Director, Global Strategic Partnerships

We’re NUS Enterprise, the innovation and entrepreneurship heart of the National University of Singapore (NUS). We back bold ideas and ambitious talent with the potential to build impactful companies that transform the way we live, play, and work — and we’re just getting started.

As NUS Enterprise sharpens its global reach, we are building deeper strategic relationships across international innovation ecosystems, universities, corporates, investors, foundations, venture builders, technology communities, and public-sector platforms. The goal is not to collect more partnerships, but to build the few that matter — partnerships that create real access, real opportunities, and real outcomes for our startups, researchers, students, and global programmes.

The Role

As Director, Global Strategic Partnerships, you will lead high-value international partnership development for NUS Enterprise, with a primary mandate to secure external funding at a scale that materially strengthens NUS Enterprise’s financial sustainability and reduces reliance on central funding. You are responsible for opening doors, shaping strategic relationships, and converting global networks into committed funding and tangible opportunities for venture creation, startup scaling, ecosystem development, entrepreneurship education, and technology translation.

This is a senior, high-autonomy role for someone who can operate across markets, sectors, and institutional boundaries. You will not simply represent NUS Enterprise externally; you will help define where NUS Enterprise should show up globally, who we should partner with, and how those relationships should translate into outcomes.

You will work closely with teams across NUS Enterprise, including Venture Creation, IP Commercialisation, Ecosystem, NUS Overseas Colleges, and Global Outposts. Your success will depend on your ability to combine external credibility with internal alignment — ensuring that global opportunities are not only exciting, but actionable, resourced, and converted into measurable value.

You are expected to function as a superconnector across ecosystems and a strategic operator within NUS Enterprise. When you do not have the answer, you know who to call. When a relationship has potential, you know how to move it from conversation to commitment. This is a fully dedicated NUS Enterprise role, focused entirely on the unit’s priorities; it does not carry the external-engagement allowance associated with academic appointments.

Track Focus: Global Strategic Partnerships

In this track, you will focus on building and activating partnerships that strengthen NUS Enterprise’s global reach across priority markets and frontier sectors.

You will focus on partnerships spanning:

• Global innovation hubs, universities, accelerators, incubators, and venture builders.
• Corporate innovation, venture client, and market access partners.
• Investors, ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, foundations, philanthropic donors, and ecosystem funders capable of providing significant funding to NUS Enterprise.
• Emerging technology communities across AI, robotics, drones, climate, sustainability, advanced engineering, and frontier tech.
• Entrepreneurship education, STEM, talent, founder development, and social impact platforms.
• Senior executives, founders, investors, ecosystem leaders, academic leaders, public agencies, and philanthropic partners.
• Partners who can provide market access, pilots, funding, mentorship, technical networks, landing pads, and programme collaboration.
• Internal NUS Enterprise teams that need external reach but require clear ownership, prioritisation, and follow-through.

What You’ll Do

Funding and Financial Sustainability

• Lead the origination and conversion of external funding for NUS Enterprise, with the goal of progressively reducing reliance on central funding and strengthening the unit’s financial sustainability.
• Build and steward relationships with funders capable of providing capital at scale, including ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, foundations, philanthropic donors, corporates, and grant bodies.
• Structure funding propositions, gift and sponsorship models, and multi-year commitments, working with internal teams to ensure appropriate governance, stewardship, and reporting.

Global Partnership Strategy

• Develop and maintain a global partnership strategy aligned to NUS Enterprise’s priorities in venture building, startup scaling, ecosystem development, global platforms, and entrepreneurship education.
• Identify priority markets, sectors, and partner categories where NUS Enterprise should build deeper strategic presence.
• Translate broad global networks into a focused partnership pipeline with clear strategic rationale and expected outcomes.

Strategic Relationship Development

• Originate, cultivate, and manage senior-level relationships with high-value global partners.
• Serve as a credible external representative for NUS Enterprise in selected global ecosystem conversations.
• Build trust with partners by understanding their priorities and shaping collaboration models that create mutual value.

Partnership Conversion and Activation

• Convert strategic relationships into concrete collaborations, such as market access arrangements, startup pilots, programme partnerships, landing-pad access, investor engagement, sponsorships, agreements, or thematic initiatives.
• Work with internal teams to assign ownership, define next steps, and ensure partnership opportunities progress beyond introductory conversations.
• Develop partnership briefs, proposals, and decision papers that help senior management assess strategic value, resource needs, and execution risks.

Startup, Venture and Ecosystem Support

• Connect selected NUS startups, spin-offs, venture teams, and programme teams to relevant global partners, mentors, investors, corporates, and pilots.
• Support priority ventures and programmes in accessing overseas markets, sector networks, technical communities, and commercial pathways.
• Identify recurring partnership opportunities that can benefit a broader portfolio, rather than only one-off introductions.

Thought Leadership and Global Positioning

• Position NUS Enterprise in selected global conversations on entrepreneurship, frontier technology, deep tech commercialisation, sustainability, talent, and impact innovation.
• Support high-quality convenings, roundtables, ecosystem engagements, and international platforms that strengthen NUS Enterprise’s visibility and credibility.
• Bring external market signals and partnership intelligence back into NUS Enterprise to inform strategy and programme direction.

