General Manager

The Role
This is a senior position with a mission, that is to establish and execute a joint research program in Singapore to develop a system for microbial identification using MALDI mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). The individual will provide scientific and technical leadership, develop and evaluate fit-for-purpose workflows for system development and validation, and generate reliable evidence to support future research, industrial, clinical, and business applications.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan and execute the joint research program to develop a MALDI-MS system for microbial identification in line with agreed objectives, milestones, and deliverables.

• Define target microbial species and strains, sample sources, reference materials, and priorities based on research and potential clinical needs.

• Develop and optimize standardized workflows for microbial culture, sample preparation, MALDI-MS measurement, spectral acquisition, data processing, and data analysis.

• Verify microbial isolates using appropriate reference methods and curate high-quality reference spectra and associated metadata for database inclusion.

• Establish database inclusion criteria, quality-control procedures, data traceability, and version-control processes.

• Validate the system using independent isolates, evaluate identification performance and limitations, and investigate discrepancies through follow-up experiments.

• Coordinate research activities with collaborators, laboratories, and internal stakeholders, including sample access, schedules, equipment use, and data sharing.

• Maintain traceable experimental records, prepare protocols and reports, and ensure compliance with applicable safety, biosafety, ethics, confidentiality, and data-governance requirements.

• Assess potential research, clinical, and business applications of the system and recommend next steps for continued development and validation.

Job Requirements

• Master’s degree or higher in microbiology, analytical chemistry, agricultural sciences, life sciences, biomedical science, or a related discipline.

• Practical experience with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry for microbial analysis; experience with MicrobialTrack or an equivalent microbial identification workflow is strongly preferred.

• Demonstrated ability to design experiments, optimize analytical methods, evaluate performance, and interpret complex spectral and microbiological data.

• Working knowledge of microbial culture and sample-preparation practices, contamination control, laboratory safety, and biosafety requirements.

• Experience preparing protocols, technical reports, presentations, and scientific publications in English and Japanese.

• Ability to work independently in Singapore while collaborating effectively with multidisciplinary and cross-cultural teams in Singapore and Japan.

• Professional proficiency in English and a high level of proficiency in Japanese is required.

Required Competency

• Scientific and technical expertise.
  
• Cross-cultural communication and stakeholder management skills.
  
• Analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.
  
• Research planning and project execution capability.
  
• Collaboration and teamwork.
  
• Knowledge transfer and coaching.
  
• Quality, compliance and attention to detail.