Assistant Director (Finance)

Overview

Reporting to the Finance Director, this role oversees the day-to-day operations of the Finance Office, including Accounting & Controllership and Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A).This role focuses on executing strategic direction, ensuring strong stewardship, reporting accuracy and regulatory compliance. The Assistant Director serves as a key operational leader in the Finance Office, working closely with internal teams to deliver high-quality financial management and supporting the Finance Director in Board, committee and external engagements.

Key Responsibilities

Finance Operations Oversight

• Lead and manage the Accounting and FP&A teams, ensuring accurate and timely execution of financial processes and reporting.
• Translate strategy set by the Finance Director into actionable financial plans and deliverables.
• Drive operational excellence, fostering a high-performance culture within the Finance Office.

Accounting, Reporting and Compliance

• Oversee the accounting & controllership function, including General Ledger (GL), Fixed Assets (FA), Accounts Payable (AP) and Accounts Receivable (AR) operations.
• Oversee month-end / year-end close processes, statutory financial statements and Annual Reports preparation, statutory tax filings, and regulatory submissions.
• Ensure proper management of grants accounting, utilisation monitoring, reporting, and compliance reviews, working closely with funding bodies and auditors.
• Oversee the accounting system controls, including setup and maintenance of cost centres, fund codes, project codes and period changes in SAP and Procurement system.
• Strengthen internal controls, policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to maintain strong compliance frameworks.
• Ensure compliance with Singapore Financial Reporting Standards (SFRS), Charities Accounting Standards (CAS), and regulatory requirements.

Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)

• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and scenario planning, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities.
• Deliver scenario planning, financial modelling, and business analytics to support evidence-based decision-making.
• Provide timely performance insights, financial dashboards, variance analysis, and management reports to senior leadership.
• Partner with business units to evaluate programme efficiency, funding sustainability, and resource allocation effectiveness.

Audit Oversight and Risk Management

• Lead operational preparation for internal and external audits, ensuring audit readiness and timely closure of findings.
• Oversee engagement with auditors and key stakeholders, ensuring significant issues are addressed and escalated to the Finance Director.
• Drive the adoption of audit recommendations and risk mitigation measures, ensuring timely follow-through and accountability across the Finance function.
• Serve as Secretariat to the Audit and Risk Committee (ARC), preparing reports and ensuring proper documentation for governance.

Stakeholder Engagement and Business Partnering

• Serve as a trusted partner to senior leadership and business unit leaders, providing financial insights and recommendations to support operational and strategic decisions.
• Promote financial literacy among non-financial business leaders or budget owners, enhancing financial accountability and effective resource management.
• Support the Finance Director in engagements with Board, Committees, ministries and external agencies.
• Provide operational input for strategic initiatives and funding proposals.

Operational Excellence and Projects

• Oversee SAP system, ensuring effective system governance and data integrity.
• Lead finance system transformation projects to enhance efficiency, reporting capabilities and automation.
• Identify areas of opportunities to develop guidelines and standard operating procedures to improve and streamline procedures and processes for operational efficiency.

Job Requirements

• Degree in Accounting, Finance, or related discipline; Chartered Accountant (Singapore) / CPA / ACCA qualification preferred.
• At least 10 years of progressive finance experience, with a strong track record in accounting and controllership operations, and at least 5 years in a supervisory or managerial capacity leading finance teams.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience in full-set accounting, month-end / year-end close, statutory financial statements preparation, and external audit management is essential.
• Working knowledge of FP&A, budgeting, forecasting, and management reporting; prior FP&A exposure in a corporate or public-sector environment is an advantage.
• Experience in the public sector, statutory board, charity, or Institution of a Public Character (IPC) environment is highly desirable
• Strong technical knowledge of Singapore Financial Reporting Standards (SFRS), Charities Accounting Standards (CAS), tax regulations, and statutory requirements.
• Solid understanding of internal controls frameworks, risk management, and audit governance, with the ability to strengthen SOPs and compliance processes.
• Hands-on experience with accounting/ERP/SAP systems. Experience in finance system implementation or transformation projects is an added advantage.
• Strong leadership, team management, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Strong communication and report-writing skills, with the ability to translate financial information into clear, concise insights for both financial and non-financial audiences.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent workstreams under tight deadlines, work independently, and collaborate effectively across departments and senior stakeholders.
• Composed under pressure, solutions-oriented, and comfortable operating in a lean team environment where hands-on involvement is expected alongside strategic oversight.