Assistant Director, Family Support and Development (FSD)

Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC); Singapore; On-site; SGD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

CDAC, a Singapore self-help group, seeks a senior leader to co-lead the Family Service Division (FSD) and scale impact in education, family support, and mentoring across centres islandwide.

You will collaborate with social work and education colleagues to translate strategic priorities into operating plans, oversee budgets, and drive outcomes for lower-income families in Singapore.

Qualifications

• Degree in Social Work or related discipline; recognised qualification advantageous.
• 8–10 years in social service delivery, with 3–5 years in leadership roles.
• Demonstrated ability to foster multidisciplinary collaboration across social work and education.
• Ability to perform under pressure with outcomes-focused leadership.
• Sound financial and budget management skills; experience with funding and planning.
• Knowledge of compliance, risk management and QA in social services.
• Experience within Singapore's social service ecosystem.
• Strong analytical skills using data to inform decisions.
• Excellent stakeholder management and written/spoken English; Mandarin preferred.

Responsibilities

• Co-lead FSD's casework and family assistance programmes, ensuring service quality and outcomes across a growing caseload.
• Foster collaboration between social work and education colleagues for joined-up support.
• Translate CDAC's strategic priorities into day-to-day departmental operations.
• Supervise and develop Senior Managers and programme leads, maintaining staff engagement.
• Contribute to workforce and service planning as FSD scales with CDAC's 2030 growth plan.
• Build outcomes measurement for family programmes with data and M&E teams.
• Represent FSD in cross-departmental and inter-agency discussions with government and partners.
• Drive integration of FSD's work with Education and Mentoring under One CDAC.
• Lead staff through incidents, complaints, or crises as they arise.
• Manage departmental budget, reporting, governance, compliance and risk with Operations and Finance.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Collaboration

Budgeting

Data-driven decisions

Education

Degree in Social Work / Psychology

Job description

CDAC is a Singapore self-help group dedicated to enabling upward social mobility for lower-income Chinese Singaporean families, through programmes spanning education, family support, and mentoring delivered across a growing network of centres islandwide.

Key Responsibilities

• Co-lead FSD's casework and family assistance programmes, ensuring service quality, compliance, and outcomes across a growing caseload
• Foster close, working-level collaboration between social work and education colleagues (and other disciplines as needed), so families receive joined-up rather than siloed support
• Support the Senior Director in translating CDAC's strategic priorities - including the Self and Relationships practice framework - into day-to-day departmental operations
• Supervise and develop Senior Managers and programme leads, building staff capability and sustaining high staff engagement while driving for outcomes
• Contribute to workforce and service planning as FSD scales in line with CDAC's 2030 growth plans
• Build and maintain outcomes measurement for family programmes, working with data and M&E colleagues to track impact beyond activity counts
• Represent FSD in cross-departmental and inter-agency discussions, including with government and community partners, advocating for families where needed
• Drive integration of FSD's work with Education and Mentoring under the One CDAC agenda, including shared referrals and a common Theory of Change
• Lead staff calmly and effectively through service incidents, complaints, or crises as they arise
• Manage departmental budget, reporting, and governance requirements - including compliance and risk management - in partnership with Operations and Finance
• Deputise for the Senior Director as required

Requirements

• Degree in Social Work, Psychology, or a related discipline; a recognised social work qualification is an advantage
• At least 8-10 years of experience in social service delivery, with at least 3-5 years in a leadership or supervisory capacity
• Demonstrated ability to foster multidisciplinary collaboration, ideally spanning social work and education or similar domains
• Ability to perform well under pressure, with a track record of driving outcomes while maintaining high staff engagement and morale
• Sound financial and budget management skills, including experience with programme funding and resource planning
• Working knowledge of compliance, risk management, and quality assurance practices in a social service setting
• Experience working within Singapore's social service ecosystem
• Strong analytical skills, with experience using data to inform programme and service decisions
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, both written and verbal, in English and, preferably but not necessarily, Mandarin

A senior leadership role with genuine influence over the direction of a growing department, a clear pathway for career progression, and the opportunity to shape how a leading self-help group supports lower-income families in Singapore.