Assistant Director (2-year contract), IIE

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

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.

RESPONSIBILITIES

This position is for Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (IIE).

Strategic Leadership & Fund Implementation

Lead the strategic development, launch and implementation of the Kernel Fund, ensuring that its mandate, operating model and outcomes are aligned with SMU's innovation and entrepreneurship priorities and national RIE2030 objectives.

Translate the Kernel Fund concept into a practical and scalable operating platform, including clear objectives, eligibility criteria, award/deployment models, stage gates, governance arrangements, stakeholder roles, reporting cadence and success metrics.

Develop and maintain the Kernel Fund implementation roadmap across the key workstreams: faculty-industry networking, venture-builder pathways, StartBIG validation pathways, Talent initiatives and portfolio progression into Scale Business Innovations Generator (ScaleBIG) or other follow-on platforms.

Work with senior management to clarify strategic choices for Kernel Fund deployment, including individual mentor-equity models, institutional venture-builder models and external VC/fund collaboration models.

Fund Governance, SOPs & Investment/Grant Processes

Design, document and implement the Kernel Fund governance framework, including dual-key approval processes, panel composition, decision rights, milestone-based reviews, conflict-of-interest management, delegated authorities and escalation protocols.

Work with KTC and relevant internal stakeholders to develop funding award SOPs for both Pathway 1 (venture builders and industry panel) and Pathway 2 (StartBIG training and validation), ensuring alignment with MOE gap funding and other applicable funding requirements.

Establish due diligence processes for projects, mentors, venture builders and external fund partners, including assessment of commercial potential, technology readiness, founder/team strength, market validation, regulatory risks, partner capability and funding fit.

Develop standard documentation and process templates such as application forms, evaluation rubrics, panel papers, milestone agreements, portfolio dashboards, collaboration agreements and post-award monitoring templates.

Support the development of principles for licensing, assignment, royalty/equity arrangements, inventor/founder cap tables and milestone-based equity vesting in consultation with KTC, SMU Ventures, Legal and Finance.

Venture Pipeline, Co-founder Matching & Talent API

Build and manage a strong Kernel Fund pipeline by coordinating faculty-industry networking sessions, co-founder matching activities and targeted engagement of faculty, students, alumni, start-up founders, mentors, angel investors and industry partners.

Coordinate with Partnership & Community (PACT), Knowledge Transfer & Commercialization (KTC), IIE, Talent Development Group (TDG), Office of Alumni Relations (OAR), SMU schools and student/alumni entrepreneurship platforms to organise at least two structured networking or sourcing cycles per year, subject to management approval and resource availability.

Develop the Talent initiatives concept into an operational pool of founders, co-founders, mentors, advisors, student innovation strategists, alumni innovation strategists and proto-CxO talent who can support Kernel Fund projects and venture-builder pathways.

Work with undergraduate, postgraduate and professional programmes to identify and deploy student/alumni talent into commercialisation projects, including possible integration with MBA, Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MEI), MITB, SMU-X Lifelong Learning (SMU-XL), SMU-X and other innovation-related modules or bootcamps.

Ensure that promising teams from StartBIG, Passion • Adventure • Kickstart (PAK) Challenge, faculty research projects and industry problem statements are guided toward the appropriate Kernel Fund pathway and prepared for funding, venture-building or spin-off formation.

Venture Builder, Investor & Ecosystem Partnerships

Identify, evaluate, onboard and manage individual and institutional venture builders, including angel-investor-supported mentors, operators, co-development partners and external VC/fund partners.

Develop clear partnership models for (1) individual venture builders and (2) institutional venture builders, including expectations on capital contribution, team formation, mentor/operator commitment, milestone delivery, equity participation and post-award support.

Build and maintain strategic relationships with investors, venture capital firms, family offices, corporates, government agencies, accelerators, venture studios, trade associations and university innovation networks to strengthen the Kernel Fund pipeline and follow-on funding opportunities.

Coordinate with KTC and industry partners on projects involving licensing, research collaboration or technology translation, ensuring that commercialisation pathways are coherent and founder-friendly while protecting SMU's interests.

Portfolio Management & Venture Support

Lead the active management of Kernel Fund-supported projects and ventures, setting milestones and tracking progress across technology development, market validation, customer traction, team formation, licensing, fundraising, governance and spin-off readiness.

Establish a portfolio management dashboard and re