Assistant Manager/Manager, Design Practice (1-Year Contract)

DesignSingapore Council Pte Ltd; Singapore; On-site; SGD 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

DesignSingapore Council Pte Ltd in Singapore seeks an Assistant Manager/Manager to drive the Design Practice programme portfolio, lead major initiatives like Learning by Design, and coordinate partnerships with schools, public agencies and communities.

You will work across education, community and public sectors to deliver design-led experiences, workshops and engagements, contributing to Singapore’s Design 2035 Masterplan and national skills growth.

Qualifications

• Fresh graduates or up to 4 years of experience in programme implementation, project management and managing relationships across stakeholders.
• Fresh graduates with relevant internship experience and a strong appetite to learn are welcome to apply.
• Diploma or Bachelor's degree in Events, Design or a related field.
• Self-driven, results-oriented with strong written and communication skills to engage stakeholders.
• A resilient, open-minded problem-solver, who enjoys new experiences and is passionate about driving positive change.
• A keen and fast learner who can multi-task and adapt to fast-changing environments.
• A good team player who enjoys collaborating and co-creating with others.
• Able to make sound judgements and informed decisions, drawing upon human-centered insights and strong analytical skills.
• Passionate about design and education; exposed to design thinking or innovation (preferred).
• Knowledgeable of the design sector and/or background in design, education industry and/or General Education.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Programme & Project Management
• Support planning, coordination and implementation of Design Practice programmes and initiatives.
• Develop project plans, work schedules, budgets and progress trackers.
• Coordinate internal and external stakeholders to deliver outcomes.
• Prepare reports, presentations, briefings and management updates.
• Support procurement, budget administration and contract management processes.
• Community Engagement & Participatory Design
• Design and deliver community engagement initiatives that promote participation in design.
• Facilitate workshops, engagement sessions and co-creation activities with diverse groups.
• Conduct research and stakeholder mapping to identify needs and opportunities.
• Gather and synthesise insights to inform programme development.
• Support development of Design Districts and other community activations.
• Stakeholder & Partnership Development
• Build and maintain relationships with schools, institutions and public agencies.
• Coordinate partnership discussions and engagement activities with external stakeholders.
• Support partnership development, proposals and follow-ups.
• Act as liaison between stakeholders and internal teams.
• Design Education & Capability Development
• Support development and delivery of programmes related to design education and future skills.
• Work with schools and learning partners to implement learning experiences.
• Conduct research on trends and opportunities in design education.
• Support programme evaluation and impact measurement.
• Organisation-Wide Strategic Projects
• Support cross-divisional initiatives and flagship platforms.
• Plan and deliver Singapore Design Biennale areas like Design Districts and Design Futures.
• Coordinate with divisions, partners and vendors on project implementation.
• Support planning and execution of key events and stakeholder engagements.
• Team & Corporate Contributions
• Contribute to ideation, programme development and team discussions.
• Support organisational projects and special assignments as required.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Project management

Programme implementation

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Education

Diploma or Bachelor's in Events

Design or related field

Job description

Summary

As Assistant Manager/ Manager within the Design Practice division, you will drive initiatives, events, and strategic engagements that develop design mindsets and skillsets for people from all walks of life, including within the General Education ecosystem. Your focus will be on maximizing the long-term impact of our core participatory programmes, including Learning by Design. This includes leading whole-of-school engagements, our signature Design Education Summit (“The Wonder Lab”), and community initiatives like “The Wonder Pop” and “The Wonder Gather.”

About DesignSingapore Council Pte. Ltd.

The DesignSingapore Council (Dsg)’s vision is for Singapore to be a liveable, loveable, and limitless city by design. As the national agency for design, our mission is to develop the design sector to be globally competitive, champion the use of design for innovation and growth in Singapore, and make life better in this UNESCO Creative City of Design. Dsg is a subsidiary of the Singapore Economic Development Board.

About The Design Practice Division

The Design Practice division sits within the Community Engagement and Activation Group, alongside Brand, Marketing & Communications division and Outreach & Engagement division. The Design Practice division equips Singaporeans with practical design thinking and application skills across the general education sector and the wider community, including collaboration with other Dsg divisions as our design thinking delivery partner. Primarily established to activate the non-design community to understand the role design can play in realising desired outcomes, and equipping people with skills to enable them to design for change, the Design Practice division focuses on upskilling, building design mindsets, and enabling design-led change by everyday innovators.

