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At The GEAR by Kajima, we’re building more than spaces—we’re building a team of bold thinkers from diverse cultures and backgrounds. If you’re driven by purpose and excited to shape the future of the built environment, we’d love to meet you.
Position Opening
Senior Associate, Innovation Programmes & Projects
Location: Singapore (on-site)
Suggested Experience: 5 to 10 years in related field.
Job Description:
We are seeking a full-time Senior Associate, Innovation Programmes & Projects to join The GEAR in Singapore.
This role will focus on running The GEAR Startup CoLab, our platform for identifying, shaping, and delivering pilot projects with high-potential startups in emerging areas such as robotics, embodied AI, sustainability, productivity, and built-environment technology. The successful candidate will work closely with startups, government agencies, ecosystem partners, and industry collaborators to turn early-stage innovation opportunities into well-scoped pilots, and to see those pilots through from planning to execution, reporting, and follow-on opportunities.
This is an exciting opportunity to work on a market-facing innovation platform that connects world-class built-environment startups with Singapore’s ecosystem of agencies, test-bed environments, industry partners, and commercialisation pathways. Through Startup CoLab, selected startups may gain access to The GEAR Building’s facilities, technical mentorship, pilot opportunities, and grant funding from The GEAR to support the validation and deployment of new technologies in Singapore and the region.
A key part of the role will be to strengthen The GEAR’s startup ecosystem by building relationships with government agencies, accelerators, venture builders, research institutions, industry platforms, and international startup networks. The objective is to position The GEAR Startup CoLab as a trusted pathway for leading global startups to enter Singapore, validate their technologies, and develop commercially relevant opportunities in the built environment.
The ideal candidate should have a strong technical project management orientation, with the ability to understand emerging technologies, coordinate pilots involving technical stakeholders, and translate project requirements into clear workplans and deliverables. Experience with robotics, automation, construction technology, sustainability solutions, or other applied technology pilots would be advantageous. Just as importantly, the candidate should be commercially minded, comfortable engaging external partners, and able to identify how pilots can lead to broader adoption, partnerships, or business opportunities.
If you are organised, technically curious, commercially aware, and excited by the challenge of bringing startup technologies into real-world deployment, this role offers the opportunity to help build a leading innovation platform for the built environment in Singapore.
How will you benefit from this role at The GEAR by Kajima Pte Ltd?
- Gain hands-on experience shaping and delivering real-world startup pilots in emerging areas such as robotics, embodied AI, sustainability, productivity, and built-environment technology.
- Work directly with high-potential startups developing solutions for important industry and global challenges.
- Build a strong network across government agencies, ecosystem partners, industry collaborators, startups, mentors, and technical experts.
- Develop both technical project management and commercial skills by helping translate early-stage technologies into practical pilot projects and follow-on opportunities.
- Gain exposure to executive-level industry stakeholders and decision-makers across the built environment, technology, and innovation ecosystem.
- Be part of building The GEAR Startup CoLab as a platform for world-class startups to enter Singapore, validate their technologies, and scale into the region.
- Work from The GEAR Building, a WELL Platinum-certified and Super Low Energy green building, as well as a living test-bed for sustainability, occupant wellbeing, and new built-environment technologies.
Key Responsibilities:
Startup sourcing and ecosystem development
- Identify and build a pipeline of high-potential startups in emerging areas such as robotics, embodied AI, sustainability, productivity, construction technology, and other built-environment solutions.
- Develop relationships with accelerators, venture builders, research institutions, government agencies, industry platforms, and international startup networks to strengthen The GEAR Startup CoLab ecosystem.
- Support outreach, engagement, and onboarding of startups that are relevant to The GEAR’s strategic focus areas and pilot opportunities in Singapore.
Pilot shaping and project delivery
- Work with startups and external collaborators to shape pilot opportunities, including defining the problem statement, pilot objectives, scope, success criteria, timeline, budget, and deliverables.
- Coordinate technical, operational, commercial, and administrative requirements needed to move pilots from concept to execution.
- Manage pilot workplans, milestones, stakeholder updates, risks, documentation, and follow-up actions to ensure projects progress in a structured and practical way.
