Senior Executive, Administrative Support

We are seeking an experienced administrative professional to take on a senior role providing strategic and operational support across procurement and grants administration for the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) and the Asian School of the Environment (ASE). As EOS and ASE research activities are closely integrated, this role extends support across both units to ensure smooth coordination, financial stewardship, and policy compliance.

In this role, you will act as the primary subject-matter expert and advisor on procurement and grants administration, independently managing end-to-end workflows and advising Principal Investigators and researchers on funding compliance. You will take ownership of grant financial management — including budget monitoring, virement submissions, and grant claims for key research projects such as the seismic project — while also managing the engagement of external professionals for fieldwork and the design of costing and charging frameworks. Working closely with internal and external stakeholders, you will provide senior-level administrative and operational support for research-related activities and organisational initiatives within EOS & ASE.

Job Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary subject-matter expert and first point of contact for all procurement matters across ASE and EOS, providing strategic advisory and independently managing end-to-end Ariba procurement processes including SVP, ITQ, ITT, Online Payment, Advance Payment, and Cash Advance, in compliance with University guidelines.

• Advise on Advance Payment requests and Cash Advance applications under exceptional circumstances, proactively guiding requestors toward more efficient and compliant alternatives.

• Provide senior-level procurement advisory and administrative support to ASE/EOS stakeholders, including procurement of research equipment, consumables, software and services, ensuring alignment with Delegation of Authority (DOA) and grant funding terms.

• Monitor grant budgets and expenditures, prepare financial reports, and process grant virements, ensuring expenditure remains aligned with approved budgets and funding agency guidelines.

• Manage the submission of grant claims, including but not limited for the seismic project, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant reporting to funding agencies.

• Keep abreast of university procurement and grant policy updates, and proactively communicate implications to internal stakeholders.

• Provide strategic guidance to research clusters (e.g. Centre of Geohazards Operation (CGO), Remote Sensing (RS), seismic project on fieldwork-related matters, including the engagement of external professionals through Contract for Service (CFS) or Research Consultancy Agreement (RCA).

• Lead and oversee logistics for open houses and workshops across researcher clusters, including but not limited to CGO and RS.

• Drive the design and development of costing and charging frameworks, including CGO, EOS-RS, and other applicable units, by establishing standardised cost models for fieldwork activities, projects, and related services.Conduct benchmarking and market analysis of pricing and costing models used by industry partners, companies, and peer universities to enhance and optimise charging strategies.

• Perform any other duties as assigned to support the team’s and school/research center’s objectives.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Finance, or a related field.

• At least 4-6 years of relevant experience in administrative, procurement, or grants/financial administration, preferably in a university or research environment, with demonstrated ability to operate independently at a senior level.

• Strong understanding of procurement processes and grant/financial administration, with extensive working knowledge of ARIBA/SAP.

• Proven experience in grant management, including budget monitoring, virement processing, and grant claims submission.

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft applications, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong stakeholder management, advisory capability, and a service-oriented mindset.

• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities independently, exercising sound judgement on both operational and strategic matters.

• Meticulous, with strong analytical, problem-solving, and organisational skills.

We regret to inform that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.