Senior Manager, Development Partner, SMU-X

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Singapore Management University is a place where high-level professionalism blends together with a healthy informality. The ‘family-like’ atmosphere among the SMU community fosters a culture where employees work, plan, organise and play together – building a strong collegiality and morale within the university.

Our commitment to attract and retain talent is ongoing. We offer attractive benefits and welfare, competitive compensation packages, and generous professional development opportunities – all to meet the work-life needs of our staff. No wonder, then, that SMU continues to be given numerous awards and recognition for its human resource excellence.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Plan and drive the expansion of Postgraduate SMU-X courses, while continuing to support the growth and quality of Undergraduate SMU-X courses.
• Identify, cultivate, and manage relationships with partner organisations across the private, public, and peoples sectors to sponsor real world SMU-X projects.
• Develop and implement partnership and business development strategies to manage existing partners and acquire new ones for SMU-X.
• Facilitate the scoping and alignment of projects between faculty members and project sponsors to ensure academic rigour and partner relevance.
• Work with SMU’s Legal Office to establish and manage legal agreements with project sponsors.
• Support collaboration between internal stakeholders and external partners by providing partnership advice and coordinating cross departmental workflows for smooth programme delivery.
• Oversee the operations and maintenance of the SMU-X Makerspace, including:
• Coordinating usage to support SMU-X courses and projects;
• Working with internal units and vendors on upkeep, safety, and equipment readiness;
• Ensuring the Makerspace supports experiential learning, prototyping, and design based projects aligned with SMU-X objectives.
• Represent SMU-X at sharing sessions, recruitment events, information sessions, and client pitches.
• Undertake other duties and special projects as assigned by management.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline such as Education, Social Sciences, Business, Analytics, Public Policy, or related fields with at least 5 years of relevant professional experience in areas such as partnerships, industry engagement, programme management, strategy, or impact/quality assurance work.
• A Master’s degree in a relevant field is preferred.
• Experience working in higher education, innovation ecosystems, industry collaboration, or applied learning environments will be an advantage.
• Proven ability to engage, manage, and grow relationships with industry, community, and institutional stakeholders across multiple levels.
• Strong ability to translate strategy into execution, with experience in impact measurement, quality assurance, or performance tracking frameworks.
• Strong project coordination skills, able to manage multiple workstreams, timelines, and stakeholders in a complex, fast-paced environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in cross-functional and multicultural teams, and to influence without authority.
• Agile and resourceful in navigating ambiguity, evolving programmes, and changing stakeholder needs.
• High level of professionalism and integrity, with a strong commitment to education innovation, experiential learning, and impact-driven work.
• Experience in managing a makerspace will be an advantage.

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