Toa Payoh - Senior Manager / Manager, Finance (HQ-OPS)

The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is Singapore's lead public sector R&D agency. Through open innovation, we collaborate with our partners in both the public and private sectors to benefit the economy and society. A*STAR’s research creates economic growth and jobs for Singapore, and enhances lives by improving societal outcomes in healthcare, urban living, and sustainability.

A*STAR is recognised by many accountancy organisations: Accredited Training Organisation (ATO) for the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA), a Recognised Employer Partner with CPA Australia and others. It reaffirms our commitment to excellence in professional development, and to fostering the growth of our employees in the field of Finance and Accounting.

Job Description

As the Senior Manager/Manager, you will supervise a team of Senior Associates/ Associates to support A*STAR’s Management in managing A*STAR Statutory Board Finance Operations and will have the opportunity to be involved in the following key areas of work:

• Manage A*STAR Statutory Board’s finance operations functions (e.g. Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivables, General Ledger, Fixed Assets, Grant management functions and Reporting)
• Monitor and follow up closely on payments to vendors to ensure prompt payments for PO and direct e-invoices as well as fast payments for PO e-invoices of up to a certain amount
• Manage the annual budget exercises for original and revised budgets and cash budgets. This includes active involvement in the review of budgeting returns from Corporate Group divisions and operating funded entities, including seeking approval for the proposed budgets and reporting on the budget utilisation and with key insights from the analysis of financials.
• Support 5-year Block Budget and 15-year Medium Term Budget Exercises including preparation of data, liaising with divisions, preparing and seeking clearance and approval for budget submissions.
• Ensure timely preparation and submission of internal and external stakeholders reporting, MTI/MOF/AGD/AGO returns and carry out presentation at management meeting platforms.
• Review processes and update A*STAR’s Financial Policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines to ensure proper strong internal controls and compliance with Government IMs and policies, regulatory compliance to government and accounting standards.

• Be an effective business partner to management and other stakeholders in providing financial insights/advice to achieve business objectives
• Provide finance inputs/support of government initiatives/project papers for submission to Ministries, policy and/or operationalisation frameworks / papers for budgets and overheads
• Liaise with internal and external auditors/tax agents/corporate secretary/banks/AGO/ etc on all matters

• Grant management including the preparation and review of fund requisitions and ensure proper project closure for grants.
• Track verification status of FRs and project closure for timely submission to MTI and fund disbursements to grantees

• Provide guidance to Senior Associates/ Associates and build a cohesive high-performance team
• Plan the training and development opportunities for staff to expand both their capacity and capability.
• Provide support to team and drive digitalisation initiatives to achieve operational efficiency and optimize resource allocation and utilization.
• Provide support to projects and other tasks as assigned from time to time.

• Qualification in Accountancy/ACCA
• Possess preferably at least 3 years of relevant experience in managing operations, reporting and stakeholder management
• Strong analytical, communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills
• High learning agility, adaptability and perseverance
• Able to multi-task and deliver results under tight timelines
• Meticulous, well organized and resourceful
• Proficient in MS office applications
• Strong supervisory and mentorship skills
• Knowledge of SAP system and dashboarding tools (e.g. Tableau, Power BI) will be advantageous