The Design Practice division comprises two teams: School of X, a national platform for development of design thinking skills and mindsets whilst co-designing solutions to complex, real world challenges; and Learning by Design, a multifaceted platform to enable stakeholders in the General Education space to readily integrate design thinking, design mindsets and design culture into schools through curriculum innovations, innovative learning experiences, partnerships, and change programmes.

To advance Singapore’s Design 2035 Masterplan and develop Singapore into a liveable, loveable and limitless city by design, the Design Practice unit – bringing together the Learning by Design and School of X – curates experiences to deepen participation in design with and in communities, across the General Education ecosystem, social sectors and public agencies.

The Learning by Design formulates and implements policies and initiatives to grow a pipeline of future ready workforce by infusing design into our national skills sets. It is a nationally supported initiative that advances the adoption of Design Thinking and Mindsets across General Education, from primary to junior college levels, with the aim of nurturing creative, resilient youths who can navigate change and contribute meaningfully to society. For more information on the various programmes of Learning, please visit https://iamlearningbydesign.sg/.

Responsibilities

The Assistant Manager/ Manager will support the Design Practice division in advancing DesignSingapore Council's efforts to deepen public participation in design, strengthen community partnerships and deliver design-led programmes across the education, community and public sectors.

The role will contribute to both Design Practice's core portfolio and organisation-wide strategic initiatives, including the Singapore Design Biennale (SDB), by providing project management, stakeholder engagement and programme delivery support.

• Strategic Programme & Project Management
• Support the planning, coordination and implementation of Design Practice programmes and initiatives.
• Develop project plans, work schedules, budgets and progress trackers to ensure timely delivery of programmes and projects.
• Coordinate internal and external stakeholders to deliver project outcomes effectively.
• Prepare reports, presentations, briefings and management updates.
• Support procurement, budget administration and contract management processes.
• Community Engagement & Participatory Design
• Support the design and delivery of community engagement initiatives that promote participation in design.
• Facilitate workshops, engagement sessions and co-creation activities with diverse stakeholder groups.
• Conduct research and stakeholder mapping to identify community needs, opportunities and potential partners.
• Gather and synthesise insights from engagement activities to inform programme development and implementation.
• Support the development of Design Districts and other community-based activations.
• Stakeholder & Partnership Development
• Build and maintain relationships with community partners, schools, institutions, public agencies and industry stakeholders.
• Coordinate partnership discussions and engagement activities with external stakeholders.
• Support partnership development, proposal preparation and follow-up actions.
• Act as a key liaison between project stakeholders and internal teams.
• Design Education & Capability Development
• Support the development and delivery of programmes related to design education, future skills and design capabilities.
• Work with schools, educators and learning partners to implement learning experiences and engagement programmes.
• Conduct research on emerging trends and opportunities relevant to design education and capability building.
• Support programme evaluation and impact measurement.
• Organisation-Wide Strategic Projects
• Support cross-divisional initiatives and flagship platforms that advance Dsg's strategic priorities.
• Contribute to the planning and delivery of the Singapore Design Biennale (SDB), including areas such as Design Districts, Design Futures, public engagement programmes and special projects.
• Coordinate with multiple divisions, external partners and appointed vendors on project implementation.
• Support the planning and execution of key events, activations and stakeholder engagements.
• Team & Corporate Contributions
• Contribute actively to ideation, programme development and team discussions.
• Support organisational projects, taskforces and special assignments where required.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across Dsg to achieve shared organisational outcomes.
• Undertake other duties as assigned.

Requirements

To meet the challenges of this role, you should be:

• Fresh graduates or up to 4 years of experience in programme implementation, project management and managing relationships across stakeholders
• Fresh graduates with relevant internship experience and a strong appetite to learn are welcome to apply.
• Diploma or Bachelor's degree in Events, Design or a related field.
• Self-driven, results-oriented with strong written and communication skills to engage stakeholders;
• A resilient, open-minded problem-solver, who enjoys new experiences and is passionate about driving positive change;
• A keen and fast learner who can multi-task and adapt to fast-changing environments, focusing on how to leverage new opportunities, overcome emerging challenges, and adjust plans accordingly to achieve desired outcomes;
• A good team player who enjoys collaborating and co-creating with others;
• Able to make sound judgements and informed decisions, drawing upon human-centered insights and strong analytical skills to assess situations with both empathy and logic;
• Passionate about design and education;
• Exposed to design thinking or innovation, and bring some basic experience in applying design-led or co-design approaches to real-world situations (preferred, but not essential); and
• Knowledgeable of the design sector and/or possess prior background in design, education industry and/or General Education.