The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A.STAR) is Singapore's lead public sector R&D agency. Through open innovation, we collaborate with our partners in both the public and private sectors to benefit the economy and society. A.STAR's research creates economic growth and jobs for Singapore, and enhances lives by improving societal outcomes in healthcare, urban living, and sustainability.
A.STAR is recognized by many accountancy organizations: ISCA, ACCA, CPA Australia, and ICAEW. It reaffirms our commitment to excellence in professional development, and to fostering the growth of our employees in the field of Finance and Accounting.
Job Description
As the Senior Manager/Manager, you will supervise a team of Senior Associates/ Associates to support A.STAR's Management in the management and administration A.STAR Statutory Board Finance Funds and Operations and will have the opportunity to be involved in the following key areas of work:
Budgeting
Manage the annual budgeting exercise, medium term expenditure budget review for submission to parent Ministry and or to be tabled at A.STAR Management meetings, Board-EXCO and Board.
Review and query submitted budget requests from divisions, consolidate the budget requests and present the annual operating budget to management for approval.
Follow up with respective stakeholders to address budget queries raised by management.
Ensure timely reporting of monthly budget utilisation status to Councils and Divisions.
Manage 5-year Block Budget and 15-year Medium Term Budget Exercises including preparation of data, liaising with divisions, preparing and seeking clearance and approval for budget submissions.
Grant Management and Compliance
Grant management including the preparation and review of fund requisitions, final statement of accounts (FSOAs) and ensure proper project closure for grants for submission to grantor.
Track verification status of FRs, FSOAs and project closure for timely submission by grantees to A.STAR and by A.STAR to other funding agencies and ensure timely disbursements of funds to grantees.
Finance Operations
Review and approve payment, billing and receipts journals raised by Senior Associates / Associates.
Support in month-end and financial year-end closing activities
Monitor and manage cashflow liquidity
Drive digitalisation initiatives to achieve operational efficiency and optimise resource allocation and utilization. (e.g. new ERP system, Grants system enhancements, management reporting dashboard, RPA and etc).
Other tasks e.g. Support accounts payable activities such as vendor management.
Policy and Reporting
Ensure timely preparation and submission of internal and external stakeholders reporting, MTI/MOF/AGD/AGO returns and carry out presentation at management meeting platforms.
Review processes and update A.STARs Financial Policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines to ensure proper strong internal controls and compliance with Government IMs and policies, regulatory compliance to government and accounting standards.
Business Partnering and Stakeholder management
Be an effective business partner to management and other stakeholders in providing financial insights and advice to achieve business objectives
Contribute finance inputs to government initiatives, project papers, frameworks, and budget/overhead submissions.
Liaise with internal and external auditors,tax agents,corporate secretary,banks,AGO/ and other stakeholders.
People Development and Others
Provide guidance to Senior Associates/ Associates and build a cohesive high-performance team
Plan the training and development opportunities for staff to expand both their capacity and capability.
Provide support to team and drive digitalisation initiatives to achieve operational efficiency and optimize resource allocation and utilization.
Provide support to projects and other tasks as assigned from time to time.
JOB REQUIREMENTS
Degree in Accountancy/ACCA
At least 3 years of relevant experience in managing operations, reporting and stakeholder management
Strong analytical, communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills
High learning agility, adaptability and perseverance
Able to multi-task and deliver results under tight timelines
Meticulous, well organized and resourceful
Proficient in MS office applications
Strong supervisory and mentorship skills
Knowledge of SAP system and dashboarding tools (e.g. Tableau, Power BI) will be advantageous
Open to Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents (PRs)
