Senior Manager, Research

Job Summary

The Senior Manager, Research will be a key personnel in the Academic Clinical Programme (Research) Office to support the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Research and Education), and Director of Research in planning, managing and executing research plans and programmes, grants administration, project management, and coordination of research activities and initiatives of the National Dental Centre Singapore (NDCS) / National Dental Research Institute Singapore (NDRIS). The incumbent is responsible for strategic planning and performance and will report to the Senior Assistant Director, ACP (Research) Office.

The Manager, Research will:

1 Strategic Planning

• Oversee the development of NDCS / NDRIS-initiated programme grants and philanthropic proposals in consultant with senior management and research teams;
• Develop strategies and drive research initiatives to attract research funding to support the national research and healthcare agenda;
• Plan and organise research-related events, strategic retreats, scientific advisory committee meetings, training workshops, educational lunchtime talks, MOU signing ceremonies, visits by overseas research visiting experts and academic study trips by NDSC / NDRIS staff;
• Lead the review and refresh the NDCS / NDRIS website to position the Centre as a leader in Oral Health Research and to communicate relevant and updated research-related information to the public;
• Oversee research publicity materials and videos to feature accurate, updated, and impactful research stories on NDCS / NDRIS in collaboration with Corp Comms;
• Coordinate with relevant parties to accomplish research-related activities under the ACP (Research) Office. These include funding agencies, senior management, research collaborators, regulators and policy makers, and biomedical industry partners, from local as well as overseas institutions and agencies;
• Provide secretariat support to meetings and events as required, including coordinating between multiple parties, preparing and clearing meeting agenda and presentation materials, taking/vetting minutes, and others.

2 Performance

• Manage and track organisation Research KPIs by liaising with internal stakeholders to obtain updates on KPI achievements for reporting to external stakeholders;
• Oversee the achievement of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the Employee Staff Engagement Survey and coordinate with departments under the ACP Office to develop initiatives to improve staff engagement and wellness;
• Mentor, guide and facilitate staff development and progression of staff.

3 Grants Management

• Manage and ensure proper administration of National, Cluster and other research grants for timely and accurate reporting of funds utilisation, progress reporting, audit monitoring in compliance with prevailing governance, policies, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs);
• Manage the overall grant and funding efforts undertaken by NDCS / NDRIS from pre- to post-award stages of grant administration;
• Oversee the submission of research grant and manpower projections to Finance and HR departments;
• Support senior management in developing presentation materials for workplan, budget, achievement, and progress reporting of grants awarded to NDCS / NDRIS;
• Support Principal Investigators and researchers and serve as a point of contact for SingHealth Legal in the drafting, reviewing and execution of various research contracts and agreements (e.g. Non-Disclosure Agreement, Service Agreement, Data Sharing Agreement, Project Agreement, and Research Collaboration Agreement);

4 Continuous Process Improvement

• Review grant management and research administration processes to expedite and ensure accurate reporting to stakeholders;
• Professionalize the research support and research operations for faster turnaround time and enhance the quality of research administration services to researchers and clinician researchers;
• Streamline internal processes for research budget and research manpower projections, the drafting of research contracts to shorten the time from grant award to commencement of research studies;
• Develop and continuously review standards, workflows and processes related to grants and research administration, and other research support processes.

5. General

• Perform other duties as directed by supervisor(s) including work areas not mentioned here but that are within the scope of the ACP (Research) Office;
• Provide general support to other administrative and research-related activities.

Requirements:

• At least a Masters in Biomedical, Life / Chemical Sciences, Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, or other related disciplines with minimum 8 years of demonstrated experience in research administration, grant administration, research, healthcare, or public health-related environment
• Experience in drafting of research agreements, budget preparation and KPI reporting
• At least 4 years of demonstrated experience managing teams and programmes independently
• Meticulous and responsive with excellent written and oral communication skills
• Good interpersonal skills
• Highly motivated with ability to work under pressure
• A PhD will be advantageous