About Us

Join the National University of Singapore (NUS) Finance Team – Where Innovation Meets Excellence

At NUS, the Office of Finance stands as a dynamic and strategic partner, driving financial sustainability and operational excellence. Our team plays a crucial role in overseeing financial planning, optimising resources, and enabling the University’s ambition and innovation. We are at the forefront of formulating, reviewing, and analysing the University’s operating, strategic, and capital budgets. Through strong governance, robust financial processes, and cutting-edge systems, we ensure every dollar is put to its best use, fueling research, education, and transformation.

Why Join Us?

🚀 Make an Impact: Play a key role in shaping financial strategies that influence the University’s growth and global standing.

📈Growth & Development: We believe in continuous learning, offering mentorship, career development, and upskilling opportunities.

🤝Collaborative Culture: Join a high-performing team that values trust, innovation, and excellence.

🔹Finance Transformation: Be part of initiatives leveraging SAP S4 Hana, AI-driven analytics, and digital finance solutions to drive efficiency and future-ready finance operations.

If you are passionate about finance, thrive in a dynamic environment, and want to be part of a team that drives meaningful impact, we’d love to hear from you!

Join us and be a part of shaping the future of finance at NUS!

Website: https://www.nus.edu.sg/finance

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nus-office-of-finance/

Job Description

Reporting to the Deputy Director of Finance and serving as an integral member of the FP &A team serving the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. The Associate Director plays a critical role in consolidation of financial data, produce executive reports, and drive faculty-wide financial transparency and actionable analysis.

The Associate Director will be responsible for the development of the management reporting strategy and contribute to the development of the organization’s strategic goals. In addition to the strategic components, the Associate Director will be leading the development, analysis, and distribution of management reports for senior leadership and department heads. This position ensures accurate and timely financial insights to drive data-informed decision-making, budgeting, and strategic planning.

Moving beyond transactional management, this position is pivotal in shaping the School's financial health and sustainability. The role serves as the financial advisor to the Governing Board, Finance Committee and Executive Committee (EXCO), translating complex financial data into actionable strategic insights. A key mandate is to champion a culture of continuous improvement by leading and supporting automation and process optimization initiatives across the School's Finance functions. The Associate Finance Director is measured not merely on accounting accuracy, but on the tangible impact of their strategic counsel and their success in enhancing operational efficiency and effectiveness.

Responsibilities

Financial Planning, Analysis & Reporting:

• Strategic Financial Planning, analysis & Reporting: Lead long-term financial planning, analysis and annual financial report for reporting to Finance Committee & Governing Board.
• Reporting & Compliance: Lead preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual management reports for faculty leadership and stakeholders (e.g. Budget utilization and fund balance)
• Subject analysis and business insights: Lead business insights and recommendations for income/cost optimization and financial strategy.
• Benchmarking & Best Practices: Drive Research and implement industry best practices in cost management and productivity analysis. Benchmark faculty costs against peers and identify areas for improvement.
• Cost Allocation & Reporting: Drive optimal allocation of costs across departments, aligning with priorities and funding sources. Eg. Work with units to prepare faculty-wide cost data in preparation of tuition fee adjustments proposal.
• Performance Reporting: Transform operational financial data into high-level performance dashboards and insightful management reports. Clearly articulate the financial narrative behind the School's academic and research activities, highlighting risks, opportunities, and key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Governance and Compliance: Advise the Board on financial governance, risk management frameworks, and compliance with both NUS policies and external funding body regulations. Provide confident and clear responses to Board-level queries.
• Business Partnering: Act as a strategic partner to the Dean, Vice-Deans, and EXCO members, providing financial perspectives on all major operational and strategic initiatives.

Leadership in Automation & Process Improvement:

• Implement Automation Tools: Identify and implement automation solutions or workflow automation platforms, to streamline reporting and financial processes, improving operational efficiency and reducing errors.
• System Integration: Integrate financial systems, databases, and reporting tools to ensure seamless data flow and consistency across the faculty’s financial operations.
• Initiative Identification: Proactively identify, prioritize, and champion opportunities for automation, digitization, and process re-engineering within finance functions.
• Project Leadership: Lead cross-functional project teams to design, implement, and embed new systems and processes (e.g., RPA, data visualization tools). Secure buy-in from stakeholders at all levels.
• Continuous Improvement Culture: Foster a culture of innovation and efficiency by training and empowering staff to identify improvement opportunities and leverage new technologies.
• Performance Measurement: Establish metrics to measure the success of improvement initiatives, focusing on quantifiable outcomes such as time savings, error reduction, cost avoidance, and improved user satisfaction.
• Dashboard: Design and develop dashboards and reports for tracking financial performance, grant claims, and forecasting accuracy.
• Data Visualization & Insights: Transform complex financial data into easy-to-understand visual insights, helping stakeholders at all levels make informed decisions based on clear financial reporting.

Ownership of Strategic Outcomes:

• Financial Sustainability: The overall fiscal health and sustainability of the School's diverse funding streams (tuition, grants, donations, executive education).
• Resource Optimization: The effective and efficient allocation of financial resources in alignment with the School's strategic priorities.
• Risk Mitigation: The proactive identification and mitigation of strategic financial risks that could impact the School's reputation or operational continuity.

Other Duties:

• Any other ad-hoc business performance reporting to Management and/or stakeholders as assigned from time to time.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance, in financial planning & analysis.
• Preferred certifications:
  • CMA (Certified Management Accountant)
  • CPA (Certified Public Accountant) – Useful but not mandatory
  • FP&A-related certifications 
• Technical Skills
  • Advanced Excel (PivotTables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, INDEX-MATCH, Power Query, macros).
  • Financial Modelling 
  • Data Analysis & Visualization (Power BI).
  • ERP & Financial Systems (SAP S4Hana & Jedox).
• 10+ years of experience in budgeting, forecasting, financial modelling, and variance analysis, grant management (experience in higher education is a plus) and cost management.

Skills & Competencies:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills for non-financial stakeholders.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Knowledge of fund accounting (preferred for higher education roles).
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment

The position is only open to Singaporeans and Permanent Residents.

More Information

Location: Bukit Timah Campus

Organization: National University of Singapore

Department : Office of Finance

Employee Referral Eligible: Yes

Job requisition ID : 30348