- Support the evaluation of pilot outcomes, including lessons learned, deployment potential, and possible next steps for adoption, partnership, or commercialisation.
External stakeholder and partner engagement
- Engage government agencies, ecosystem partners, industry collaborators, startups, mentors, and technical experts to develop pilot opportunities and support programme objectives.
- Prepare materials for partner discussions, project updates, ecosystem engagements, and external-facing programme activities.
- Represent The GEAR Startup CoLab professionally in meetings, events, learning journeys at The GEAR building, and ecosystem platforms.
Programme operations and governance
- Support the day-to-day running of The GEAR Startup CoLab, including programme planning, startup communications, event coordination, grant administration, internal approvals, and reporting.
- Maintain clear records of startup engagements, pilot status, key decisions, deliverables, budgets, and programme outcomes.
- Work with the wider The GEAR team to ensure that Startup CoLab activities are aligned with the company’s broader innovation, technology translation, and ecosystem development priorities.
- Support the continuous improvement of Startup CoLab’s pilot model, ecosystem strategy, and value proposition to startups and external collaborators.
Financial & Strategic Reporting
- Support the creation of financial models and business cases to evaluate new ventures and partnerships.
- Prepare clear, actionable reports and presentations for the Managing Director and stakeholders.
Qualifications:
- Degree in engineering, built environment, business, innovation management, or a related field. Candidates with equivalent hands-on experience in technical project delivery, startup programmes, or applied innovation will also be considered.
- Experience in project or programme management, preferably involving technical pilots, innovation projects, product trials, proof-of-concepts, or multi-stakeholder initiatives.
- Ability to shape and manage project plans, including defining scopes, milestones, timelines, deliverables, responsibilities, budgets, risks, and follow-up actions.
- Strong stakeholder management skills, with experience coordinating communications across startups, government agencies, ecosystem partners, industry collaborators, technical teams, and senior stakeholders.
- Commercial awareness, with the ability to understand how pilot projects can translate into adoption pathways, partnerships, business opportunities, or broader deployment.
- Understanding of startups and early-stage technology companies, including how founders think, operate, validate solutions, and navigate constraints when entering new markets.
- Interest in emerging technologies relevant to the built environment, such as robotics, embodied AI, automation, sustainability, productivity, construction technology, or smart building solutions.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to prepare clear project updates, discussion materials, reports, and presentations for internal and external audiences.
- Comfortable building relationships and networks across the innovation ecosystem, including startups, government agencies, accelerators, venture builders, research institutions, and industry platforms.
- Organised, detail-oriented, and persistent, with the ability to keep complex projects moving despite ambiguity, changing requirements, and multiple stakeholders.
- Energetic, curious, and hands-on, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
The GEAR by Kajima Pte Ltd is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and experiences.
Note: This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the position and it is not an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities, or working conditions associated with the job. Responsibilities may change based on business needs.
The GEAR by Kajima Pte Ltd (“The GEAR”), established in 2024, is a Singapore-based subsidiary of Kajima Corporation, one of Japan’s largest and oldest construction, engineering, and real estate groups headquartered in Tokyo.
The GEAR serves as Kajima’s innovation and technology translation platform in the region. We bridge the gap between technology development and real-world commercial use as the strategic lynchpin between Japan, Singapore, and the group’s global business units. The GEAR translates emerging technologies into scalable solutions by connecting internal capabilities with external partners. This work spans startup collaborations, internal Kajima technologies, and externally commissioned public and private projects. Through this model, technologies are validated under live operating conditions, reducing execution risk and supporting informed decisions on deeper use and adoption.
Building on the success of The GEAR hub, Kajima’s first overseas headquarters and R&D facility that serves as a living lab for exploration, experimentation, and co-creation, The GEAR by Kajima Pte Ltd offers unprecedented opportunities for businesses to access Kajima’s licensed technologies and leverage our rich engineering heritage. We are dedicated to cultivating an open and collaborative ecosystem with our partners, driving industry-wide advancement, and setting new standards for the future of the built environment.