Assistant Director / Senior Assistant Director – Category Lead - Facilities & Construction

We are seeking a seasoned procurement leader who combines strong operational discipline with strategic thinking. The ideal candidate is hands-on, commercially astute, customer-focused and capable of leading category team while partnering effectively with senior stakeholders. The candidate should possess a broad procurement background across Construction and Facility Management categories and be comfortable operating in a dynamic and complex higher education environment.

The incumbent is responsible for leading the team for the development and execution of category strategies for Construction and Facility Management.

As a Procurement Category Lead, the incumbent will provide strategic and operational leadership to procurement teams, ensuring the efficient, compliant, and cost-effective acquisition. The role is accountable for category management, stakeholder engagement, supplier relationship management, staff development, and continuous process improvement.

The incumbent will lead teams supporting academic, research and administrative units, drive procurement excellence, and ensure procurement activities are conducted in accordance with policies, regulatory requirements, and best practices.

Category Management

• Strong customer focus with the ability to build trusted partnerships and provide strategic procurement advice throughout the project lifecycle, from project inception and tendering to contract award.
• Demonstrate strong commercial and analytical judgement in evaluating procurement strategies, market conditions, cost drivers, lifecycle costs, and risk mitigation approaches for construction and facilities spend categories.
• Co-create category strategies with key stakeholder groups.
• Execute procurement tender process including development and spearhead tender roadmap to meet NTU deliverables.
• Experience in construction cost estimation, quantity surveying, tender pricing analysis, and benchmarking of building, infrastructure, M&E, and facilities management projects.
• Ability to assess project cost reasonableness, challenge consultant and contractor cost proposals, and identify cost-saving opportunities without compromising project quality, safety, or operational requirements.
• Ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams, facilitate stakeholder alignment, and drive value creation through effective category management, strategic sourcing, supplier relationship management, and cost optimization initiatives.

People

• Lead procurement team to manage complex tenders.
• Driving effective teamwork, collaboration, and close dialogue with all interfacing functions to ensure a seamless efficient approach to information exchange and process flows to other areas within the procurement function. 
• Provide coaching and mentoring to strengthen procurement, commercial, stakeholder management and leadership capabilities.
• Develop technical competencies in sourcing, contracting, procurement governance and supplier management.
• Identify skill gaps and implement targeted learning and development programmes.

System

• Use purchasing tools such as spend analytics, e-sourcing, auctions and contract management while adhering to strategic sourcing standards/ policies. 

Qualifications/Skills

• Minimum 10-12 years of Construction and/or Facility management procurement experience.
• At least 5 years in a leadership role managing procurement teams.
• Experience in public sector, higher education, research institutions, healthcare, statutory boards or large complex organisations is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in strategic sourcing, contract management and procurement governance.   

We regret to inform that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Hiring Institution: NTU