Assistant Director (Digital Transformation), Public Defender’s Office - contract

Ministry of Law; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ministry of Law, via the Public Defender’s Office, seeks a dynamic leader to drive digital transformation and system enhancements for justice access. You will shape a roadmap, align IT with business needs, and collaborate with government partners to deliver value across case management and legal workflows.

You will champion change, lead multi-stakeholder initiatives, and translate complex tech concepts for non-technical audiences while navigating a public sector context in Singapore.

Qualifications

• Qualification in any discipline.
• 5 – 7 years of experience in digital transformation, business transformation or process improvement projects.
• Experience working with enterprise systems and digital platforms from a business perspective.
• Interest in and working knowledge of emerging technologies, including generative AI.
• Proven track record in managing projects and working with cross-functional and technical stakeholders.
• Ability to simplify and communicate complex concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Strong analytical and systems thinking skills to understand interdependencies.
• Comfort operating within complex, ambiguous environments.

Responsibilities

• System Enhancement and Development: Drive the next phase of PDO system development and design.
• Digital Transformation and Innovation: Build PDO’s technology ecosystem and pilot new tech.
• Stakeholder Management: Collaborate across PDO, IT and external partners.
• Change Management: Champion digital adoption and drive user onboarding and training.

Skills

Technology Acumen

Business Strategy

Stakeholder Management

Communication and Influence

Change Management

Project Management

Business Analysis

Job description

What the role is

The Public Defender’s Office (“PDO”) is established as a department in the Ministry of Law to enhance access to justice to accused persons of limited means through the provision of criminal defence aid.

Responsibilities

• System Enhancement and Development
  • Drive the next phase of PDO system development
    • Develop, maintain the system enhancement roadmap, including conceptualisation, planning and design of the next phase IT system
    • Plan and design front‑end system improvement
    • Manage implementation and integration of new features
    • Ensure system enhancements improve operational efficiency
• Digital Transformation and Innovation
  • Build up PDO’s technology ecosystem through core enterprise solutions and advanced capabilities
    • Diagnose operational pain points across case management and legal workflows, and translate these into system and process improvement
    • Identify, evaluate and implement technology solutions across operations (e.g. document processing, workflow automation) based on business value, feasibility and user impact
    • Evaluate and pilot emerging technologies (e.g. generative AI, advanced analytics) where they can deliver practical operational benefit
    • Develop and implement proof‑of‑concept initiatives to test solutions
• Stakeholder Management
  • Foster strong collaboration among PDO, IT and external partners
  • Work closely with business users and external agencies to conduct requirements gathering, and evaluate requests according to business priorities
  • Coordinate with vendor and IT team to ensure deliverables meet specifications and performance standards
• Change Management
  • Champion digital adoption and organisational readiness
    • Drive behavioural change and adoption of digital solutions by engaging users, addressing resistance, and embedding new workflows into day‑to‑day operation
    • Develop and execute structured change management strategies, including communications, training, user guides and change documentation
    • Champion a culture of experimentation and continuous improvement, encouraging teams to adopt and optimise digital tools

Key Competencies

• Technology Acumen – ability to quickly understand and evaluate technologies and translate capabilities into practical business applications and value
• Business Strategy – ability to translate organisational needs into practical technology solutions with measurable outcomes
• Stakeholder Management – experience in managing diverse stakeholders and building strong partnerships across business units, technology vendors, and government agencies
• Communication and Influence – ability to communicate complex concepts clearly and facilitate alignment across cross‑functional stakeholders
• Change Management – proven ability to support change initiatives, manage stakeholder expectations, and drive user adoption
• Project Management – experience managing multi‑stakeholder initiatives from planning through implementation within timelines and constraints
• Business Analysis – strong analytical skills to diagnose needs, evaluate solutions, and recommend pragmatic approaches within operational and resource constraints

Requirements

• Qualification in any discipline
• 5 – 7 years of experience in digital transformation, business transformation or process improvement projects
• Experience working with enterprise systems and digital platforms from a business perspective
• Interest in and working knowledge of emerging technologies, including generative AI
• Proven track record in:
  • Managing projects and working with cross‑functional and technical stakeholders
  • Evaluating technology solutions based on business value and user need
  • Leading change management and driving user adoption
• Ability to simplify and communicate complex concepts to non‑technical audiences
• Strong analytical and systems thinking skills to understand the interdependencies and optimise end‑to‑end processes
• Comfort in operating within complex, ambiguous environments

Additional Advantages

• Experience in public sector digitalisation projects
• Experience in implementing legal tech solutions or case management systems
• Familiarity with Singapore’s legal tech landscape and court filing processes
• Understanding of data security, governance and compliance considerations
• Experience in AI/ML technologies, including generative AI
• Familiarity with Agile methodologies (e.g., product owner role)
• Understanding of system design, architecture and integration concepts

Contract

The successful candidate will be appointed on a one‑year contract in the first instance, renewable for another two years.

About Ministry of Law

In Singapore, having the rule of law and advancing people’s access to justice are not just lofty ideals but the backbone of a functioning and a progressive society. At the Ministry of Law, we contribute to developing the legal frameworks and policies that uphold our way of life, and to providing community legal services that Singaporeans benefit from. Our officers are experts from different fields, and enjoy an excellent and challenging career in a fast‑paced environment with plenty of opportunity to grow. If you share our vision of shaping the future of Singapore, you will definitely fit right in here at MinLaw.