Sustainability Programmes Manager, Office of Campus Infrastructure and Services

About Us

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.

Job Description:

Project Management & Execution:

• Lead and oversee the on-time-delivery of sustainability projects, with a strong focus on resource conservation and nature-positivity.
• Develop, implement, and manage programs that reduce the university’s environmental footprint, particularly in waste and resource management and related areas.
• Support the execution of sustainability strategies and integrate them into daily operations, facilities, and academic initiatives.
• Monitor progress and project status, producing regular reports and updates.
• Conduct project evaluation, including environmental scan and due diligence on partners, technologies and budgetary matters.
• Drive the coordination of Sustainability programmes and initiatives across SMU community.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Scale sustainability engagement (Education, Processes, Programmes, Ecosystem).
• Collaborate with faculty, staff, students, and external partners to design and deliver impactful sustainability initiatives. Ensuring strategic alignment and measurable outcomes.
• Drive awareness and engagement campaigns to foster a culture of sustainability within the university community.
• Identify opportunities to drive optimization and alignment across initiatives across SMU towards key strategic and sustainability goals.
• Support continuous policy and process transformation to strengthen sustainability and procurement governance.
• Build and manage long-term partnerships with external bodies including NGOs, industry bodies and academic institutions that support SMU sustainability goals.
• Produce internal sustainability materials to improve SMU community’s awareness and sustainable behaviour across a wide range of emerging topics (including water stewardship, zero waste, circular economy, biodiversity etc.).
• Monitor progress toward sustainability targets and support external disclosures or assessments (e.g., CDP, IFRS).
• Maintain a sustainability projects and initiatives calendars.

Measurement, Evaluation & Reporting (Sustainability Data and Impact):

• Design processes and materials to collect data and stories.
• Track and analyze key sustainability metrics (e.g., waste diversion rates, recycling performance, carbon footprint).
• Prepare reports, dashboards, and presentations for internal leadership and external stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with relevant environmental and sustainability standards, guidelines, and reporting frameworks.
• Provide flexible, ad hoc support to colleagues on presentations, research and time sensitive sustainability projects and reporting.
• Work closely with Data Analysts, use statistical techniques and software tools to analyze data and identify trends and patterns, and generate actionable business insights.

Grant Management and Resource Allocation:

• Identify, and support applications towards national, regional and international grants to support Sustainability projects and initiatives.
• Track and design methodology for data collection and measurement to meet needs of grant and funding.
• Manage resources and their sources required for projects effectively.

Sustainability Advocacy and Innovation:

• Keep updated on global and regional Sustainability trends, initiatives, innovation and standards.
• Monitor progress toward sustainability targets and support external disclosures or assessments (e.g., CDP, IFRS), providing updates and recommendations towards changes.
• Identify opportunities for innovation and drive continuous improvement of sustainable practices within SMU community.
• Integrate sustainable practices into building operations, maintenance and OCIS projects.
• Support sustainability related capacity building and advocacy of sustainable practices of SMU community.
• Support preparation of sustainability presentations, training materials and case studies drive an increase in staff’s awareness in sustainable solutions & Initiatives.
• Provide input and recommendations into sustainability strategy development, policies, and long-term planning.
• Market scanning to explore vendors and solutions that align with responsible sourcing principles, and providers of updated sustainability-related services.
• Support grant applications, partnerships, and collaborations related to sustainability projects.

Any other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in Environmental Science, Sustainability, Engineering, Facilities Management, or related field with at least 4 to 6 years of relevant experience in project management and end-to-end project delivery.
• At least 4 years of experience in sustainability management/ESG/CSR with a strong background in project execution and oversight.
• Strong analytical and project management skills, with the ability to track progress and deliver results.
• Solid track record of driving sustainability initiatives and positive impact.
• Proven experience in waste / water / electrical management projects or resource efficiency initiatives (preferably in an academic or institutional setting).
• Proven experience in end-to-end project design to execution and impact reporting.
• Proven experience in grant sourcing, adherence and evaluation.
• Demonstrate excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, including change/transformation experience with diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to build strong working relationships across levels, demography and cultures, to develop strong influence and support.
• Familiarity with sustainability frameworks, certifications, or reporting standards (e.g., ISO 14001, GRI, STARS, LEED, CDP, TNFD, ISSB) is an advantage.
• Possess basic knowledge in design concepts in Sustainable Urbanisation eg. (Design for Longevity and Maintainability, Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity, Walkability, Water and Energy Efficiency, Resilience and Adaptability.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent presentation, writing and story-telling skills.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to prioritise tasks effectively, work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
• Proactive, growth-mindset and positive problem-solver with a “can-do” attitude.
• High proficiency in Microsoft tools, including Planner, Powerpoint, Excel, Sharepoint, PowerBI.
• Keen understanding and passion for sustainability and sustainable development is essential.
• Positive attitude, energetic, driven and resourceful.

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Candidates who do not possess the stipulated qualifications but have relevant work experience may still apply. Remuneration and appointment terms shall commensurate with qualifications and experience. SMU reserves the right to modify the appointment terms where necessary.