Senior / Assistant Director, Operations (CDA)

Communicable Diseases Agency; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) is seeking a Senior/Assistant Director, Operations to support the Deputy Director in developing and managing operational functions. You will lead surge activation planning and coordinate with multiple stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.

This role requires strong leadership, strategic thinking, and the ability to drive initiatives across teams, with a focus on readiness, incident management, and resource mobilisation for outbreak responses.

Qualifications

• Minimum tertiary qualifications in business administration, management or related field.
• 5+ years in Public Health/Operations would be an advantage.
• Proven leadership and ability to inspire others.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and driving initiatives.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with data-to-action capability.
• Ability to integrate operational planning with public health requirements.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop and coordinate operational plans with internal and external stakeholders for surge and activation.
• Develop strategic operational resources and budget considerations including procurement and contract management.
• Build CDA operational capabilities framework (resources, system, training, personnel, equipment).
• Develop overall operational readiness plans with metrics and training objectives for outbreaks or crises.
• Develop and review incident management and reporting framework with dashboards and decision support.
• Mobilise resources for operations, border health, ground response and disease outbreak leadership.
• Lead secretariat functions for meetings and monitor budgetary votes for Operations.

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional teamwork

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder management

Communication

Problem solving

Pressure handling

Public health operations

Education

Bachelor's degree in business administration/related field

Job description

What the role is:

As Senior / Assistant Director, Operations of the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA), you will support Deputy Director, Operations in the development and management of the operational functions.

You will be working in a fast-paced and dynamic environment that will require you to manage multiple stakeholders and priorities concurrently.

What you will be working on:

You will play a key role in the Operations team in CDA. Your key responsibilities include the following:

Job responsibilities

Ops Planning, Resources and Capability Development:

• Lead in the design, development and coordination of operational drawer plans with internal and external stakeholders, as part of surge and activation under CDA. This includes working with stakeholders to derive the operational considerations and planning parameters for CDA operations.

• Lead in the development of strategic operational resources andbudgetary considerations, as well as ensuring that logistical planning is carefullyconsidered with respect to operational plans.This includes vendor, resource, procurement and contract management.

• Lead in the development of CDAoperational capabilitiesframework and plans(resources, system, training, personnel, and equipping) in response tocrisisand business continuity requirements. This includes performing capability gaps analysis, operationalizing knowledge management and developing key performance indicators to measure operational effectiveness.

Ops Readiness, Response and Monitoring:

• Lead in the development of overall operational readiness plans in terms of resource, personnel and activities during an outbreak/ crisis response. This includes developing metrics to assess the CDA operational readiness, developing training objectives and developing business continuity plans.

• Lead in the development, operationalisation and review of CDA incident management and reporting framework. This includes monitoring and sense making through dashboards, activating agency level meetings to manage incidents, and performing ops-tech integration to support decision making.

• Lead in the development, operationalisation and review of plans on the mobilisation of resources for ops response to support CDA operations. This includes working with stakeholders on Border Health operations, operationalising ground response plans, and act as the lead for disease outbreak at the agency level.

Administration:

• Lead and manage secretariat functions for meetings.

• Lead in the administration and monitoring of budgetary votes for Operations Division.

• On rotation to supervise 24/7 duty officers on phone calls for urgent disease/ incident notifications and management.

What we are looking for:

Job Requirements

• Minimum tertiary qualifications in business administration, management or a related field.

• Minimum 5 years work experience in Public Health / Operations / Civil Service would be an advantage.

• Proven leadership skills and ability to inspire others.

• Demonstrated experience to work effectively in a team, lead cross-functional teams and drive initiatives.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to frame issues, translate data and insights into operational plans and ground actions.

• Proficient in integrating operational planning/ management with public health requirements.

• Ability to work under pressure and simultaneously on different projects/ tasks.

• Strong stakeholder management, inter-personal and communication skills.

• Willing to continuous learn and keep up-to-date on new developments in the operational/ communicable diseases field.

• Willing to work beyond office hours, including weekends and public holidays, if necessary.

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

About Communicable Diseases Agency

The Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) was established in 2025 as a statutory board under Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) to serve as the central authority for public health policymaking to manage and control the threat of communicable diseases. This is aimed at strengthening Singapore's public health capabilities built during the COVID-19 response to ensure a unified command and coordinated approach across all situations, from routine disease control to future outbreaks.CDA safeguards the nation from communicable diseases through disease surveillance, outbreak investigations, vaccination programs, public education, and global health collaboration. Beyond domestic activities, the CDA aims to expand Singapore’s global outreach and foster collaboration with international partners.