Head, Business Development, National University 6G Artificial Intelligence Centre (NXAC) (Contract)

About NXAC

NXAC is a newly established research and translation centre under the National University Health System (NUHS. The Centre brings together clinicians, engineers, and research scientists to advance three converging frontiers — Advanced Connectivity, Spatial AI, Embodied AI — and to translate them into deployable solutions.

NXAC has been designed from the outset for translation, with an operating model that bridges academic research and commercial deployment so that discoveries can move rapidly from laboratory to clinic to market, both within NUHS and through partner health systems regionally and internationally.

NXAC is seeking an accomplished and entrepreneurial Head for Business Development to lead the Centre’s translational strategy (both internal and external), build and convert a portfolio of high-value partnerships, and establish the revenue and translation pathways that will underpin NXAC’s long-term sustainability and impact.

This is a senior, founding-team role for a commercially astute leader who can translate deep-technology research into compelling propositions for partners, industry, investors, and health systems. The successful candidate will shape how a pioneering healthcare deep-technology centre takes its work to market, and will play a central part in positioning NXAC as a global reference centre for industry collaboration in spatial AI, connectivity, and adaptive robotics for healthcare.

Key Responsibilities

Business development strategy and pipeline

• Develop and execute the Centre’s business development strategy across its research domains, aligned with NUHS and NXAC’s mission, governance, and sustainability objectives.
• Assist the Director of NXAC to maintain project continuity and stakeholder engagement within NUHS
• Build, qualify, and manage a structured pipeline of industry, investor, and institutional opportunities, maintaining rigorous pipeline discipline and reporting.
• Define and refine the Centre’s commercial offerings, including sponsored and collaborative research, consultancy, testbed and facility access, intellectual property licensing, and training.
• Able to hold strategic level conversations with NXAC partners and maintain relationships within the ecosystem
• Lead the business development team to accomplish the objectives of NXAC
• Career development and strategic development of the business development team in NXAC

Partnerships and industry engagement

• Originate, negotiate, and close strategic partnerships, master research agreements, and commercial engagements with corporate partners across the telecommunications, medical technology, robotics, and cloud and artificial intelligence sectors.
• Cultivate and steward senior relationships with industry, government agencies, investors, and partner institutions in Singapore and internationally.
• Support an industry advisory board to guide the Centre’s commercial direction and deepen its ecosystem.
• Represent the NXAC Director at high level engagements when required
• Represent the NXAC Director for conferences and meetings both local and international when required.

Commercialisation and translation

• Work closely with researchers, clinicians, and the technology transfer function to identify commercially promising outputs and shape their route to market.
• Support the protection and management of intellectual property and contribute to the establishment of spinouts, joint ventures, and licensing arrangements through the Centre’s commercial structure.
• Develop evaluation and pilot agreements with health systems and partners that demonstrate real-world impact and create reference deployments.
• Possess essential concepts on how these projects and ideas can be translated from bench research into clinical and operational implementation in the healthcare setting. They should be proficient in principles and concepts of advanced connectivity, spatial AI, and embodied AI

Funding and grants

• Identify and pursue co-funded and industry-leveraged grant opportunities with national and international funding bodies, partnering with principal investigators on commercially oriented proposals.
• Strengthen the Centre’s funding diversification and reduce reliance on any single source of income.

Stakeholder management and governance

• Prepare and present business development plans, pipeline reviews, and performance reports to the Executive Director, Board, and key stakeholders.
• Ensure that all engagements are conducted in accordance with the Centre’s governance, legal, financial, and ethical requirements, working closely with institutional legal, finance, and compliance teams.

Requirements

• Significant (at least 8 years) senior business development, commercial, or partnerships experience, with a demonstrable track record of originating and closing complex, high-value, multi-stakeholder agreements.
• Substantial experience in one or more relevant sectors, such as healthcare technology, medical devices, deep technology, telecommunications, robotics, or artificial intelligence.
• A sound understanding of intellectual property, technology transfer, and the commercialisation of research, including licensing, spin-offs, and joint ventures.
• Excellent commercial judgement, negotiation, and deal-structuring capabilities, combined with strong financial literacy.
• Outstanding communication, influencing, and relationship-management skills, with the executive presence to engage credibly with senior industry, clinical, academic, and government leaders.
• The drive, adaptability, and resourcefulness to thrive in an early-stage, founding-team environment.
• An established network across the healthcare, deep-technology, telecommunications, or investment communities in Singapore and the wider region.
• Familiarity with requirements from academia, clinical practice, and industry perspectives. Ideally someone who has had years of experience interfacing with researchers, clinicians, and industry partners.
• Familiarity with public research funding and grant mechanisms.
• Experience with international business development and cross-border collaboration.

Key Competencies

• Strategic and commercial acumen
• Relationship building and stakeholder influence
• Negotiation and deal-making
• Results orientation and pipeline discipline
• Entrepreneurial initiative and comfort with ambiguity
• Collaboration and the ability to work effectively with scientific and clinical teams
• Integrity and sound governance judgement