Associate Director Content Acquisition and Partnerships

An exceptional opportunity awaits for an experienced professional to join a respected philanthropic organisation as Associate Director, Content Acquisition and Knowledge Partnerships. You will be instrumental in developing content acquisition strategies, leading partnerships, and negotiating agreements that support a cutting-edge AI-enabled global trade research service.

• Play a pivotal role in shaping the organisation’s digital knowledge base for global trade research by developing acquisition strategies and leading partner relationships.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams including marketing, technology, legal counsel, and communications to deliver timely and relevant content for diverse audiences.
• Enjoy flexible working arrangements and continuous training opportunities within a supportive environment dedicated to advancing evidence-based debate and better trade outcomes.

What you'll do:

• Define and develop comprehensive content acquisition strategies by assessing existing portfolios, identifying gaps in subject coverage, evidence, geography, language, and historical depth.
• Build a clear understanding of current audiences’ information needs and translate these into focused acquisition plans in collaboration with Trade Research, Trade Education, and AI product teams.
• Evaluate prospective sources for relevance, credibility, methodological quality, distinctiveness, accessibility, and cost using expert judgment alongside privacy-respecting audience-demand information.
• Develop an active international network of authors, publishers, universities, research institutes, libraries, archives, multilateral institutions, and public agencies to secure valuable content.
• Manage the acquisition pipeline as a portfolio of projects with documented plans covering priorities, milestones, dependencies, risks, expected value, costs, and reasons for acceptance or decline.
• Lead commercial negotiations within delegated authority using counsel-approved agreements; document lawful basis for intended uses and seek additional permissions where needed.
• Establish rights needed for preservation, searchability, AI-assisted retrieval, citation, approved excerpts, public access where appropriate; verify rights holders with legal support as required.
• Identify significant books, reports, studies and collections unavailable digitally; coordinate digitization processes including vendor management and quality assurance.
• Define descriptive information and content-quality requirements for accurate discovery on the website and AI platform; establish update schedules and coordinate correction or removal when necessary.
• Prepare and manage approved budgets for access licensing digitization storage quality assurance supporting services; track costs commitments delivery times material brought into use.

What you bring:

• Demonstrated record of identifying relevant authoritative business economic information data research from trusted verifiable sources building external relationships negotiating licensing access agreements securing clear rights permitted uses bringing material into sustained use with clear provenance kept current.
• Substantial relevant experience typically eight or more years in scholarly publishing specialist information services research-content licensing digital collections academic-library or knowledge management leadership roles focused on external partnerships content acquisition.
• Sound judgment about which global trade economics public policy research is credible current relevant to policymakers trade practitioners researchers educators or clear evidence of ability to develop that judgment quickly.
• Working knowledge of copyright licensing permitted-use terms sufficient to identify issues structure deals brief counsel effectively.
• Practical understanding of machine-readable content metadata search AI-assisted retrieval sufficient to define requirements work productively with technical colleagues.
• Strong demonstrable project management skills including running multiple concurrent workstreams managing vendors scopes of work timelines budgets maintaining accurate records coordinating cross-functional delivery.
• Relevant degree is useful but doctorate library-science qualification not mandatory candidate need not be lawyer software engineer.
• Intellectual curiosity persistence commercial judgment strong organisation meticulous attention to detail essential personal qualities earning trust across cultures engaging senior authors institutional partners confidently negotiating firmly without damaging relationships creating opportunities proactively resolving problems maintaining reliable records.

The organisation stands out as an independent Asia-based philanthropic entity dedicated to advancing mutually beneficial sustainable global trade through balanced objective research education. Its commitment to making high-quality global trade knowledge accessible useful empowers policymakers researchers educators students practitioners worldwide fostering evidence-based debate better trade outcomes.

What's next:

If you are ready to make a lasting impact on global trade research by joining a collaborative mission-driven team apply now!

Do note that we will only be in touch if your application is shortlisted.
Robert Walters (Singapore) Pte Ltd
ROC No.: 199706961E | EA Licence No.: 03C5451
EA Registration No.: R25129986 Leher Shyam Dewani