Assistant Director

What the role is:

The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City (TEC) is the second Government-to-Government project between Singapore and China, with a focus on sustainable urban development. As countries worldwide tackle the global challenge of climate change, the TEC project offers an ever more salient platform for strengthening engagement between senior leadership, officials, and businesses of both countries in the domain of low-carbon development. On the Singapore side, the Ministry of National Development (MND) is the lead agency for the project and works in close cooperation with agencies and industry partners from relevant sectors (e.g. the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Trade & Industry, Enterprise Singapore, Keppel Ltd).
The jobholder will be part of the MND team that oversees the Eco-City project and shapes its outcome. He/She will be involved in the formulation of policies and plans for the project and overseeing the implementation of these plans covering the advancing of Singapore’s interests in the project, as well as various aspects of TEC’s development such as infrastructure development, economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

What you will be working on:

You will be involved in the formulation of policies and plans for the project, and overseeing the implementation of these plans. You will also work closely with various Singapore Government agencies, other Singaporean stakeholders and Chinese officials. You will also be involved in the planning and organisation of high-level bilateral meetings involving senior Singapore and Chinese officials in Singapore and China.

What we are looking for:

Applicants are required to possess the following competencies:

• Strategic Networks & Global Partnerships: Actively build and maintain relationships with key governmental bodies in Singapore and China to advance Singapore’s and the agency's standing and interests.
• Cultural Sensitivity: Understand and identify nuances associated with different cultures and their impact on communications.
• Systems Thinking: Connect issues with larger systems and identify inter-dependencies across issues/domains/agencies.
• Internal Stakeholder Alignment: Pursue alignment on policy positions and approaches among key internal stakeholders.

In addition, the officer should:

• Have a keen interest in international relations, especially in relation to China.
• Possess at least 3 years of relevant working experience (i.e., in areas such as sustainable development, urban planning, international relations, economic development), preferably involving engagements with international partners.
• Have excellent written and communication skills.
• Be proficient in Mandarin, in order to liaise with Mandarin-speaking counterparts.
• Be able to undertake overseas travel assignments to China, around two to three times per year.

About Ministry of National Development

The Ministry of National Development (MND), the lead government agency responsible for land use planning and infrastructure development, aims to transform Singapore into an endearing home and a distinctive global city. At MND, we aspire to create a quality, vibrant and sustainable living environment for our people. We also strive to shape Singapore into a world-class city of knowledge, culture and excellence – one which keeps pace with global challenges and the rising aspirations of Singaporeans. Our Vision:An Endearing Home, A Distinctive Global CityMND's vision reflects our growing emphasis not just on physical infrastructure, but also on the softer aspects of creating emotional attachment in our people, the global talents and corporations whom we attract here. At the same time, it articulates MND's goal of building upon Singapore’s unique distinguishing characteristics to develop Singapore as a global city of knowledge, culture and excellence.
Our Mission:Develop World-Class InfrastructureMND will provide quality physical infrastructure for the nation by working with our partners in the public and private sectors.
Create a Vibrant, Resilient and Sustainable Living EnvironmentMND will strive to make Singapore a livelier and more exciting city, and ensure our nation is well-prepared to face the growing uncertainties and complexities. MND will also maintain the quality and resilience of our built and natural environment to ensure high standards of living, and carry out development that meets the needs of the present without compromising that of future generations.
Provide Affordable and Accessible Public HousingMND will commit to support Singaporeans' homeownership aspirations and ensure public housing remains affordable and accessible.
Build Rooted and Cohesive CommunitiesMND will strive to foster our citizens' attachment and love for our homeland and maintain social cohesiveness in our communities, even as Singapore c