The Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) Office at NTU is established under the NTU I&E initiative to drive overall synergy, coordination and interaction among the pillars along the innovation and entrepreneurship value chain at NTU. The Office seeks to accelerate the University’s efforts to translate NTU’s scientific discoveries, innovations and creative work into technological and social entrepreneurship activities that benefit industry and society.
To propel technologies from prototype to market, the I&E Office is looking for a Chief Master Engineer to join the team. The Chief Master Engineer will be the main point of contact for prototyping and minimum viable product (MVP) services in NTU. He/she will spearhead the realisation of minimum viable product (MVP) in NTU to enhance the pipeline of technologies from NTU that successfully move from prototype to validation trials. He/she will establish <The Makerspace>, NTU’s MVP Atelier, as a compelling one-stop hub where NTU facuty, students and researchers get connected to the resources they need for MVP development, verification and validation.
Responsibilities
- Advise, mentor and coach teams on prototype and MVP (minimum viable product) conceptualisation, development, verification and validation.
- Provide hands-on technical guidance and support in the design, building, integration and testing of prototypes and MVPs to ensure their intended end-use objectives are met.
- Facilitate pilot trials to test and validate the performance of MVPs.
- Perform analysis of technology and market trends to identify emerging customer needs and applications of high potential.
- Lead the conceptualisation, planning and development of <The Makerspace>, NTU’s MVP Atelier to be established at the new Innovation Port.
- Manage the resources and funds in <The Makerspace> to optimise prototyping and MVP efforts at NTU.
- Serve as NTU’s main point-of-contact for prototype building and MVP services, providing the vital connection to NTU’s diverse facilities and expertise to empower cross-field research, development, testing and iteration, as well as optimisation of NTU’s in-house facilities and resources.
- Facilitate collaboration of NTU makers’ labs and other research labs/centres to foster synergies of resources and expertise.
- Provide a conduit between NTU faculty/student/ researchers and external design, protoyping and engineering firms / industry partners to facilitate provide the resources for the design, build and engineering of new solutions and products.
- Any other ad-hoc initiatives and projects undertaken by the Office.
Successful candidate can look forward to a rewarding career at NTU with ample opportunities for growth and development.
Requirements
Educational Qualification(s)
- A Master’s degree (or equivalent professional certification) and above in Engineering, Industrial Design or the Sciences.
Relevant Experience
- Minimum 5 years of proven technology/product design/development experience.
- Demonstrated experience in successfully delivering solutions to complex and ambiguous problems.
Knowledge Required
- Proven track record in project / product development / management.
- Some understanding of lean start-up methodologies or entrepreneurship education will be a plus.
- A knowledge of business models, start-up financing and primary market research for customer validation will also be beneficial.
Skills & Competencies
- Ability to apply engineering/scientific knowledge across multiple technical domains.
- Strong stakeholder management skills with an ability to build win-win working relationships with internal as well as external partners.
- Strong analytical skills with an acumen in identifying emerging market and industry trends.
Other Personal Attributes
- Keen interest in diverse design, engineering and technology fields with excellent hands-on skills.
- Resourceful and creative problem solver with an ability to connect the dots.
- Customer-centric collaborative team player with a strong disposition to learn and share knowledge.
- Self-starter with a positive, can-do spirit and growth mindset.
