Assistant Director

What the role is:

The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) is at the heart of our nation. We aim to build a caring and cohesive community that we can all be proud of, and to create opportunities for Singaporeans to come together as one people. Youths are critical to making this happen. In Singapore, youths are defined as individuals aged 15-35 years old, and they play a pivotal role in contributing to the success and strengthening the social fabric of our nation. Youths are increasingly civically engaged and have a desire to make a difference. It is important that the views of youths are heard and valued, and that they have sufficient opportunities to partner the Government to make a difference, and to achieve their diverse aspirations in life.

We are looking for an Assistant Director to lead a dynamic team to develop strategies, policies, and initiatives to support youth development, engagement, and ground-up action. This will include scoping and carrying out research to study youth-related issues, as well as analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the state of our youths. The Assistant Director will need to lead the team to collaborate with both internal and external stakeholders, to conceptualize, implement, and enhance programmes that support and engage our youths. As this is a middle management role, experience in the public sector, stakeholder engagement, and strategic/policy planning is important.

What you will be working on:

• Work closely with Whole-Of-Government (WOG) agencies, including the National Youth Council (NYC), to understand youth sentiments and needs through sense-making data from surveys, research studies, and engagements with youths. This includes working with agencies to design and conduct engagements with youths, to hear from them first-hand and better understand their views and ideas.

• Translate insights from research studies and engagements into strategies, policy recommendations, and initiatives that will support youth development.

• Build and drive strategic partnerships and collaborations with people, private, and public sector stakeholders, to create opportunities for youths to grow, take action, contribute, and create positive change in society.

• Design and implement engagements across various digital and face-to-face modalities, and where necessary, create youth-centric content for various communication platforms, so as to grow mindshare and build thought leadership on youth issues.

• Develop workplans, manage projects and budgets, and ensure timely project implementation and effective resource utilization.

• Supervise, guide, and mentor a team.

What we are looking for:

• Deep Critical Thinking: Ability to distil critical issues and sense-make from a wide range of information, arriving at a clear analysis and effective solutions. Understand national objectives and keep the big picture in focus, while being very grounded in real citizens' sentiments. Identify key trade-offs, considerations, and options for issues.

• Innovative: Able to develop new ideas on your own initiative, rather than relying on tested-and-proven solutions. Able to implement and operationalize new ideas (getting things done). Strong attention to detail and problem-solving aptitude.

• Data-Driven Analysis: Utilize data analytics, whether directly or indirectly, to translate findings into actionable insights that advance policy analysis and engagement work.

• Stakeholder Engagement, including Internal Stakeholders: Engage stakeholders to understand different perspectives and interests among diverse stakeholders across public, people, and private sectors, and diverse archetypes of youths. Build and sustain relationships with stakeholders. Facilitate partnerships between the public, people, and private sectors.

• Other Competencies: Good writing, i.e., clear and concise, and presentation skills. Good project management skills, including keeping to deadlines. Excellent communication and inter-personal skills. Passion for guiding and mentoring a small team, and in developing the team's capabilities. Proven experience in the public sector, stakeholder engagement, and strategic/policy planning and development.

You should apply for this position if:

• You believe that youths have an important role to play in society, and are the main actors of change and progress for the nation.

• You believe in the importance of partnership and engagement to hear from youths and to empower youths, and to harness their energies for the collective good of Singapore.

• You would like to have exposure to a breadth of competencies that will help you grow in your career, including data analysis, research, communications and engagement, facilitation, and policymaking.

• You would like to be part of a dynamic and collaborative team that works across the WOG to advocate for youth concerns and interests.

• You feel excited and energised by what we are embarking on to co-develop the SG Youth Plan with youths: MCCY, together with NYC and our partners, are organising a year-long series of engagements for youths to connect with others who are just as passionate about making a difference and taking action to build our shared future. The engagements will culminate in an SG Youth Plan – a five-year action plan created by youths, for youths. The SG Youth Plan will hold the hopes and aspirations of young Singaporeans for themselves and for Singapore, and outlines how youths, supported with opportunities, platforms, and resources, can take action to build the Singapore we call home, and how all of us can play a part in empowering youths to be the best versions of themselves.

About Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth

We aim to build a cohesive and resilient society, deepening the sense of national identity and affinity for Singapore through strengthening community bonds, promoting the arts and heritage, youth engagement, sports development, volunteerism, and philanthropy.