Director-Level Performance Expectations and KPIs

This role is scoped as a senior Director-level appointment. The primary measure of success is external funding secured for NUS Enterprise. Supporting KPIs focus on strategic conversion, quality of outcomes, and measurable value creation, rather than activity volume alone, consistent with NUS Enterprise’s shift toward impact-based performance.

• Strategic partnership pipeline: Build and maintain a qualified pipeline of at least 25 strategic global partnership opportunities per year, with clear relevance to NUS Enterprise’s priority markets, sectors, and programmes.
• Anchor partnerships: Secure 3 to 5 anchor partnerships per year that create material non-funding value for NUS Enterprise, such as market access, venture support, programme collaboration, landing-pad access, or corporate pilot pathways. Where an anchor partnership also delivers funding, that funding is captured under the funding-secured KPI.
• Partnership conversion: Convert at least 8 to 10 qualified opportunities per year into defined collaborations, pilots, agreements, programme partnerships, startup support arrangements, investor engagements, or ecosystem access pathways.
• Funding secured (primary KPI): Secure at least S$20 million per year in new external funding for NUS Enterprise from year one, in support of reduced reliance on central funding. Funding sources include philanthropic gifts, foundation grants, corporate sponsorship, and commitments from ultra-high-net-worth individuals and family offices.
• Value enabled (secondary KPI): Generate or enable additional strategic value through in-kind support, programme collaboration, venture support, market access, and cost-offset opportunities. This value is tracked and reported separately from funding secured, and is not counted toward the funding target.
• Startup and venture outcomes: Facilitate at least 15 high-value introductions per year for NUS startups, spin-offs, venture teams, or programme participants, with at least 5 progressing into substantive follow-up such as pilots, investment discussions, commercial conversations, technical collaborations, or market-entry support.
• Global market access: Establish or deepen partnership pathways in at least 3 priority markets per year, with clear internal use cases and identified beneficiaries across NUS Enterprise teams.
• Thematic initiatives: Lead or co-lead at least 2 strategic thematic initiatives per year in priority areas such as AI, robotics, drones, climate, sustainability, advanced engineering, STEM, women in technology, or impact innovation.
• Thought leadership and positioning: Secure or support at least 4 high-quality global ecosystem engagements per year where NUS Enterprise’s profile is strengthened through speaking platforms, roundtables, strategic convenings, or partner-led forums.
• Internal activation discipline: Ensure at least 80% of qualified partnership opportunities have an internal owner, defined next step, expected outcome, and follow-up timeline within 30 days of qualification.
• Senior management reporting: Provide quarterly partnership reviews covering funding secured against target, pipeline quality, conversion progress, value enabled, strategic risks, and recommended next moves.

Please be informed that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Requirements

What You Bring

• 15+ years of experience in strategic partnerships, fundraising or development, ecosystem building, venture development, corporate innovation, international business development, philanthropy, public-private collaboration, or technology commercialisation, including a demonstrable track record of securing significant external funding.
• A strong global network across innovation ecosystems, universities, corporates, investors, founders, public agencies, foundations, or frontier technology communities.
• Demonstrated ability to build senior-level trust and move relationships from initial engagement to tangible collaboration, including converting funder relationships into committed funding.
• Strong commercial judgment and the ability to distinguish promising strategic relationships from low-value activity.
• Ability to operate independently across multiple markets, cultures, and stakeholder groups.
• Strong synthesis and storytelling skills, with the ability to turn complex opportunities into clear partnership propositions and decision-ready briefs.
• Comfort with ambiguity, high autonomy, and fast-moving ecosystem contexts.
• A strong bias toward action, follow-through, and measurable outcomes.
• Credibility in one or more relevant domains such as emerging technology, deep tech, sustainability, AI, robotics, drones, education, entrepreneurship, venture building, or social impact.

Bonus Points For

• Advanced degree or strong professional credibility in STEM, business, policy, innovation, technology, or a hybrid field.
• Prior experience working with universities, research commercialisation, accelerators, venture studios, startup ecosystems, or public-sector innovation platforms.
• Experience building partnerships across Australia, the UK, the US, Japan, Southeast Asia, or other priority markets for NUS Enterprise.
• Experience with sponsorship, grant leverage, venture client models, market access programmes, or corporate pilot structures.
• Public profile or thought leadership in innovation, emerging technology, entrepreneurship, sustainability, or impact.

Success Profile

The successful candidate will be externally credible, internally disciplined, and commercially sharp. They will be able to open senior doors globally, but also know that introductions are only the beginning. They will be measured first by the external funding secured for NUS Enterprise, and then by the quality of relationships converted, the value enabled, and the opportunities unlocked for startups, researchers, students, and global programmes.

This role requires someone who can operate as a trusted ambassador, strategic deal shaper, and ecosystem builder — while working closely with internal teams to ensure that global partnerships are translated into execution.

Why Join NUS Enterprise

This is a rare chance to shape the next phase of NUS Enterprise’s global reach — from Singapore, with international ambition. You will sit at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, capital, talent, and global ecosystems, with the mandate to build partnerships that matter.

Ready to Build the Future?

Share your resume with us. No cover letter required — but we’d love to know how you heard about us, what drives you, and what global partnerships you are excited to build next.