Associate Director / Manager, Climate & Liveability

The core mission is to move climate capital and ideas into functioning regional programmes. This means building coalitions across public, private and philanthropic actors, then converting those relationships into a steady pipeline of fundable projects in energy transition, industrial decarbonisation, heat resilience, clean air and water, waste and circularity, and sustainable food and agriculture. On the delivery side, the role runs the full programme cycle: researching technologies, financial models and prospective partners; evaluating proposals; and structuring blended-finance or philanthropic support. Once a programme is approved, the holder monitors progress against intended outcomes, prepares reports for Management and the Board, and manages grant disbursements under TF's governance standards. A third strand is representation and thought leadership, speaking at conferences, briefing senior Management, and contributing to cross-team initiatives. Over time, success looks like a portfolio of demonstrably effective climate programmes and a credible regional network that keeps producing new ones.

The steepest learning curve is likely in blended finance and climate programme design, understanding how philanthropic capital can be layered with public and commercial funding to de-risk projects that wouldn't otherwise clear an investment committee. Few roles give this exposure at regional scale. The candidate would also build deep familiarity with specific technology domains: energy transition, industrial decarbonisation, heat resilience, circularity and sustainable agriculture. Doing due diligence on real proposals is a fast way to learn what works and what doesn't across Southeast Asian markets. Finally, there is the governance and reporting dimension, preparing Board-level materials and managing disbursements under formal standards is a transferable skill set for any foundation, DFI or climate fund. Mentorship from the Head, Climate & Liveability and exposure to Temasek's wider network would add further polish.

The ideal profile combines a Science or Engineering degree with at least five years (Associate Director) or two years (Manager) in programme and partnership management within energy, sustainability or adjacent sectors. A track record of actually closing partnerships or delivering funded programmes matters more than academic prestige. Soft skills are unusually important here: navigating government, international organisations, industry and philanthropy in the same conversation requires diplomatic instinct and the ability to read different institutional incentives. Excellent written and verbal communication is non-negotiable given the Board reporting and external representation. Regionally, comfort working across Southeast Asian cultures and a willingness to travel are essential, and a second regional language would be a genuine differentiator. Temperament-wise, the role rewards someone energetic, resourceful and comfortable with ambiguity in a fast-evolving programme environment.

Because Temasek Foundation is a philanthropic foundation rather than a corporation, frame your experience around catalytic impact and partnership leverage rather than internal ESG compliance. Concrete examples (a partnership you brokered, a programme you designed and monitored, a project that reached financial close) will land far better than strategy language. In your cover letter, name one or two of TF's thematic areas (energy transition, heat resilience, circularity, sustainable food) and explain specifically how your background connects to it in Southeast Asia. Demonstrating regional literacy (knowing the policy environment, the key players, the financing gaps) signals you understand the actual job. For interviews, prepare to discuss a proposal you would reject and why; due diligence judgement is central. Brush up on blended finance vocabulary and be ready to talk credibly about monitoring frameworks and outcome measurement, since Board reporting is a stated responsibility.

The role sits squarely in climate mitigation and adaptation, with a regional rather than corporate lens. Programmes span energy transition, industrial decarbonisation, heat resilience, clean air and water, waste and circularity, and sustainable food and agriculture, so the portfolio is broad and the sustainability focus shifts with whichever flagships are active. A distinctive angle is the emphasis on innovative technology and blended finance models as delivery mechanisms. Rather than setting internal emissions targets, the team deploys philanthropic endowments to prove concepts and crowd in other capital, which means the sustainability work is about market creation and demonstration effects. Adaptation, particularly heat resilience in dense Southeast Asian cities, is likely to be a growing share of the portfolio, given the region's exposure. The role would also touch governance dimensions through TF's reporting and disbursement standards, keeping ESG discipline internal as well as external.

The most obvious challenge is managing ambiguity across a fast-evolving programme environment, climate technology and finance move quickly, and priorities can shift as new opportunities or partners emerge. Holding a coherent strategy while staying responsive is a genuine balancing act. Multi-stakeholder navigation is a second hurdle. Government, international organisations, industry and philanthropy each have different timelines, incentives and definitions of success. Aligning them around a single programme objective, then keeping them aligned through implementation, requires patience and political judgement. Internally, the role must satisfy rigorous governance: Board-level reporting and disbursement compliance leave little room for loose documentation. Add regional travel and cross-cultural communication, and the position demands both stamina and precision, a combination that not everyone sustains comfortably.

Mornings might begin with a check on live programmes, reviewing progress data, flagging disbursement issues, or drafting a section of a Management or Board report. Because the portfolio spans several thematic areas, there is usually a queue of documents needing review or sign-off. Midday often brings stakeholder work: a call with a regional government counterpart, a diligence session with a prospective technology partner, or an internal cross-team meeting to align on a joint initiative. Preparing briefings for senior Management is a recurring task, so writing time is woven through the day. Afternoons could involve evaluating a new proposal (reading technical and financial materials, checking references, testing assumptions) or representing TF at an external event. Travel periods, when they occur, compress the schedule into site visits and back-to-back partner meetings. No two days look identical, which is part of the appeal.

Within the foundation, strong performance could open a path toward leading a broader thematic portfolio or a larger team, given the Associate Director/Manager framing suggests a progression ladder is already in place. The Head, Climate & Liveability role itself indicates a visible internal career ceiling that this position feeds into. Externally, the network built here is unusually valuable. Working across government, DFIs, philanthropies and climate-tech companies in Southeast Asia creates optionality for later moves into climate funds, development finance institutions or corporate sustainability leadership. Skill-wise, deep exposure to blended finance, programme monitoring and Board-level governance is highly transferable. Representing TF at conferences also builds a public profile, which for a mission-driven professional is often the most durable long-term asset.

The primary internal stakeholder is the Head, Climate & Liveability, who sets direction and to whom this role reports directly. Beyond that, the holder interacts with TF Management and the Board through reporting and approval processes, and with colleagues across other programme teams on cross-cutting initiatives. Externally, the stakeholder map is broad: government agencies and ministries across Southeast Asia, international organisations, industry players and technology providers, and philanthropic peers and co-funders. These relationships are the raw material of the pipeline, so they require sustained, deliberate cultivation rather than transactional contact. Beneficiaries and implementing partners, the organisations actually running funded programmes on the ground, are another key group, since monitoring depends on their reporting. Balancing funder expectations, partner realities and beneficiary outcomes is the diplomatic core of the job.