Assistant Director, Culture Pass Office

Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY); Singapore; On-site; SGD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) seeks a senior leader to head the Applications & Programme Assessment for the SG Culture Pass. You will oversee end‑to‑end assessment, governance, and continuous improvement of processes and systems, while building trusted relationships with sector stakeholders and partner agencies.

You will shape governance, ensure transparency and auditability, and lead a cross‑functional team to deliver fair, timely decisions on programme applications for arts

Qualifications

• Experience implementing policy in a public sector or policy setting.
• Ability to run programmes from receipt to governance approval and post‑approval.
• Background in grants management or funding governance is a plus.
• Experience interpreting policy intent and applying eligibility criteria.
• Proven ability to lead and develop teams while maintaining standards.
• Strong stakeholder management across multiple agencies or partners.
• Capability to design and improve operational processes and governance systems.
• Experience generating submissions and briefing papers for senior management.
• Experience analyzing data to drive policy or process improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end‑to‑end SG Culture Pass applications framework from receipt to post‑approval governance.
• Ensure consistent, accurate assessments within service standards.
• Oversee workflows and coordination of approvals for timely decisions.
• Monitor dashboards to maintain service standards and quality.
• Exercise judgement on complex and precedent‑setting applications.
• Develop QA processes to ensure auditability and compliance.

Skills

Policy implementation

Programme administration

Grants management

Regulatory assessment

Public sector operations

Team leadership

Stakeholder management

Process design

Governance frameworks

Data analysis

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

Key Responsibilities

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.

Experience Required

What we are looking for

• 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

A successful candidate will:

• 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.