Director, Centre for African Studies

About the role

The NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies (CAS) is a trilateral platform linking government, business and academia to promote knowledge about Africa among Asian businesses and policymakers, and to deepen economic and policy links between Africa and Asia. The Director of CAS jointly reports to the Chairman of the Advisory Board and the Dean of Nanyang Business School, with a matrix line to the Associate Dean, Research. The role oversees all centre activities, aligns them with the mission, drives the strategic vision and helps establish CAS's presence locally and internationally.

Key responsibilities

• Strategy and partnerships: work with the Advisory Board and NBS senior management to define CAS's strategic vision, build a roadmap for stronger collaboration between African and Singaporean companies, and identify opportunities and mitigate risks.
• Outreach and industry engagement: lead outreach initiatives, build a network of corporate, government and ecosystem partners, and create platforms that deepen ties between African and Singaporean businesses.
• Thought leadership: partner with NBS faculty to deliver practice-oriented thought leadership, covering content development, stakeholder engagement, copyright management and distribution.
• Governance: provide day-to-day leadership, oversee resources, finances, budgeting and performance monitoring, ensure compliance with reporting requirements, and hold the centre accountable for Advisory Board-set KPIs.
• Fundraising: develop a roadmap to financial sustainability and self-funding, leverage partnerships and monetisation avenues, and lead business development with stakeholders.
• Operations: oversee planning, budgeting and delivery of initiatives and events, and keep an up-to-date activities calendar.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree; PhD or DBA viewed favourably.
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience driving successful partnerships and/or industry engagement.
• Working knowledge of companies from Africa; established networks in this area are an advantage.
• Experience in outreach and running engagement events; familiarity with faculty and higher education institutions is an advantage.
• Experience on industry white papers and projects preferred.

Required skills

• Strategic thinking
• Self-driven and able to work in a team
• Good organisational skills
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills