Chief of Operations

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership and Institutional Planning

• Lead the planning, execution, and monitoring of College-wide strategic initiatives and transformation programmes.
• Partner with the Dean and senior leadership to develop and implement long-term strategies aligned with University priorities.
• Provide strategic advice on organisational design, policy development, governance, resource planning, and institutional effectiveness.
• Anticipate emerging challenges and opportunities, recommending innovative solutions to support the College's evolving needs.

Organisational Effectiveness and Service Excellence

• Oversee the delivery of a comprehensive portfolio of operational and academic services, including academic administration, postgraduate education, research administration, communications, external relations, and related operational functions.
• Review, redesign, and optimise business processes, service delivery models, and organisational structures to improve effectiveness and efficiency.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to harmonise practices, improve stakeholder experience, and enhance operational performance across Schools and Centres.
• Promote data-informed decision-making and leverage technology to drive innovation and continuous improvement.

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Ensure compliance with College policies, regulatory requirements, and governance standards.
• Strengthen risk management frameworks, internal controls, and operational resilience across the College.
• Provide expert guidance to College leadership on governance, policy implementation, and risk-related matters.

Financial and Operational Leadership

• Oversee the College's financial planning, budgeting, resource allocation, procurement, and operational management.
• Ensure prudent stewardship of financial and physical resources while aligning investments with strategic priorities.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency, optimise resource utilisation, and deliver sustainable outcomes.

Stakeholder Engagement and Partnership Building

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with academic leaders, professional staff, offices, external partners, and other stakeholders.
• Facilitate collaboration across organisational boundaries to support strategic initiatives and operational excellence.
• Represent the College on University committees, taskforces, governance bodies, and institutional projects.

Leadership and Talent Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a diverse team of professional staff leaders, fostering engagement, capability building, and succession planning.
• Build a high-performance culture that encourages innovation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Champion change management and organisational development initiatives that enhance team effectiveness and employee experience.

Qualifications and Experiences:

• Bachelor's degree from a recognised university. A postgraduate qualification in Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Higher Education Leadership, or a related discipline will be advantageous.
• At least 15 years of progressive leadership experience in higher education, public sector organisations, or other large and complex institutions.
• Demonstrated success leading broad corporate services, operations, administration, or shared services functions at a senior level.
• Proven track record in organisational transformation, strategic planning, operational excellence, and change management.
• Strong experience leading diverse teams and influencing outcomes in complex matrix environments.
• Sound understanding of governance, compliance, risk management, financial stewardship, and institutional operations.

Key Competencies:

• Strategic leadership and organisational transformation.
• Executive stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Strong commercial, operational, and financial acumen.
• Ability to lead through complexity, ambiguity, and change.
• Excellence in programme and project leadership.
• Analytical thinking, problem-solving, and sound judgment.
• Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and collaboration skills.
• Digital and data literacy with an appreciation of technology-enabled transformation.

Interested applicants, please submit here or email your updated resume to [email protected]

AVRIL CHUA SWEE HONG

CEI: R1103862

Company Reg. No. 200412473D || EA Licence No. 13C6614