Assistant Director, Culture Pass Office

Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth; Singapore; On-site; SGD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth is seeking a senior leader to head the Applications & Programme Assessment function for the SG Culture Pass. You will oversee end-to-end assessment, ensure fair and consistent decisions, and drive governance, data reporting and continuous improvement across applications, policy, and stakeholder engagement.

You will build a high-performing team, calibrate assessment precedents, and collaborate with Finance, Marketing and other agencies to ensure

Qualifications

• 8+ years of relevant experience in policy implementation, programme administration, grants management, regulatory assessment, public sector operations or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex operational functions involving structured assessment, approvals or governance processes.
• Experience supervising and developing teams while maintaining consistent standards and service quality.
• Proven track record of managing complex stakeholder relationships and problem-solving.
• Experience designing or improving operational processes, governance frameworks and systems.
• Experience preparing submissions, management papers, policy recommendations and briefing materials for senior management.
• Experience analysing operational data to drive policy or process improvements.
• Experience working across multiple agencies or with external stakeholders would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end SG Culture Pass applications framework from receipt through assessment, approval, notification and post-approval governance.
• Ensure assessments are consistent, accurate and within service standards.
• Oversee workflows and coordinate approval processes for timely decisions.
• Monitor dashboards to ensure service standards, quality and targets.
• Exercise judgement on complex, novel and precedent-setting applications.
• Ensure decisions are documented and defensible.
• Interpret and apply eligibility criteria in line with policy intent; maintain rubrics and guidance.

Job description

What the role is:

You will lead the Applications & Programme Assessment function for the SG Culture Pass, ensuring that programme applications are assessed fairly, consistently and in accordance with policy intent. As the functional lead, you will oversee the integrity of the end-to-end applications framework, provide leadership on complex and precedent-setting cases, drive continuous improvements to assessment processes and systems, and build trusted relationships with sector stakeholders and partner agencies.Beyond day-to-day operations, you will shape the governance and continuous evolution of the applications regime, ensuring that it remains robust, transparent, auditable and responsive to an evolving arts and heritage landscape.

What you will be working on:

• 1. Lead the Applications Function for Events and Books
  • Lead the end-to-end management of the SG Culture Pass applications framework, from application receipt through assessment, approval, notification and post-approval governance.
  • Ensure applications are assessed consistently, accurately and within service standards.
  • Oversee application workflows and coordinate approval processes to ensure timely and well-supported decisions.
  • Monitor performance via dashboards to ensure service standards, assessment quality and operational targets are consistently met.
  • Exercise judgement on complex, novel and precedent-setting applications.
  • Ensure assessment decisions are properly documented and defensible.
• 2. Policy, Governance & Quality Assurance
  • Interpret and apply eligibility criteria in accordance with policy intent, maintaining assessment frameworks, rubrics and guidance to ensure consistency.
  • Review and update policies, SOPs and governance frameworks as needed, and advise management on emerging issues and recommended refinements.
  • Establish QA processes to maintain programme quality, uphold assessment standards, identify risks and ensure compliance with audit, governance and data management requirements.
• 3. Operational Excellence & Systems Improvement
  • Design and continuously improve application processes, workflows and operating procedures, identifying bottlenecks and process gaps, and implement practical solutions.
  • Work with Data, Product, Technology and Operations teams to enhance digital systems and workflow automation, balancing improvements to applicant experience with strong governance and controls.
• 4. Data, Reporting & Knowledge Management
  • Analyse application trends and assessment outcomes to identify emerging issues and opportunities.
  • Prepare management reports, policy papers and briefing materials.
  • Maintain robust assessment records, precedents and institutional knowledge.
  • Ensure documentation is complete, audit-ready and readily retrievable.
• 5. Stakeholder Engagement
  • Lead engagement with applicants, Arts & Heritage Partners, ticketing partners and government agencies on complex matters.
  • Build trusted relationships with sector stakeholders while safeguarding policy integrity.
  • Manage escalated stakeholder issues with professionalism, maturity and sound judgement.
  • Represent the Applications function at cross-agency and management discussions where required.
• 6. Team Leadership and Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Develop and lead a high-performing applications team, fostering a culture of professionalism, fairness, and continuous improvement.
  • Build assessment capability through calibration exercises, systematic documentation of assessment precedents, and maintaining institutional knowledge to ensure consistency and reduce reliance on individual expertise.
  • Serve as the primary liaison with Finance/Governance team to ensure all processes are compliant, auditable, and legally sound.
  • Collaborate with the Marketing team to shape public messaging regarding programme policies, application windows, and success stories.
  • Work with Marketing and Outreach teams on timely updates of programme refresh cycle upon approval, to support curation of high-capacity programmes for marketing and promotion efforts.
  • Guide the Applications team on responses to Level 2 queries from Arts and Heritage Partners, Event Organisers and Book Publishers pertaining to assessment and eligibility queries for live events, books and films. These will be channelled from Outreach/Ops team from Call Centre and Helpdesk after their triaging.

What we are looking for:

Experience Required

• At least 8 years of relevant experience in policy implementation, programme administration, grants management, regulatory assessment, public sector operations or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex operational functions involving structured assessment, approvals or governance processes.
• Experience supervising and developing teams while maintaining consistent standards and service quality.
• Proven track record of managing complex stakeholder relationships and problem-solving.
• Experience designing or improving operational processes, governance frameworks and systems.
• Experience preparing submissions, management papers, policy recommendations and briefing materials for senior management.
• Experience analysing operational data to drive policy or process improvements.
• Experience working across multiple agencies or with external stakeholders would be advantageous.
• Familiarity with Singapore's arts, heritage or literary sectors, or experience assessing programmes within a grants or public funding environment, would be an advantage.

Key Competencies

• Judgement - Exercises sound judgement in balancing policy intent, operational practicality and stakeholder considerations, particularly when assessing novel or ambiguous applications.
• Process Excellence - Designs robust, scalable and auditable operational processes.
• Attention to Detail - Meticulous in reviewing evidence, documentation and assessment decisions.
• Stakeholder Management - Builds credibility and trust while navigating complex stakeholder relationships with maturity.
• Problem Solving - Comfortable operating in ambiguity and able to develop practical pathways forward.
• Continuous Improvement - Proactively improves policies, systems and operational processes to enhance efficiency and service delivery.

Success Profile

• Lead a high-performing applications function that is fair, consistent and audit-ready.
• Exercise sound judgement in balancing policy, operational and stakeholder considerations.
• Build trusted relationships across the arts and heritage ecosystem while safeguarding the integrity of the SG Culture Pass.
• Drive continuous improvements that enhance efficiency, governance and applicant experience.
• Develop a capable and collaborative team that upholds high professional standards.
• Successful candidate will be offered 2-year contract in first instance, with potential for extension or confirmation.

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 of the arts and heritage, youth engagement, sports development, volunteerism and philanthropy.