Deputy Director, Bezos Centre @NUS (Practice Track)

The Deputy Director will work alongside the Centre Director to translate the Bezos Centre's strategic vision into day-to-day execution — building the partnerships, programmes, and stakeholder relationships needed to accelerate the commercialisation of alternative proteins and grow the Centre into a self-sustaining, multimillion-dollar entity within 5 years.

Profile Sought:

1. Mid-career leader with strong domain expertise and demonstrated leadership potential.
2. Candidates may come from industry/commercial organisations or from academia.
3. Typically holds a mid-level leadership role today (e.g. R&D lead, programme lead, research director, innovation lead, practice lead).
4. Strong track record of building partnerships, managing stakeholders, and driving interdisciplinary programmes.

Roles & Responsibilities:

1. Support the Centre Director in day-to-day operations, ecosystem building, funding development, and stakeholder engagement.
2. Communicate effectively with the Centre's stakeholders, advisory board, industry partners, and other organisations.
3. Drive execution of strategic plans to advance research and innovation for alternative proteins.
4. Collaborate with industry partners to support start-ups and scale-up efforts for commercialisation of research findings.
5. Work closely with government regulatory ecosystem to build partnerships and open new opportunities.
6. Build collaboration among Principal Investigators (PIs), industry, students, and external stakeholders to grow research initiatives.
7. Translate research outcomes into partnerships, funding opportunities, and commercial pathways.
8. Monitor deliverables and ensure high-quality, timely reporting to the board.
9. Represent the Centre at academic conferences, industry events, and relevant initiatives.
10. May undertake some teaching responsibilities.

Qualification & Requirement:

1. Effective management skills with a track record of programme execution and operational delivery.
2. Strong ability to communicate and build professional relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
3. Relevant experience in sustainable food systems or protein-related research/innovation, gained in either an academic or corporate R&D environment, including scaling up and commercialisation of research findings.
4. Good insight into, and familiarity with, the issues and challenges in the food systems and sustainability landscape.
5. An advanced degree in PhD in a relevant field is preferred; equivalent industry leadership experience will also be considered.
6. Demonstrated ability to drive programmes for research translation, nurture talent, and foster collaboration across academic, industry, and policy stakeholders.