Director, Centre for African Studies

NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies (CAS), which is overseen by CAS Advisory Board, is a trilateral platform with government, business and academia to promote knowledge and expertise on Africa among Asian businesses and policymakers, to accelerate the creation of deeper economic and policy links between Africa and Asia.

The Director, CAS jointly reports to the Chairman of the Advisory Board, CAS and Dean, Nanyang Business School (NBS), with a matrix reporting to Associate Dean, Research, Nanyang Business School

As the Centre Director, this role oversees all activities for CAS, ensures the alignment of CAS’ development to its mission, drives the strategic vision for the centre and assists in establishing CAS’s presence locally, as well as internationally. The incumbent will develop and implement strategies to drive deeper collaborations between African and Singaporean companies, as well as to work closely with NBS faculty members to develop thought leadership in the area.

Responsibilities:

Centre Strategy Planning and Strategic Collaborations

• Work closely with the Advisory Board and NBS Senior Management to define and execute CAS’ strategic vision.

• Develop and deliver strategic road map to strengthen collaborations between African and Singaporean companies.

• Identify opportunities, assess risks and implement mitigation strategies to support sustainable growth and impact.

Outreach & Industry Engagement

• Lead outreach and industry engagement initiatives in line with the Centre’s strategy.

• Build and maintain a strong network of corporate, government and ecosystem partners.

• Create and curate platforms to deepen relationships and mutual understanding between African and Singaporean businesses.

Thought Leadership

• Partner with NBS faculty to drive practice-oriented thought leadership relevant to Africa-Singapore business collaboration.

• Lead end-to-end thought leadership delivery, including but not limited to content development, stakeholder engagement, copyright management and distribution.

• Expand visibility and impact of the Centre’s thought leadership through relevant platforms and channels.

Governance

• Provide day-to-day leadership of the Centre, ensuring delivery against strategic and operational plans.

• Oversee resource allocation, financial management, budgeting and performance monitoring.

• Ensure full compliance with governance and reporting requirements

• Establish and maintain effective governance processes and workflows.

• Be accountable for achieving KPIs set by the Advisory Board, NBS Senior Management

Revenue Generation & Fundraising

• Develop and execute a clear roadmap toward financial sustainability and self-funding.

• Leverage partnerships and other monetization avenues

• Lead business development efforts, engaging a multitude of stakeholder

Operational Excellence

• Oversee planning, budgeting and delivery of CAS initiatives and events.

• Ensure operational excellence and efficiency in the Centre’s overall functioning.

• Maintain an up-to-date Centre activities calendar aligned with Centre’s mission and vision.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree

• PhD or DBA qualifications would be viewed favorably

• A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience

• Demonstrated experience in driving successful partnerships and/or industry engagement

• Demonstrated experience and working knowledge of companies from Africa

• Established networks and contacts in this area would be a distinct advantage

• Experience in outreach and running engagement events

• Familiarity and working experience with faculty members and/or an institution of higher learning would be an advantage

• Experience working on industry white papers and projects would be preferred

• Strategic thinking capabilities

• Self-driven and yet able to work in a team

• Good organisational skills

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills