Assistant Director (Defence Relations Protocol & Hospitality) - DIS

Ministry of Defence of Singapore; Singapore; On-site; SGD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Ministry of Defence of Singapore seeks a leader to direct protocol and hospitality for the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS). You will oversee defence relations with foreign partners and ensure high‑standard hospitality for visiting officials.

The role requires extensive experience in defence relations, senior stakeholder engagement, and strong organizational skills to coordinate events and interagency workflows.

Qualifications

• Strong verbal communication and networking abilities.
• Ability to solve problems creatively and think strategically.
• Experience handling high-level protocol and hospitality tasks.
• Ability to manage knowledge and information flows across agencies.

Responsibilities

• Lead team in protocol and hospitality for DIS.
• Oversee defence relations with foreign partners.
• Coordinate local hospitality for visiting officials.
• Manage immigration and finance for official visits.
• Serve as main point-of-contact for foreign officials and attachés.
• Liaise between DIS, government ministries, and statutory boards.

Skills

Verbal communication

Networking

Creative problem-solving

Strategic thinking

Knowledge management

Education

International Relations / Political Science / Defence Studies

Job description

What The Role Is

You will lead your team in protocol and hospitality matters for the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS). You are directly responsible for the defence relations and protocol matters pertaining to countries under your charge, establishing and strengthening Singapore's defence relations with foreign partners.

What The Role Is

You will lead your team in protocol and hospitality matters for the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS). You are directly responsible for the defence relations and protocol matters pertaining to countries under your charge, establishing and strengthening Singapore's defence relations with foreign partners.

What You Will Be Working On

• Manage the growing multitude and scale of bilateral defence relations activities for the DIS leadership
• Oversee the planning and organising of local hospitality elements offered to foreign senior officials visiting Singapore
• Manage all hospitality matters, immigration arrangements, and finance management for visits
• Provide guidance to the team in the execution of events
• Oversee the finances for official visits, ensuring that expenditure is in accordance with the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) hospitality guidelines
• Serve as the main point-of-contact for foreign military attachés and embassy officials
• Serve as the main point-of-contact between the DIS, Government Ministries, and Statutory Boards

Challenge(s)

• Anticipating and responding to the needs, changes, and ad-hoc requests and coordinations required by the DIS principals and their guests to ensure that events are executed to the highest standard of hospitality
• Ensuring that all coordinations are in place and all official events are executed in accordance with the plan and the requirements of the DIS principals and their guests
• Maintaining cordial and professional relationships with foreign military attachés, embassy officials, and senior MINDEF and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) officials in the course of work

What We Are Looking For

• Education in International Relations, Political Science, Defence Strategic Studies, Southeast Asian Studies, History, Philosophy, Communications and Media, or a related field is preferred
• At least 6 years of experience in defence relations and/or protocol, or related fields is preferred
• High level of maturity and interpersonal skills to meet the demands of networking and interacting with foreign armed forces, external agencies, and foreign military attachés and embassy officials
• Quick thinking with excellent verbal communication skills
• Highly effective planning and organisational skills
• Creative problem-solving, decision-making, strategic thinking, and knowledge management skills

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.