Chief of Staff

Who are we?

We are the University of Cambridge presence in Singapore called Cambridge CARES, sponsored by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Singapore as part of its CREATE program CAM.CREATE. The research programme Cambridge Centre for Carbon Reduction in Chemical Technology (C4T) is a collaborative research activity between Cambridge University, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and National University of Singapore (NUS) within Cambridge CARES.

CARES is a busy research centre responsible for the support of the operational delivery of over 150 researchers and with current managed funds of S$60m (£32.5m). Research income from the Singapore National Research Foundation's CREATE programme, government-industry partnerships and industry, continues to grow. The pursuit of strong international research collaborations in Singapore demonstrates its alignment to the University of Cambridge mission to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence. CARES maintains strong links with the Cambridge Colleges and the University as a whole, creating further opportunities for students and researchers in South East Asia and Cambridge to engage in multi-disciplinary international collaborations. The University of Cambridge had set out to seek out excellence and setting up enduring and mutually beneficial collaborations to establish strategic partnerships across the globe, of which CARES is both an example and has become an inextricable part of the University's make-up. Cambridge researchers are working alongside collaborators in Singapore universities and other research institutions on problems such as research in carbon reduction and the science of learning to underpin preparations for a better future, which is both relevant to Singapore and the world at large.

Who are we looking for?

The Chief of Staff works as part of the CARES leadership team (with the CARES Director) to ensure the smooth running of the University of Cambridge's research centre in Singapore. The post holder has operational responsibility for all day-to- day non-academic activities of the centre, including research grant pre- and post award activities, people management, financial management, and establishing and maintaining partnerships with funders and collaborating institutions. The role holder is expected to fulfil decisions made by the CARES Governing Board, working with the CARES Director, CARES Governing Board and staff members to ensure that the organisational mission is fulfilled operationally and strategically.

The post-holder leads the multi-functional CARES Support Team (currently 12 based in Singapore and UK) supporting the research operations at the centre.

This position could be well suited to University of Cambridge administrators seeking a new challenge with the rare opportunity to work in an international environment abroad to further the University's international research ambitions; in such cases the position is offered as an internal secondment.

Please note that this position is based 100% in Singapore. The CARES Chief of Staff will be seconded full-time to Singapore and will be paid by CARES Ltd in Singapore Dollars. The Singapore salary will be competitive, taking into account local salary benchmarks.

Key responsibilities include:

• Planning and directing all administrative and operational activities on behalf of the CARES Director and CARES Governing Board, including line management of CARES Support Team in Singapore and Cambridge.
• Areas of functional responsibility include finance, procurement, HR, IT and lab technical support, communications and outreach, grants pre- and post-award support (including contracting), statutory compliance and reporting, and stakeholder management.
• Responsible for strategic planning and financial projections, including advising on and pro-actively planning options for full utilisation of major grants and contingency planning.
• Responsible for oversight of CARES’ legal, corporate and contractual compliance and risk management and for ensuring appropriate governance processes are in place to facilitate this.
• Organising and prioritizing critical issues and required information for the CARES Governing Board, CARES Director and leadership to facilitate efficient decision making.
• Assume responsibility for the management of the relationship with various stakeholders.
• Act as a liaison between leadership and other key stakeholders, including managing relationship with significant partners and external parties and ensuring CARES is involved in an appropriate range of discussions in the government, public and private sectors at national (UK and Singapore) and international levels, and take an active role in relevant networks to facilitate.
• Provide oversight and guidance to projects of high importance, including major grant bids, infrastructure and procurement projects, policy development and others.
• Manage research grant pre-award and post-award activities, and planning for major grant bids.
• Oversight of CARES contracting process, including negotiation on behalf of CARES in more complex cases.
• Oversight of CARES’ intellectual property management, with support from the relevant university technology transfer offices.
• Develop and oversee appropriate systems, policies and protocols for operations and administration in CARES.
• Deputise for the CARES Director in relation to the non-academic duties as required, including representing the programme professionally and at a senior level to external parties.

What skills/experience do you have?

Experience:

• Work experience of operations management, including experience of working in a senior level, complex environment.
• Experience of management in an academic or research environment, particularly multi-institutional and grants based.
• Experience of management in a start-up environment. (Desirable)
• Experienced people manager with evidence of managing performance of large teams for high quality results.
• Demonstrable track record of shaping, as relevant, policy, strategy and practices in medium to large organization.
• Evidence of experience in sensitively managing stakeholder relationships.
• Experience of oversight of intellectual property management in a research or academic environment. (Desirable)
• Knowledge of and experience with higher education sector management. Experience of University of Cambridge particularly useful. (Desirable)
• Experience of international or intercultural management and/or working, particularly with South East Asia/UK. (Desirable)

Skills:

• Strong Project Management skills.
• Proven ability to lead and inspire a team and work with vision and foresight to support staff in individual and team growth, and in doing so promoting a productive and supportive culture.
• Ability to provide nuanced, indirect leadership, including upwards and through dotted line structures.
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills, and the ability to accomplish varied tasks effectively.
• Strong abilities in strategic thinking and planning; the ability to guide and harmonise several programmes of work, and oversee and coordinate multiple teams and management arrangements.
• Well-developed inter-personal and managerial skills; ability to foster good relationships with people at all levels and to communicate effectively with a wide range of staff, students and external contacts.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with ability to think outside established solutions where these are not appropriate to the context.
• Strong negotiating and moderating skills.
• Numerate, with confidence in manipulation and analysis of financial and other numerical data.
• Ability to work and think strategically and collaboratively across functions and institutions.
• Strong sense of professional integrity and an ability to lead with this at the core.
• Excellent communication skills, capable of being deployed in high-profile, culturally varied situations.
• Fluency in English.
• Ability to intelligently and knowledgeable navigate compliance requirements, including ability to use. policy and governance arrangements as effective tools.
• Highly proactive, persuasive, energetic and enthusiastic.
• Adaptable and able to thrive and lead in a changing environment.

Qualifications:

• Undergraduate degree in a scientific discipline. (Desirable)
• MBA, MPA or similar qualification. (Desirable)
• Some training in understanding and using management accounts. (Desirable)

What can we offer you?

• A stimulating working-environment with friendly, highly motivated colleagues.
• Opportunities to develop and implement new ideas in a creative environment.
• A competitive salary in line with your skills and experience.
• A comprehensive medical insurance cover as part of your employment.