Associate Director, Data Platform (Application Development)

AIA Singapore; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent insurance firm in Singapore is seeking a technical leader to drive engineering strategy and build scalable application platforms. The role requires at least 12 years of experience, including hands-on software development and strong leadership in managing technical teams. Candidates should have expertise in cloud-native development, microservices, and be capable of overseeing complex applications. The position promotes a culture of continuous improvement and customer focus.

Qualifications

• 12+ years total experience in software development and engineering leadership.
• Experience designing enterprise-grade systems with scalability and performance.
• Strong architectural mindset to guide technical direction.

Responsibilities

• Shape the engineering strategy and build scalable application platforms.
• Oversee delivery of complex applications across multiple teams.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory frameworks and governance.

Skills

Software Development (Java, Python)

Microservices

Cloud-native Development

Kubernetes & Containerization

SQL & Relational Database Design

Leadership

Communication

Education

Degree in Information Technology or equivalent

Job description

Overview

At AIA we’ve started an exciting movement to create a healthier, more sustainable future for everyone. We’re transforming our organisation to be faster, simpler and more connected, with a focus on digital solutions and experiences that help people live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.

We are seeking a technical leader to shape AIA Singapore’s engineering strategy, build scalable and secure application platforms, and drive best-in-class engineering practices across multiple development teams.

What You’ll Be Doing

Strategic Leadership

• Define and drive the engineering roadmap aligned with AIA Singapore’s digital and data strategy.
• Design scalable, secure, high-performance application architectures leveraging cloud-native engineering on Azure.
• Establish engineering governance, coding standards, DevOps practices, and quality controls to ensure security, availability, and operational excellence.
• Stay current with emerging technologies and proactively introduce modern engineering capabilities (microservices, containerization, APIs, DevSecOps, data engineering practices, etc.).

Delivery Ownership

• Oversee delivery of complex, mission-critical applications across multiple engineering teams.
• Collaborate with AIA Group, Technology teams, and Product Managers to define, plan, and execute the technology roadmap.
• Ensure teams deliver high-quality, scalable and maintainable solutions within agreed timelines.
• Remove blockers, optimize engineering processes, and drive continuous improvement in speed, stability, and reliability.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Serve as primary point of contact for business units, translating outcomes to measurable deliverables (SLAs, KPIs, timelines).
• Drive prioritization and backlog management across multiple squads, balancing regulatory deadlines, business demand, and technical debt.
• Champion data product thinking—clearly defined ownership, contracts, SLAs, versioning, and standardized documentation (API specs, data dictionaries).

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory frameworks (e.g., MAS TRM, cyber hygiene, records retention), audit readiness, and evidence collection.
• Own access management and API policy governance (rate limits, quotas, consumer onboarding, keys, secrets).

Operational Excellence

• Define and monitor SLAs for system availability, performance, and reliability.
• Implement automation and monitoring solutions to ensure efficient operation and minimal downtime.
• Oversee capacity planning, budget management, forecasting costs, optimizing platform usage and infrastructure cost optimization.

People Leadership

• Build and lead a high-performing team (platform engineers, leads, API developers).
• Foster a culture of customer focus, accountability, and continuous improvement; mentor managers and senior ICs.
• Develop talent pipelines, succession plans, and partner strategies (vendors, SIs, managed services).

What You Should Have

• Degree from a recognized University in Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering or equivalent.
• 12+ years total experience, including 10+ years hands-on software development (Java, Python, microservices, SQL & relational database design, Kubernetes & containerization, cloud-native development) and 8+ years of engineering leadership managing multiple technical teams or large-scale organizations.
• Proven experience in designing and delivering enterprise-grade systems with high scalability, performance, and availability.
• Strong architectural mindset with the ability to guide technical direction and make informed engineering decisions.
• Ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders across business, technology, and group teams.
• Experience in coaching and developing engineering managers and senior engineers.
• Insurance/financial services experience is a plus but not mandatory.
• Highly technical and hands-on when necessary; able to engage deeply with engineers on architecture, design, and code-level challenges.
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to motivate and inspire high-performing teams.
• Growth mindset and willingness to continuously learn and adopt new technologies.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• Passionate about building sustainable engineering culture, not just managing projects.

About AIA

For over a century, AIA has served the ever-changing needs of our customers across Asia-Pacific. Our Purpose to help millions of people live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives is at the heart of everything we do. We are transforming to be faster, simpler and more connected to create better solutions and impactful experiences for our customers and communities.