Assistant Manager/Manager/Senior Manager, Industry

Designsg; Singapore; On-site; SGD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

DesignSingapore Council seeks a Manager/Senior Manager to lead the Industry division’s programmes and engagements. You will drive collaboration with local and international designers and design consultancies, aligning initiatives with Singapore's design industry growth and internationalisation goals.

You will report to the Assistant Head, shape annual workplans, monitor budgets, and work with government agencies and industry players to deliver holistic support for designers.

Qualifications

• Background or degree in business management, design management or design-related fields.
• 5–8 years in business development, industry development or design management for Manager/Senior Manager roles; 0–5 years for Assistant Manager.
• Excellent interpersonal, stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Client-management experience in design/creative agencies or public sector industry engagement is a plus.
• Experience in project management and procurement is a bonus.
• Familiarity with Singapore design ecosystem is a bonus.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Engage leading local and global designers and design consultancies to learn capabilities and best practices.
• Engage Singapore design businesses at all growth stages to understand needs, aspirations and challenges.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across Dsg, government agencies, design trade associations and higher learning institutes.
• Monitor global design and business trends to guide interventions for internationalisation of Singapore design businesses.
• Structure and implement programs and initiatives at the systems level to support designers and address skills gaps.
• Regularly review strategies, programmes and projects to identify improvement areas or new initiatives.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Interpersonal communication

Project management

Strategic thinking

Public sector experience

Education

Degree in business management or design management

Job description

Summary

Dsg is looking for a passionate candidate to join the Industry division, reporting to the Assistant Head. As a Manager/ Senior Manager in the Industry division, you play a vital role in helping Singapore design businesses innovate to remain competitive and internationalise for growth. You will be working closely with the design industry and related design stakeholders to develop and curate programmes, and provide holistic support for designers.

About DesignSingapore Council

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. The Dsg is a subsidiary of the Singapore Economic Development Board.

About the Industry Division

The Industry division develops strategies and programmes to strengthen the business competitiveness of the Singapore design sector in the global market. We achieve this through supporting the building of unique value propositions for the design industry with in-depth research, augmenting business capabilities, and profiling for internationalisation opportunities.

Responsibilities

This role reports to the Assistant Head of the Industry division and your responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Engaging leading local and global designers and design consultancies to learn about their capabilities and best practices, keeping your finger on the pulse of the industry, and learning how they can be best placed to bring value to Singapore.
• Engaging Singapore design businesses, at all stages of growth, to develop an in-depth understanding of Singapore design and its evolving business needs, aspirations and business challenges.
• Working closely with key stakeholders to identify appropriate cross-collaborations in developing the industry and providing holistic support. Key stakeholders include other divisions within Dsg, government agencies, design trade associations, institutes of higher learning, and any other leading industry players.
• Be continually aware of global design and business trends to assess appropriate interventions in a rapidly changing business landscape so that Dsg can appropriately support the development and implementation of strategies for Singapore design businesses in internationalising.
• Structuring and implementing programs and initiatives at the systems level to support Singapore design businesses and designers in experimenting, innovating, building business capability, and creating unique value propositions, while also addressing skills gaps through Pre-employment Training (PET) and Continuing Education and Training (CET) to capitalize on growth opportunities and remain competitive.
• Regular reviewing of strategies, programmes and projects to identify areas for improvement and/or developing new initiatives to support existing or new business sectors adopt design.
• Developing annual workplan and budget requirements, and monitoring overall progress and achievements.
• Undertaking Dsg special projects, where relevant.

Requirements

• Have a background or degree preferably in business management, design management or any design-related fields.
• Up to 5 years of relevant experience for the Assistant Manager/Manager role, and 5 - 8 years for the Senior Manager role, in business development, industry development or design management, with a strong background in formulating and implementing business development strategies.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills for engaging with diverse stakeholders and translating complex strategies into clear, actionable insights. Proactive, methodical, and a self-starter with excellent communication skills.
• Client-management experience in a design or creative agency and/or public sector experience in industry engagement programmes and strategies.
• Experience in project management and procurement, a bonus.
• Familiarity with the design and creative ecosystem, especially in Singapore, a bonus.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.

In addition, we are looking for:

• A curious individual who delights in acquiring knowledge, with a keen interest to understand diverse design and business trends/needs, and finds great joy in joining dots.
• Ability to zoom-out and zoom-in: zoom out to understand the broader strategy and goals of an organization or initiative, and zoom in to help address potential roadblocks and challenges in implementation.
• A great collaborator, who loves to connect with others and build strong relationships, and with the ability to develop trusted working relationships with stakeholders, colleagues, and clients, to co-create solutions.
• A team player, supportive of colleagues when they need a hand to keep projects running smoothly.
• A multi-tasker who is organised, detail-oriented and hands-on.

Advertised: 23 Apr 2025 Singapore Standard Time
Applications close: 06 Nov 2026 Singapore Standard Time