Assistant Director, Marcomms (2-year contract), IIE

• Operation Contract Employment Type
• Manager
• Experience Level
• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent
• Education Level
• Singapore | Closing On 15 Mar 2026
• Country
• Hybrid
• Working Arrangement

About Us

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.

Job Description

• This position is for Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (IIE).
• Functional Leadership & Strategy:
• Lead the Marketing & Communications function for IIE, setting strategy, priorities, standards, and operating frameworks to deliver integrated brand, content, and stakeholder communications outcomes.
• Build organisational capability, develop and mentor the team, and serve as a trusted advisor to leadership on communications strategy, positioning, and reputational considerations.
• Brand Stewardship & Institutional Positioning:
• Construct and drive a differentiated "Venture Brand" strategy that positions SMU not just as an educational institution, but as a critical node in the regional startup economy, ensuring coherence and alignment with SMU's institutional priorities and Vision 2030.
• Own and steward the IIE brand and narrative, developing differentiated messaging and thought leadership that position SMU as a leading innovation and entrepreneurship university across regional and global ecosystems.
• Strategic Communications, Media & Reputation Management:
• Direct enterprise-level communications across flagship programmes, partnerships, and platforms (e.g., LKYGBPC, incubation, global immersion), ensuring they function as high-impact reputation drivers.
• Cultivate senior relationships with media and ecosystem stakeholders, shape proactive visibility strategies, and lead issues, crisis, and reputational risk communications to safeguard institutional credibility.
• Crisis & Risk Management for Startups:
• Serve as the first line of defence for reputational risk within the incubator ecosystem.
• Establish protocols for mitigating media risks associated with early-stage portfolio companies, ensuring alignment with university policies while allowing for the agility required by the startup sector.
• Ecosystem Partnerships & Enablement:
• Partner closely with Partnership, Community, and Events teams to translate partnership strategies into compelling narratives and communications assets that support partner acquisition, onboarding, and retention.
• Lead cross-functional coordination of partnership communications initiatives, establish scalable frameworks and standards for sponsor recognition and brand governance, and ensure partner and sponsor obligations are delivered professionally across all IIE platforms and touchpoints.
• Student-Driven Storytelling & Innovation Culture Building:
• Design and oversee a sustainable, student-powered communications model that generates authentic innovation and entrepreneurship stories across SMU.
• Establish editorial standards, training, and governance frameworks that enable high-quality, brand-aligned content while building student capability and strengthening a culture of innovation advocacy.
• Growth, Performance & Resource Stewardship:
• Drive data-informed marketing and demand generation strategies to support programme growth and ecosystem participation.
• Establish performance metrics, reporting frameworks, and impact communications that demonstrate value creation and inform strategic decisions.
• Hold accountability for the Marcomms operating budget, agencies, and vendors to ensure prudent governance and effective resource utilisation.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Degree or postgraduate qualification from a recognised university in Business, Marketing, Communications, Education, or a related discipline.
• 12 to 15 years of relevant professional experience in marketing, communications, branding, or stakeholder engagement, preferably within higher education, innovation, entrepreneurship, or ecosystem-driven environments.
• Deep understanding of brand architecture, identity governance, and narrative development. Ability to translate complex institutional goals (Vision 2030) into compelling market-facing messages.
• Proven knowledge of the full marketing mix, including digital (SEO/SEM), social media, PR, and event activation. Adoption of marketing-focused technology tools to bring in more efficiencies into execution of marketing communication strategies.
• Experience in media pitching, crisis communications, and managing relationships with journalists and editors.
• Ability to interpret marketing analytics, campaign ROI, and impact metrics to guide resource allocation and strategy.
• Ability to translate academic policies into narratives relatable to the startup community.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing creative team, fostering a culture of agility and accountability.
• Sound knowledge of budget planning, grant administration, and financial management principles, with the ability to optimize resources across multiple cost centers.
• Ability to understand interdependence across functions, connecting the dots between SMU's institutional priorities, IIE programmes, and external stakeholder needs.
• Strong organizational skills with a track record of managing complex, concurrent projects under tight deadlines with a high sense of urgency.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and align diverse stakeholders, including senior management, government partners, students, and faculty.
• Highly adaptable problem-solver comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving innovative environment.
• Superior written and verbal presentation skills, capable of crafting speeches, reports, and proposals for executive audiences.

Other Information

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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.

Posted On 13 Feb 2026