Director, Strategic Planning

A*STAR Research; Singapore; On-site; SGD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

A*STAR invites an experienced leader to head Strategic Planning in Singapore, partnering with senior leadership to design and implement high-impact initiatives. You will mentor a high-performing team, drive agility, and shape corporate objectives and OKRs across divisions.

This role emphasizes digital transformation, data storytelling for decisions, and convening leadership retreats to align strategy with execution, while maintaining resilience in a fast-paced research organisation.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of experience in strategic planning, corporate planning or management consulting.
• Proven leadership with ability to build trust, inspire confidence, and guide teams through ambiguity.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills with senior executives.
• Strong analytical rigour and data-driven decision making.
• Resilience to perform in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with tight deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Lead executive partnerships and advise senior leadership to align diverse views toward common goals.
• Steer strategic planning cycles, including workshops, work plans and OKR development.
• Mentor officers, foster a culture of high performance and learning.
• Design and deliver executive communications and engagements, including policy papers and town halls.
• Oversee digital transformation initiatives, raise data storytelling and benchmarking for excellence.
• Drive continuous improvement and best practices across Corporate Group Divisions.

Skills

Strategic planning

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Data analysis

Change management

Executive communication

Tools

GenAI

Job description

The Opportunity Are you looking for a career in an organisation powering the scientific frontier of Singapore? Are you looking to drive agility efforts in a world-class organisation?

Join the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), a world-class organization that propels Singapore’s scientific and economic future. The Strategic Planning Department is the architect of a dynamic, agile, and forward-looking corporate service that empowers our researchers to innovate.

We are seeking a proactive individual to lead this charge. This is a rare opportunity to serve as a catalyst for change, working directly with senior leadership to conceptualize, design, and implement high-impact initiatives while mentoring a high-performing team.

Key Responsibilities

• Executive Partnership: Act as a trusted advisor to the senior leadership. Bridge diverse views across the organisation, driving conversations and influencing outcomes towards common goals.
• Strategic Planning: Lead the A*STAR’s strategic planning exercises, including strategy workshops, annual work plans, and the development of Corporate Objectives and Key Results (OKRs).
• Consensus Building: Conceptualize near-term business initiatives and long-term strategic projects. You will navigate complex stakeholder landscapes to align Corporate Group Divisions with broader organizational aims.

2. Team Management & Talent Development

• People Leadership: Lead, mentor, and develop a team of officers. Foster a culture of psychological safety, high performance, and continuous learning.
• Capability Building: Guide staff in developing "pathfinding" skills-navigating ambiguity to complete projects without defined pathways. Provide regular feedback and coaching to groom the next generation of A*STAR leaders.

3. Executive Communication & Engagement

• High-Impact Briefings: Craft and deliver concise briefings to senior leadership. You will be responsible for translating complex data into clear policy papers and presentations that inform executive-level decisions.
• Internal Engagement Architecture: Design culture-shaping leadership retreats and produce dynamic town halls. You will craft experiences that forge powerful connections and build alignment across the entire A*STAR.

4. Transformation & Operational Excellence

• Digital Transformation: Spearhead the implementation of cutting-edge digitalization and automation solutions (including GenAI). Your mission is to build a client-centric, agile and collaborative corporate environment.
• Champion Excellence: Design and launch feedback to drive continuous improvement. Lead benchmarking exercises to ensure A*STAR stays ahead of the curve in strategy implementation.
• Data Analysis & Insights: Oversee the transformation of raw data into compelling visual stories. Ensure leadership has the insights needed to make critical, data-informed decisions.

Requirements

• Experience: You bring at least 10 years of working experience, with a strong background in strategic planning, corporate planning or management consulting.
• Leadership Track Record: Proven success in managing teams. You must demonstrate the ability to build trust, inspire confidence, and guide staff through complex and sometimes, ambiguous work streams.
• Stakeholder Management: Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and engage senior stakeholders (C-Suite/Director level).
• Analytical Rigour: A keen mind that can anticipate issues, plan for contingencies, and analyze data with a high degree of accuracy.
• Resilience: The capacity to maintain composure and make sound decisions in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with tight deadlines.

What You Will Gain

• Strategic Exposure: This role is a proving ground for your career. You will gain direct exposure to senior leaders and diverse corporate functions, placing you at the nerve center of the organization.
• Leadership Growth: You will be empowered to take on higher responsibilities, refining your ability to lead teams through ambiguity.
• Culture of Innovation: Join a team that values creativity and embraces unconventional ideas.
• Adaptability: Hone your ability to adapt to dynamic situations and think creatively under pressure.
• Accelerated Growth : This is a role and proving ground for executive leadership. You will gain exposure to senior industry and scientific leadership, and understand the inner workings of a matrix corporate functions.

The above eligibility criteria are not exhaustive. A*STAR may include additional selection criteria based on its prevailing recruitment policies. These policies may be amended from time to time without notice. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.