Senior Manager/Assistant Director, Contracts

Background

The RIE TRUST Office has been established to enable the strategic use of data by Singapore’s RIE ecosystem in a manner that engenders public trust. Through supporting data-driven research, it aims to drive scientific excellence, strengthen national research innovation capabilities and competitiveness, as well as create impactful solutions. The Office operates under the purview of NRF, and is administratively hosted in A*STAR.

The RIE TRUST Office will coordinate and implement the RIE Data System, comprising harmonised data governance frameworks and interoperable data infrastructures to enable data research. The Office draws on learnings from ongoing efforts in the Human Health and Potential (HHP) domain and is extending to support other RIE domains such as Urban Solutions & Sustainability.

RIE TRUST Office Contracts is responsible for 

1. Supporting contract negotiations and manage the contracting process of RTO projects. This involves preparing, reviewing, negotiating and executing a range of contracts including but are not limited to Research Collaboration Agreements (RCA), Data Sharing Agreements (DSA), Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA), Project-level Service Agreements (SA) and Data Transfer Agreements (DTA).
2. Supporting the development of more harmonized data research agreements and contracts at a RIE ecosystem level with the wider public research stakeholders. These include working closely with national committees like STEMPA, legal counsels and contract managers to facilitate successful contracting processes.

Specifically, this role will focus on

1. Engaging various stakeholders (government, academic research and industry) to develop and execute the contracts in a timely manner. 
2. Working closely with Partnerships team in the process of stakeholder engagements to ensure proposed arrangements are legally feasible and properly structured.
3. Analysing contracts to identify risks, liabilities or gaps. Work closely with the other RTO teams and stakeholders to resolve contractual issues in timely manner. 
4. Responsibility in ensuring that contract amendments and reviews are monitored, gathered and acted upon as appropriate. 
5. Ensuring that contract documentation is carried out systematically, e.g. assist to set up system to maintain contractual records and ensure adequate processes and policies are in place; proper filing of all contractual documents (hardcopy and softcopy). 

Job requirements

1. Minimum Degree in related discipline. At least 5 to 7 years of working experience in Contracts-related work. Candidates with prior experience with contracts-related work in the local public research ecosystem and data-related fields will be considered favourably.
2. Knowledge of research contracting terms, understanding of data privacy laws (Singapore and International); and appreciation of the local research ecosystem would be advantageous
3. Demonstrate strong negotiation skills and critical thinking skills
4. Have a collaborative, solutions-oriented approach with strong communication skills
5. Excellent written and verbal skills with an eye for detail
6. Versatile in working independently as well as an effective team player when the time calls for it