Deputy Director (International Relations and Cooperation)

Ministry of National Development; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ministry of National Development in Singapore seeks a strategic policy professional to support the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City (TEC) project and external engagements. You will work with Senior Management to develop policy inputs, oversee Eco-City initiatives, and coordinate high-level visits and exchanges with China.

Role requires strong networking and Mandarin Chinese proficiency, with 6–8 years in related fields.

Qualifications

• Interest in international relations with emphasis on China.
• 6–8 years of relevant experience in sustainable development, urban planning, international relations or economic development.
• Policy or operations experience in infrastructure, urban planning, sustainability or international relations.
• Strong interpersonal and networking skills.
• Experience organising visits and events for senior officials.
• Proficiency in written and spoken Chinese.

Responsibilities

• Plan, coordinate and implement bilateral programmes between MND and TEC/Tianjin.
• Build relationships with TEC and Tianjin government, businesses and institutes.
• Track developments to develop policy recommendations for Tianjin bilateral relations.
• Coordinate visits by MND Senior Management to Tianjin and incoming Chinese leaders to Singapore.
• Support other external engagements and major MND events.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Networking

Chinese language

Job description

What the role is:

General:

• Provide management and policy support to D/IRCD on the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City (TEC) project and MND’s other external engagement, particularly those of Senior Management and Political Office Holders.
• Oversees the Eco-City and IR Branches, and supervises and clears products from the Eco-City and IR Branches to Senior Management, WOG agencies, other MND Divisions and Agencies and foreign counterparts and interlocutors.
• Appraises and provide inputs to D/IRCD of officers in IRCD with particular attention to their development and career planning.
• Covers D/IRCD in his absence.
• Any other duties as assigned by D/IRCD.

Tianjin Eco-City Project:

The officer will lead the Eco-City branch to oversee TEC and shape its current and future development. He/she will be involved in the formulation of policies and plans for the project and oversee the implementation of these plans covering the advancing of Singapore’s interests in the project, as well as various aspects of TEC’s development such as infrastructure development, economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges. The officer will also play a key role in strengthening ties between Singapore and Tianjin, and Singapore and China, including through joint initiatives and programmes. The officer is expected to build up good professional working relationships with the appropriate counterparts in China, particularly the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Tianjin Municipal Government, and the Eco-City Administrative Committee.

MND’s External Engagements:

The officer will, in consultation with D/IRCD, review and recommend MND's foreign engagement approaches, develop cultivation plans and priorities, prepare briefs and reports for Senior Management, plan and execute exchanges with foreign dignitaries in Singapore and overseas and major MND external-facing events like the World Cities Summit, work closely with MND internal divisions, other government agencies such as the MFA, MTI, and statutory boards in the MND family.

This role reports directly to D/IRCD.

What you will be working on:

• Plan, coordinate and implement bilateral programmes and initiatives between MND and our partners in TEC and Tianjin.
• Network, engage and build relationships with stakeholders in TEC and Tianjin from the government (e.g., ESG, EDB, MFA), private (e.g., businesses, business associations) and people sectors (e.g., institutes of higher learning).
• Track, obtain and analyse information on key developments in TEC and Tianjin, including from open sources, foreign stakeholders and WOG counterparts, to develop policy recommendations on managing our bilateral account with Tianjin.
• Plan, coordinate and run visits by MND Senior Management to Tianjin (~2 - 3 times a year), and support incoming visits by Chinese leaders to Singapore.
• Facilitate MND’s other external engagements other than related to the TEC project. They include relevant overseas visits by Senior Management, calls on Senior Management by foreign leaders, officials and interlocutors in MND, and major MND external-facing events like the World Cities Summit.

What we are looking for:

Requirements:

• Have a keen interest in international relations, especially in relation to China.
• Possess at least 6 to 8 years of relevant working experience (i.e., in areas such as sustainable development, urban planning, international relations, economic development), preferably involving engagements with international partners.
• Prior policy or ops experience in areas such as infrastructure, urban planning, sustainability, international relations, or economic development.
• Strong interpersonal and networking skills.
• Experience in organising visits, meetings and events for senior executives and/or government officials is an advantage.
• Good command of written and spoken Chinese.

Required functional competencies:

• [Strategic Networks & Global Partnerships]: Actively build and maintain relationships with key governmental bodies in Singapore and China to advance Singapore’s and the agency's standing and interests.
• [Cultural Sensitivity]: Understand and identify nuances associated with different cultures and their impact on communications.
• [Systems Thinking]: Connect issues with larger systems and identify inter-dependencies across issues/domains/agencies.
• [Internal Stakeholder Alignment]: Pursue alignment on policy positions and approaches among key internal stakeholders.

About Ministry of National Development

The Ministry of National Development (MND), the lead government agency responsible for land use planning and infrastructure development, aims to transform Singapore into an endearing home and a distinctive global city. At MND, we aspire to create a quality, vibrant and sustainable living environment for our people. We also strive to shape Singapore into a world-class city of knowledge, culture and excellence - one which keeps pace with global challenges and the rising aspirations of Singaporeans.

Our Vision:An Endearing Home, A Distinctive Global City

MND's vision reflects our growing emphasis not just on physical infrastructure, but also on the softer aspects of creating emotional attachment in our people, the global talents and corporations whom we attract here. At the same time, it articulates MND's goal of building upon Singapore’s unique distinguishing characteristics to develop Singapore as a global city of knowledge, culture and excellence.

MND's Mission:Develop World-Class Infrastructure

MND will provide quality physical infrastructure for the nation by working with our partners in the public and private sectors.

Create a Vibrant, Resilient and Sustainable Living Environment

MND will strive to make Singapore a livelier and more exciting city, and ensure our nation is well-prepared to face the growing uncertainties and complexities. MND will also maintain the quality and resilience of our built and natural environment to ensure high standards of living, and carry out development that meets the needs of the present without compromising that of future generations.

Provide Affordable and Accessible Public Housing

MND will commit to support Singaporeans' homeownership aspirations and ensure public housing remains affordable and accessible.

Build Rooted and Cohesive Communities

MND will strive to foster our citizens' attachment and love for our homeland and maintain social cohesiveness in our communities, even as Singapore continues to be an open and globalised society.