Manager / Senior Manager, Procurement Operations

Role Summary

A*STAR's Procurement Division is undergoing a transformation - from a process-based structure to a client-centric operating model organised around client-facing Operations Teams, an Enablement & Governance function, and - over time - a Category Management Unit with dedicated Category Leads. The Division's aspiration is to be a trusted, client-centric procurement partner that enables research and corporate missions.

Role

As a Manager or Senior Manager in an Operations Team, you will own end-to-end procurement execution for an assigned portfolio of Research Institutes and/or corporate entities - from requirement shaping through sourcing, evaluation, approval and contract award. You are the single accountable officer your clients turn to for procurement advice, and you are expected to exercise sound commercial judgement, not merely administer process.

Job Responsibilities:

• End-to-end procurement execution - manage SVP, ITQ and ITT processes within your client portfolio, ensuring each exercise is completed on time, within governance, and with defensible documentation.
• Client engagement & advisory - understand your clients' research or corporate missions, demand patterns and urgency profiles; engage early to shape requirements and recommend fit-for-purpose procurement approaches.
• Policy application with judgement - interpret and operationalise the procurement manual, advising requestors on the right balance between public accountability, value-for-money and operational efficiency.
• Governance & audit readiness - maintain complete, accurate procurement records in A*ERP (Ariba); support audit reviews; flag risks and non-compliance early; contribute to continuous improvement of governance practices.
• Demand intelligence & aggregation - identify opportunities for demand consolidation, panel utilisation and framework agreements across your portfolio, working with Category Leads where established.
• AI-assisted workflows - leverage governed AI tools (e.g. Copilot, ChatGPT Enterprise) to accelerate drafting, validation and analysis, while retaining full human accountability for decisions and approvals.
• Stakeholder training & knowledge sharing - coach requestors on procurement procedures and share lessons learned to raise institutional capability.

Job Requirements

• Minimum 3 years' relevant procurement experience (public-sector or equivalent); candidates with government procurement policy knowledge are strongly preferred. Fresh graduates may be considered for Manager-level roles.
• Strong commercial acumen - ability to assess price reasonableness, structure evaluations, and translate data into actionable sourcing insights.
• Clear, confident communicator - able to advise senior stakeholders, draft concise approval papers, and present procurement recommendations persuasively.
• Problem-solver with initiative - able to distil complex procurement situations into executable solutions and anticipate downstream risks before they materialise.
• Collaborative and client-oriented mindset - comfortable operating as a procurement partner (not gatekeeper), adopting a leaning-in attitude, and offer innovative solutions and sound governance.