Deputy Director, AI R&D (Language AI), xData

HTX (Home Team Science & Technology Agency); Singapore; On-site; SGD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

HTX, Singapore's science and technology agency, is seeking a senior leader to guide Voice AI programs for public safety. The role focuses on translating cutting-edge AI research into mission-ready products by leading a multidisciplinary team of AI scientists, ML engineers, software engineers and product managers.

You will shape AI strategy, drive end-to-end product delivery, and collaborate with Home Team departments to address operational use cases with scalable, secure solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, AI, or related field.
• 8–12 years in software/AI with at least 5 years in leadership.
• Proven track record shipping AI products to production.
• Hands-on with Voice AI, LLMs, speech tech and real-time systems.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams with product/UX.

Responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary AI scientists, ML engineers and researchers.
• Drive design, development and deployment of Voice AI and conversational AI.
• Collaborate with Home Team departments and product teams to identify use cases.
• Provide technical and product leadership across the AI lifecycle.
• Ensure scalable, secure and reliable AI systems aligned with governance.
• Establish best practices in AI engineering, MLOps and Responsible AI.
• Coach and develop talent to deliver strategic outcomes

Skills

AI strategy & leadership

Voice AI / Speech AI

Machine Learning

Cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure)

Cross-functional leadership

Product development lifecycle

Mentoring teams

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/AI/Data Science

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

AWS

GCP

Azure

Job description

What The Role Is

HTX is Singapore's Science and Technology agency that brings together diverse scientific and engineering capabilities to develop transformative, operationally ready solutions for public safety. As a statutory board under the Ministry of Home Affairs, HTX works at the forefront of science and technology to empower the Home Team with cutting‑edge capabilities. Guided by our mission to amplify, augment and accelerate the Home Team's advantage, we are committed to keeping Singapore the safest place on planet Earth.

HTX is Singapore's Science and Technology agency that brings together diverse scientific and engineering capabilities to develop transformative, operationally ready solutions for public safety. As a statutory board under the Ministry of Home Affairs, HTX works at the forefront of science and technology to empower the Home Team with cutting‑edge capabilities. Guided by our mission to amplify, augment and accelerate the Home Team's advantage, we are committed to keeping Singapore the safest place on planet Earth.

From data to decisions, from insight to action — we harness data, AI and technology for public safety. By applying data science, AI, and engineering, we build enterprise data and exchange platforms, innovative products, and sensor-driven systems that transform complexity into situational awareness for the Home Team, safeguarding our nation’s future.

Our Focus

We aim to lead in applying AI to language-related tasks, with a focus on advancing speech and natural language capabilities. We explore how these capabilities can be harnessed and adapted to meet the unique needs of the Home Team.

Our Responsibilities

We delve into emerging language AI technologies, analysing and evaluating its potential before implementing practical solutions. Our research focuses on translating cutting‑edge innovations into applications tailored for the Home Team. We conduct extensive benchmarking to validate these technologies and build robust and scalable end‑to‑end pipelines for deployment across Home Team departments.

Our Contributions

Our work has led to the development of multilingual speech and language technologies - including speech transcription, speech synthesis, and natural language understanding - that have transformed frontline operations and enhanced multiple Home Team products.

What You Will Be Working On

• Lead and grow a multidisciplinary team of AI scientists, machine learning engineers and researchers to advance HTX's Voice AI capabilities, translating applied AI R&D into operational products and mission‑ready solutions for the Home Team.
• Drive the design, development and deployment of next‑generation Voice AI, Conversational AI and Agentic AI solutions, including voice agents, speech technologies and spoken language models across diverse operational environments.
• Partner closely with Home Team Departments, product teams and business stakeholders to identify high‑value use cases, shape AI strategies and deliver innovative solutions that address complex operational challenges and unlock transformative capabilities.
• Provide technical and product leadership across the end‑to‑end AI lifecycle, from research, experimentation and prototyping through production deployment, monitoring and continuous improvement.
• Ensure AI solutions are scalable, secure, reliable and fit for purpose, balancing technological innovation with user needs, operational requirements, governance standards and organisational roadmaps.
• Establish best practices in AI engineering, model evaluation, Responsible AI, MLOps and AI product delivery to ensure high‑quality, trusted and sustainable AI systems.
• Coach, mentor and develop talent within the team, fostering a high‑performance culture of innovation, collaboration and technical excellence while ensuring timely delivery of strategic outcomes.

What We Are Looking For

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, Linguistics, Speech Processing, or a related quantitative discipline
• Minimum 8-12 years of experience in software engineering, AI/ML, data science or product engineering, with at least 5 years in a leadership role managing multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Proven track record of building and deploying AI products into production environments, including ownership of architecture, delivery, operations and continuous improvement.
• Hands‑on experience in Voice AI, Speech AI, Conversational AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), Spoken Language Models (SLMs), or related Language AI domains
• Experience leading the development of real‑time voice agents, speech analytics platforms, contact centre AI solutions, digital assistants, audio intelligence systems, or multimodal AI products.
• Experience managing cross‑functional teams comprising AI researchers, data scientists, machine learning engineers, software engineers, product managers and UX specialists.
• Strong expertise in Voice AI, Speech AI and Language AI technologies, including Speech‑to‑Text (ASR), Text‑to‑Speech (TTS), Voice Agents, Conversational AI, Spoken Language Models and audio analytics.
• Proven ability to lead end‑to‑end AI product development, translating user needs and operational requirements into scalable, production‑ready AI solutions.
• Deep understanding of AI/ML engineering, MLOps and cloud platforms, including model deployment, monitoring, lifecycle management, API integration and large‑scale production environments.
• Strong product and strategic thinking, with the ability to define product vision, roadmap, success metrics and prioritise high‑impact AI use cases that deliver measurable business or mission outcomes.
• Experience leading and mentoring cross‑functional teams of AI scientists, machine learning engineers, software engineers and product managers to deliver complex AI products.

All new hires are appointed on a two‑year contract in the first instance and will be assessed and considered for permanent tenure over time, based on performance.

As part of the shortlisting process for this role, you may be required to complete a medical declaration and/or undergo further assessment.

All applicants will be updated on the status of their applications within 4 weeks upon closing of the advertisement.