Deputy Director, AI R&D (LLM & Multimodal AI), Q Team CoE

Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX); Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

The Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) in Singapore is seeking a Deputy Director to lead a multidisciplinary team focused on large language model (LLM) solutions. This role involves defining strategic roadmaps for AI development, team management, and driving innovation in AI technologies.

The ideal candidate must have an advanced degree in a related field, extensive experience in AI or machine learning, and proven leadership capabilities. The position is critical for ensuring operational excellence and development of cutting-edge AI solutions.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in AI/ML with at least 5 in senior management roles.
• Proven track record in ML/LLM development and deployment.
• Strong understanding of AI platforms and modern data infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Define the strategic roadmap for LLM/LMM research and development.
• Lead and mentor a team of AI researchers and engineers.
• Manage project portfolios, budgets, and implementation timelines.

Skills

AI/ML development

Team leadership

Stakeholder management

MLOps practices

Education

PhD or Master’s in Computer Science, Machine Learning, AI

Job description

What the role is:

The Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) which aims to pioneer innovation solutions and develop world class science and technology capabilities to transform and empower the Home Team in delivering safety and security for Singapore. The HTX AI Products team is committed to empowering our Home Team Department (HTD)'s flagship projects through the seamless integration of AI technologies. From identifying opportunities to delivery, launch, and continuous enhancement, HTX AI Products aim to push boundaries and setting newWe are seeking a visionary and highly skilled Deputy Director to lead and manage a multidisciplinary team focused on the design, development, deployment, and governance of Large Language Model (LLM) and Large Multimodal Model (LMM) solutions. The ideal candidate will combine deep technical expertise with strong leadership, strategic thinking, and organizational management capabilities. This role will be pivotal in shaping HTX AI strategy, ensuring operational excellence, and driving innovation in real-world applications.

What you will be working on:

• Leadership & Strategy: Define and execute the strategic roadmap for LLM/LMM research, development, and deployment in alignment with organizational goals. Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on AI/LLM/LMM trends, risks, and opportunities. Foster a culture of innovation, ethical AI use, and continuous improvement across the team.
• Team Management: Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing team of AI researchers, machine learning engineers, MLOps specialists, and product managers. Oversee cross-functional collaboration with stakeholders in data engineering, product, compliance, and security. Ensure clear objectives, measurable performance metrics, and career development pathways for team members.
• Technical Oversight: Direct the training, fine-tuning, evaluation, and deployment of cutting‑edge LLMs. Guide the design of robust MLOps pipelines for scalable and reliable deployment. Oversee research on prompt engineering, retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), multilingual LLMs, and domain adaptation. Ensure responsible AI practices, including fairness, bias mitigation, interpretability, and compliance with regulations.
• Program & Project Management: Manage project portfolios, budgets, and timelines, ensuring delivery of high‑quality outcomes. Implement governance frameworks for model monitoring, security, and risk management. Drive partnerships with academia, industry, and open‑source communities to accelerate progress.

What we are looking for:

• Tertiary education preferably an advanced degree (PhD or Master’s) in Computer Science, Machine Learning, AI, or related fields.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in AI/ML, with at least 5 years in team leadership or senior management roles.
• Proven track record in large‑scale ML/LLM development, deployment, and lifecycle management.
• Strong understanding of AI, AI platforms, MLOps practices, and modern data infrastructure.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Preferred: Experience with fine‑tuning foundation models, RAG pipelines, and multilingual/multi‑domain adaptation.
• Prior experience in public sector, regulated industries, or mission‑critical environments.
• Demonstrated ability to manage cross-border or multi‑site AI teams.
• Publications or patents in LLMs, NLP, or generative AI.

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.