Assistant Senior Manager / Senior Manager (Business Analyst)

Company description:

The National University of Singapore is the national research university of Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest higher education institution in Singapore

Job description:

About the Role

The Senior Manager / Assistant Senior Manager will be part of the Analytics & Assurance team within the Central Procurement Office, supporting data-driven decision-making, compliance monitoring, and performance management across procurement operations.

This position focuses on delivering timely, high-quality analytics, strengthening governance through data, and supporting the development and maintenance of the Procurement Data Warehouse.

Act as the subject matter expert for procurement analytics within the team, providing technical guidance and advisory support to colleagues, business users, and management on data interpretation, analytics methodology, and tool adoption.

1. Data Analytics, Reporting & Spend Analysis

• Design, develop, and maintain dashboards and reports for procurement KPIs, operational metrics, and spend patterns to support planning, resource allocation, and performance monitoring
• Analyse procurement spend data to identify trends, cost-optimisation opportunities, and savings potential, translating findings into actionable recommendations for sourcing strategies and negotiations
• Present data-driven insights and recommendations to stakeholders at various levels to inform procurement decisions and strategic planning

1. Compliance & Governance Analytics

• Develop analytics solutions and automated controls to monitor procurement compliance against university policies and regulatory requirements
• Build dashboards and models to detect anomalies, flag policy deviations, and track exception trends over time
• Design automated workflows to track compliance submissions, send reminders, and escalate overdue or non-compliant items

1. Data Management & Infrastructure

• Support the development and maintenance, of the Procurement Data Warehouse, ensuring it meets evolving reporting and analytics needs
• Collaborate with IT teams to enhance data pipelines, integrations, and system capabilities
• Maintain data documentation, including data dictionaries, lineage maps, and transformation logic.

1. Automation & Process Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve procurement data and compliance workflows across the department, influencing stakeholders and teams to adopt improved practices and digital solutions.
• Design and implement workflow automations using Microsoft Power Automate (or similar tools) to streamline procurement, compliance, and reporting processes
• Improve methods of gathering, tracking, and reporting data from users through digital workflows, forms, and self-service tools
• Automate system and process status monitoring, including alerts, exception reporting, and escalation triggers

1. AI-Assisted Analytics & Innovation

• Independently evaluate, pilot, and operationalise emerging AI and analytics solutions for procurement use cases where no established institutional precedent exists, translating ambiguous business problems into scalable analytical frameworks.
• Explore and apply AI-assisted tools and platforms (e.g., NUS AI-Know, Microsoft Copilot, or similar) to enhance procurement analytics, document processing, and decision support
• Leverage AI capabilities for tasks such as spend classification, anomaly detection, contract review assistance, and intelligent data extraction
• Support the team in building AI-augmented workflows that combine automation with intelligent analysis

Any other duties assigned by the Department or the University.

• Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering, Accountancy, Business, or a related field
• Minimum 6 years of relevant experience in data analytics, preferably in procurement, finance, or a shared services environment
• Experience in workflow automation, process improvement, or AI-assisted analytics initiatives is advantageous

• Proficient in Power BI, Qlik, or similar data visualisation tools.
• Strong working knowledge of SQL, data modelling, and data transformation (ETL/ELT).
• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Power Automate or similar workflow automation platforms.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel for advanced data analysis.
• Familiarity with SAP and/or e-procurement systems.

Preferred / Advantageous:

• Experience with Python or R for data analysis, scripting, or automation.
• Exposure to Microsoft Fabric, Azure Data Factory, SQL Server, or modern cloud data platforms.
• Familiarity with AI tools and platforms (e.g., Claude, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, or generative AI APIs).

• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving skills with high attention to detail and data quality.
• Effective communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable insights for diverse audiences.
• Proactive, innovative, and results-oriented mindset with a focus on process improvement, automation, and operational excellence.
• Self-driven and adaptable learner who thrives on challenges, with demonstrated ability to independently acquire and apply new skills, tools, and technologies.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with IT, finance, and university-wide stakeholders.

• Experience in higher education, public sector, or healthcare sectors is advantageous.
• Familiarity with procure-to-pay (P2P) processes is preferred.
• Experience in implementing automation for compliance tracking or operational workflows will be an advantage.