Senior Associate

About Us

Real Impact Advisors (RIA) is a dynamic young start-up philanthropy consultancy started in 2023 by two women founders who are motivated to create real impact for Asia. With more than 25 years of experience in the philanthropy and development sector in the region, our co-founders bring extensive knowledge and network towards the work and clients that they undertake. RIA is founded on the principles of doing things right,which refer to both the quality of our work, but also the way we treat people, especially our own team.

Our philosophy is important to us:

• We are committed to doing things right
• We are professional, practical and efficient
• We work on trust
• We aim for catalytic transformation
• It's not about us

So if you share the same beliefs, please read on!

We are looking for a Senior Associate to join our team to continue our meaningful work. We already have a roster of varied projects spanning across the region, so the candidate has to be eager to work, flexible in a semi-unstructured environment, keen to learn many different new subjects, and excited to grow and contribute towards real impact for society.

What will you do

The role will primarily require the Associate to support the team on direct client work including research and analysis, report writing and design, advisory to organisations, and where required, organising events like workshops, roundtable discussions, and presentations.

RIA's pipeline of projects currently covers diverse thematic areas including education, public health, environment, and philanthropy ecosystem engagement and potentially many more. The regions cover Southeast Asia and wider Asia, including China and India. Hence, the team needs to be very adept at switching between topics, learning very quickly on new topics, country systems, and models and frameworks.

The Associate can look forward to a fun and fulfilling time picking up many skills, including leading research for landscape studies for different sectors across Asia, and engaging with partners and clients not only in Asia, but across the world!

They can also expect some travel with the work.

What do you need to be good at this

• Experience: Candidates should have 2-5 years of relevant experience on similar work (research, journalism, consulting, government, non-profit sector).
• Candidates should demonstrate exceptional writing skills, through prior writing experience with research papers, reports, and strategy work.
• Proven ability to engage in strategic issues.
• Candidates must also demonstrate understanding of the impact sector, including concepts, terminology and the stakeholders in the ecosystem. Added points towards knowledge of policies relating to the sector and key trends.
• Resourceful in understanding how to conduct effective primary and secondary/desktop research, and able to synthesize the information, develop insights and present the findings in a meaningful way for analysis and communication. Demonstrate keen understanding of research methodologies, especially in qualitative research.
• Comfortable with data -- Proficient in Excel, creating charts, and analysing data. Prior experience in both qualitative and quantitative data collection, analysis, data visualisation and presentation of insights.
• Excellent at generating presentations -- candidate has to be well-versed in Microsoft Powerpoint, Canva, applying AI effectively, and other platforms for formulating useful and concise reports.
• Skilled at processing multiple forms of data points, employing logical analysis and developing narratives and useful recommendations.
• Great communication skills, including speaking to people from diverse backgrounds and cultural contexts, languages and countries and presenting on report findings to clients.

Other good-to-haves:

• Bonus points for knowledge and experience in impact assessment, monitoring and evaluation in the impact sector.
• Ability to speak/read/write other Asian languages, priority to Mandarin, but also include Bahasa Indonesia
• Proficiency in facilitation of workshops and discussions.

Work Culture

RIA is a start-up by two founders who believe in a flat hierarchy and respect in each other we believe in coming together as often as possible to ensure the team culture is thriving and learning is efficient.

As a start-up, we have to work in a very flexible and adaptive way, and we combine a hybrid style of in-person and remote work. In order to make sure that this is successful, team members need to be very self-motivated and responsible. We are all responsible for our own time management, deliverables, and asking for help.

The founders are always available to guide and answer questions, but we appreciate team members who know how to ask the right questions, be respectful of others and their time, and to offer their opinions and ideas.

We have to help each other in a start-up culture, so there will be limited defined boundaries, and we should always be ready to roll up our sleeves to offer help to each other to get the work done. There is no work beneath us, and we are all learning, so everyone should be eager to chip in in every way.

Package and Benefits

RIA believes in remunerating our people for putting in great work to help solve problems. We offer a competitive package with 21 days of annual leave, medical coverage, and substantial learning and development opportunities for growth. The monthly salary range for this position is SGD5,500 - 6,500, inclusive of employers CPF contribution. We offer the annual wage supplement, an annual bonus based on performance and a week of rest for the full team when our office closes at the end of each calendar year, so we can recharge for the year ahead.

Eligibility

RIA loves diversity, but at this point due to the stage of our development, we are only looking for people who are based or looking to be based in Singapore. While we are open to non-Singaporeans or PRs, we will give priority to candidates who have experience in Asia. Please state your nationality and residence status in your application, as this does affect salary and visa process.

How to apply

To learn more about us, please visit our website at .

To apply, please write to with your CV, two writing samples (please select one that would demonstrate your writing and research skills, and your areas of interest), and explain why you are interested in this position and what you hope to achieve at RIA.