Job Description

The Role

The Sustainable and Green Finance Institute (SGFIN) is a new university-level research institute in the National University of Singapore (NUS), jointly supported by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and NUS. SGFIN aspires to develop deep research capabilities in sustainable and green finance, provide thought leadership in the sustainability space, and shape sustainability outcomes across the financial sector and the economy at large.

This role is ideally suited for those wishing to work in academic or industry research in the financial sector, particularly in the area of sustainable, responsible, and green investing and valuation. The responsibilities of the role will include designing and developing a framework to distill various information regarding corporate sustainability efforts and performance into various metrics that can be analyzed further to support decision making in the corporate, financial, and societal spheres.

There are no teaching obligations for this position, and the candidate will have the opportunity to develop their research portfolio.

The successful candidate will be expected to assume the following responsibilities listed below:

Project-related Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and lead research projects in close collaboration with the Directors and key stakeholders of the Institute
• Take ownership and responsibility for the successful delivery of research projects, ensuring they are completed within the required deadline and allocated budget, and meeting/exceeding project specifications and targets
• Participate in pre-project activities such as identifying required resources to ensure project completion including staffing and organizational needs of the project team, and preparing high-level project plans with project timeline and resource requirements
• Development of research hypotheses
• Supervise the collection and organization of corporate financial and sustainability disclosures
• Supervise the collection and organization of information regarding government policies and regulations in the sustainability space
• Supervise qualitative and quantitative analyses of existing frameworks, unifying them with a view to developing a single comprehensive framework
• Monitor progress of research projects and provide necessary interventions to ensure smooth completion of each project
• Manage and coordinate project deliverables, ensuring their quality
• Manage the collaborations with research and industry stakeholders, including providing periodic progress updates and deliverables for grant funding body or project sponsors
• Manage industry partners\' expectation by understanding their needs and providing realistic expectations and scope of each project

• Preparation of results for industry communications, presentations, and academic articles for journal publications
• Guide, mentor, and supervise research fellows, associates, and analysts on the project teams
• Work closely with the SGFIN administrative team to support SGFIN\'s activities and objectives

• Academic background in the following subjects is preferred: finance, accounting, economics, business, sustainable/green finance, sustainability management, or related disciplines.
• A PhD degree in the above disciplines, along with a minimum of 3 years working experience in an academic research setting is required.
• Excellent understanding of financial sector (banks and other financial institutions), financial markets, corporate financial statements, and credit risk analysis, is required.
• A thorough knowledge of the research field of sustainable economics or finance required.
• The following qualifications are not strictly required, but will be considered an advantage:

• Quantitative analytical and/or financial econometric skills, including knowledge of advanced statistical software packages,
• Experience with empirical research methods, including developing, conducting and supporting research and data analysis of research projects.
• Practical experience working with key financial data and platforms such as Refinitiv, Bloomberg, Capital IQ, WRDS, as well as ESG data providers e.g. Morningstar, MSCI, Trucost or others.
• Experience collaborating and working with government agencies or departments, especially those in Singapore
• Familiarity with the economic and policy context of Singapore, especially with regards to developments in the sustainable finance ecosystem.

• Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills, effective in coordinating stakeholders, fostering teamwork, and leading high performance project team.
• Excellent verbal and interpersonal communication skills, along with strong written communication skills.
• Excellent time management and planning skills with a commitment to delivery.
• Proactive in problem solving.
• Excellent project management skills, with ability to manage several projects concurrently.
• Excellent delivery management experience, with proven track records in managing and steering projects towards smooth execution and on time delivery.
• Adaptive to change with a positive work attitude.
• Enthusiastic team player who is self-driven, committed, and willing to take initiative.

Times Higher Education