As SIT’s lifelong learning champion, SITLEARN offers a variety of Continuous Education and Training (CET) courses designed for working adults of all ages who are eager to upskill or reskill. Whether they want to enhance their current skills or transition to a new industry, our CET courses provide practical, relevant learning experiences. Our courses are developed in collaboration with industry and professional bodies to ensure they meet workforce needs.

As we expand our CET offerings, it is essential to have dedicated, highly skilled teams to manage the full planning and administration of the financial aspects of these CET courses and programs, ensuring compliance with both internal and external governance requirements. Our Grants Branch is responsible for overseeing the financial aspect of CET/SkillsFuture programs, specifically in relation to grant claims governance for CET.

We therefore require an experienced senior manager to deputise the Grants Branch Head and further strengthen our grants governance and financial control, utilisation and reporting, given the need to handle multiple grantors/funding bodies under a more intense data reporting regime where audit will be more frequent. The Job Holder will help oversee the grant claims governance to ensure compliance to grantor policies and internal Finance policies.

Responsibilities

1. Oversee grant claims and reconciliation related to various government grantors and funding bodies and prepare the division to be audit-ready. This includes:

1. Overseeing staff involved in CET grants-related data reporting,  analysing reported gaps to provide advice and propose actions required to recover grants.
2. Providing insightful financial data related to grant claims to internal stakeholders.
3. Engaging multiple internal and external stakeholders related to CET grant claims including Course Fee Grants, Mentorship Support Grants and Capability Development Grants.

2. Lead, supervise, and manage staff and work with the divisional stakeholders to :

1. Achieve high consistency in service quality with a positive impact,
2. Achieve high degree of grants reconciliation with Finance department via their journal entries.
3. Comply with internal and external governance requirements.

3. Support the SITLEARN Divisional Director, the divisional Group Lead and the Branch Head to create, develop, refine, and adapt policies, processes, and procedures in relation to Grants Governance. This can include enhancing or relooking at existing processes to improve work productivity and governance even as the division scale its CET activities multi-fold.  This include building capabilities within SITLEARN and the teams to boost work productivity through automation and digitalisation, including improving current processes and contributing to implementation of new techniques to handle the automatic disbursement of certain government grants to SITLEARN.
4. Support administrative duties, workgroups, task forces, or other projects as required.

Requirements

The Job Holder is expected to have the combination of technical knowledge, managerial experience, and regulatory understanding to ensure smooth operations, while supporting the Branch Head.

1)     Educational Background

• Good degree in Finance or Accountancy.
• Certifications or additional qualifications in finance or grant management would be advantageous.

2)     Experience

• 6 to 8 years of relevant work experience in a similar role, or in an educational or grant management environment, preferably in the Training and Adult Education industry or lifelong learning sector, or experience working in higher educational institutions.
• Experience in ensuring compliance with governance and standards in relation to grants management, financial compliance or fund disbursement related to government schemes like SkillsFuture. Ability to review and verify claims, ensuring compliance with funding conditions and auditing standards.
• Familiarity with policies and frameworks related to training subsidies/grants under SkillsFuture Singapore would be advantageous.
• Financial analysis and reporting skills, including preparation of quarterly or annual reports for stakeholders.
• Experience in handling audits and working with auditors to ensure that all claims are validated and correctly processed.
• Experience in handling funding agreements and contractual obligations.

3)     Data and Analytical Skills

• Highly organised and meticulous with a keen eye for detail and the ability to identify and address any missing information.
• Data management and the ability to interpret and manage large volumes of data, ensuring its accuracy and relevance.
• Proficiency in data analysis and able to identify and implement appropriate technologies and tools to enhance data processing and analysis. Strong Excel skills for data analysis, reporting and tracking of grant claims.
• Knowledge of best practices in data security, particularly in handling sensitive grant data and personal information, in compliance with relevant data protection laws.

 4)     Communication Skills 

• Strong skills in stakeholder engagement with excellent communication techniques to successfully complete tasks and projects, with ability to collaborate effectively with various departments and teams.
• Ability to explain complex grant processes and requirements to non-experts.
• Skilled in negotiation and resolving conflicts related to grant claims, training deliverables, and funding disputes.

5)     Organisational Skills

• Positive, proactive, and professional attitude, capable of maintaining effectiveness under multiple deadlines and work pressures. Time management skills to ensure all tasks and deadlines are met efficiently.
• Ability to identify issues within grant claims or processes and develop effective solutions. Innovative problem-solving skills to address real-time operational issues and improve processes.
• Ability to work independently and take initiative in a dynamic environment.
• A mindset focused on continuous process improvement to enhance efficiency in managing grant claims.
• Strong interpersonal skills to work with a variety of stakeholders.
• Ability to lead and manage change within the team and organisation, particularly as new processes or technologies are introduced by SkillsFuture Singapore or internally.

 6)    Leadership Skills

• Leadership experience in managing teams, with an ability to motivate, guide, and develop team members.

We offer a hybrid work arrangement that combines remote and in-person work, subject to work exigencies.