Business Analyst (Programme & Policy) (3-year contract), PCE

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Singapore Management University is a place where high-level professionalism blends together with a healthy informality. The 'family-like' atmosphere among the SMU community fosters a culture where employees work, plan, organise and play together - building a strong collegiality and morale within the university.Our commitment to attract and retain talent is ongoing. We offer attractive benefits and welfare, competitive compensation packages, and generous professional development opportunities - all to meet the work-life needs of our staff. No wonder, then, that SMU continues to be given numerous awards and recognition for its human resource excellence.

RESPONSIBILITIES

This position is for Office of Professional & Continuing Education (PCE). Business Intelligence, Data and Analytics

Develop and maintain a whole-of-PCE business intelligence capability to provide a reliable and integrated view of PCE performance, demand and opportunity:

Develop a whole-of-PCE business intelligence and analytics framework, including establishing common definitions and reporting standards for programmes and products; clients and enterprises; learners; sectors and markets; revenue and contribution; partnerships; pipeline; outcomes and impact. Develop an inventory of internal PCE data sources across SMUA, ExD, Schools and other relevant units. Assess data availability, completeness, consistency, reliability and quality. Identify data gaps and recommend practical improvements to data collection, integration and reporting. Analyse PCE performance across products and programmes; sectors and client segments; markets and geographies; revenue and contribution; learner enrolment, completion and feedback; repeat participation and client renewal; faculty and trainer participation and evaluation. Develop or commission dashboards and analytical tools for strategic decision-making. Establish a regular PCE portfolio and performance reporting process. Promote a culture of evidence-based portfolio, investment and resource decisions.

Market Intelligence and Strategic Insights

Establish a systematic view of market demand, capability gaps, addressable markets and emerging opportunities relevant to PCE.

Identify unmet workforce, organisational and learner capability needs, and analyse gaps between available training provision and enterprise or sector requirements. Assess addressable markets across sectors, geographies, client/learner segments, product categories, and enterprise/public-sector buyers. Track emerging demand from national and global trends, such as AI, digital transformation, sustainability, workforce restructuring and industry transformation. Monitor developments affecting PCE, including government/SSG/agency priorities and funding, competitor and substitute offerings, and regional/international market developments. Gather intelligence from enterprises, employers, HR leaders, sector bodies, professional associations, government agencies, overseas partners, faculty, research institutes, SMUA, ExD, and alumni/professional networks. Assess SMU's capability fit and right to play based on faculty expertise, research and IP, existing programmes, industry/government relationships, regional presence, brand relevance and delivery capability. Translate market intelligence into recommendations to pursue, validate, pilot, partner, monitor, consolidate, defer or stop.

Business Cases and Portfolio Decision Support

Develop and assess business cases for new PCE initiatives, product lines, partnerships and portfolio decisions by integrating internal data with external market, workforce, sector and enterprise intelligence:

Triangulate internal and external data to identify:

High-demand areas with weak internal coverage. High-volume activity with limited strategic or commercial value. Strong-performing offerings with uncertain future relevance. Strategic sectors where SMU lacks sufficient capability or IP. Emerging opportunities not yet visible in internal performance data. Gaps, duplication or fragmentation across the portfolio. Existing assets that can be combined or adapted into new products or pathways. Areas requiring investment in faculty expertise, Teaching Fellows, IP, learning technology or external partnerships.

Develop and assess business cases against agreed principles: client/learner and market need; strategic fit; operating and delivery model; time to market; pricing and investment requirements; risk and assumptions; reusability and scale potential; and exit/stop criteria. Develop strategic options papers that set out available choices, trade-offs, evidence, risks, resource implications and recommended course of action. Define evidence requirements, success measures, resource limits and decision points for strategic experiments.

PCE Policy, Governance and Structures

Support the development and institutionalisation of the policies, governance mechanisms, decision rights, structures and processes required for the evolving PCE strategy.

Identify policy, governance and structural gaps; clarify decision rights, accountability and ownership across the PCE landscape. Co-develop, with ExD, SMUA and other relevant stakeholders, a phased framework for opportunity assessment, concept validation, pilot selection and review, scale, and operationalisation. Draft and maintain operating principles, policy guidelines and process documentation. Support the codification and implementation of governance models for regionalisation, enterprise capability partnerships, cross-unit product development and strategic pilots Track adoption of agreed policies and processes; identify institutional bottlenecks, overlaps and unclear handoffs, and recommend improvements. Maintain a live PCE policy and governance reference covering approved principles, operating arrangements, decision rights and process changes.

Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

University degree in business, economics, data analytics, public policy, social sciences, statistics, education, management or a related discipline with at least 8 years of relevant working experience in strategy, business intelligence, market intelligence, consulting, portfolio analytics, corporate planning, policy analysis or a related field. Relevant postgraduate qualification or professional certification is advantageous. Strong ability to work with quantitative and qualitative data, translating analysis into clear, decision-oriented narratives. Experience in business intelligence, market intelligence, strategic analysis or portfolio analytics. Experience developing business cases, strategic options and investment recommendations. Strong research, synthesis and structured problem-solving skills. Understanding of market sizing, addressable markets and opportunity assessment. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to engage senior stakeholders and influence decisions through evidence. Ability to work across multiple business units and institutional stakeholders. Sound judgement regarding uncertainty, assumptions, evidence quality and experimentation. Comfort operating in ambiguous and evolving environments.

OTHER INFORMATION #LI-XL1 Candidates who do not possess the stipulated qualifications but have relevant work experience may still apply. Remuneration and appointment terms shall commensurate with qualifications and experience. SMU reserves the right to modify the appointment terms where necessary.

Please note that your application will be sent to and reviewed by the direct employer - Singapore Management University