution of issues, and execution of agreements.

• Monitor agreement progress, identify bottlenecks or risks, and proactively drive resolution to support timely project commencement and delivery.

• Serve as the College-level escalation point for complex or non‑standard agreement cases, including matters relating to funding terms, intellectual property, export control, liability, compliance, and risk considerations, and recommend appropriate courses of action for resolution.

Team Leadership and Capability Development

• Lead and supervise a team of 2–3 staff, including work allocation, case handover, prioritisation, performance guidance, and coverage during peak periods or staff absence.

• Build team capability through coaching, mentoring, and guidance on judgement‑based decision‑making and issue resolution.

• Develop, document, and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), templates, checklists, and guidebooks to ensure consistency, quality, and resilience in agreements handling.

• Maintain and enhance internal tracking and reporting on agreement status, workload, and turnaround times to strengthen operational visibility and performance.

• Drive the review and refinement of workflows, controls, and processes to improve efficiency, clarity, consistency, and faculty experience.

Support for College‑Level Research and Partnership Initiatives

• Support selected College‑level research initiatives and partnership‑related activities aligned with CoE priorities.

• Prepare strategic summaries, reports, briefing notes, and presentation materials related to industry and research collaborations for College leadership, senior management, and/or funding agencies where required.

Requirements:

Educational Qualifications

• A good university degree; postgraduate qualification or professional training in research administration, policy, or related fields is an advantage.

Relevant Experience

• At least 3 – 5 years of relevant experience in research administration, research agreements, research partnerships, or related roles within a higher education, research, or public sector environment.

• Demonstrated experience in managing complex research or industry agreements, engaging multiple internal and external stakeholders, and leading process improvement or team coordination responsibilities.

• Candidates with educational background or working experience in engineering, science, or technology-related environments will have an advantage

• Familiarity with Singapore’s research, innovation, and enterprise (RIE) ecosystem, including public-sector research funding and collaboration frameworks, would be advantageous.

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong working knowledge of research agreements, contract administration processes, and University or public‑sector governance frameworks.

• Ability to interpret and apply policies relating to legal, finance, export control, compliance, and risk management.

• Mature and solutions-oriented leadership style, with the ability to build trust, credibility, and alignment with faculty, Schools, central offices, and external partners.

• Proven ability to manage competing priorities, exercise sound institutional judgement, and make well-reasoned recommendations in complex, sensitive, or ambiguous situations.

• Proactive problem‑solver with a continuous improvement mindset.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to synthesise complex information for senior management and diverse stakeholders.

• Highly organised, detail‑oriented, and comfortable operating in a fast‑paced, deadline‑driven environment.

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Hiring Institution: NTU