Senior / Assistant Director, Transformation Programme & Capability Management

A*STAR - Agency for Science, Technology and Research; Singapore; On-site; SGD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

A*STAR's People & Culture function is transforming to build the talent and organisational capability A*STAR needs for RIE2030. This role turns that ambition into an integrated, executable programme and keeps delivery on track.

You will lead an integrated portfolio of P&C transformation initiatives, working with Chief People & Culture Officer (CPCO) and P&C Directors to shape priorities, test delivery plans and guide capability development and organisational change.

Qualifications

• Programme leadership experience delivering multi-project transformations.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and negotiate priorities.
• Experience with design thinking and change management.

Responsibilities

• Translate strategic priorities into an integrated roadmap and manage dependencies.
• Lead an integrated portfolio of initiatives and challenge plans with Directors.
• Anticipate delivery risks and drive resolutions with accountable owners.

Skills

Programme leadership

Strategic judgement

Design thinking

Analytics & dashboards

AI literacy

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Power BI

Excel

Job description

Job Summary

A*STAR's People & Culture function is transforming to build the talent and organisational capability A*STAR needs for RIE2030. This role turns that ambition into an integrated, executable programme and keeps delivery on track. You will lead an integrated portfolio of P&C transformation initiatives, working with Chief People & Culture Officer (CPCO) and P&C Directors to shape priorities, test delivery plans and guide capability development and organisational change. The role calls for independent judgement, a department-wide view and the ability to secure progress through influence across teams.

Key Responsibilities

What you will do

• Translate strategic priorities into an integrated roadmap, recommending sequencing, resource trade-offs and opportunities to simplify or improve work across portfolios.
• Lead an integrated portfolio of concurrent initiatives, connect interdependencies and challenge plans constructively with Directors to agree realistic outcomes, milestones, ownership and corrective actions.
• Anticipate delivery risks, diagnose underlying problems and lead resolution with accountable owners; escape significant trade-offs with clear options and recommendations.
• Build commitment across portfolios, facilitate difficult discussions and sustain delivery through influence, clear accountability and disciplined follow-through, without relying on line authority.
• Apply design thinking to investigate user needs, challenge established processes and develop and test practical improvements.
• Guide capability-gap assessments, development actions and transition planning so teams can adopt new responsibilities and ways of working.
• Define management-information requirements, interpret transformation dashboards and use evidence to challenge progress and guide decisions. Use Excel, Power BI or comparable tools, and approved AI tools, to strengthen delivery visibility, coordination and reporting; assess adoption and outcomes with the Talent Intelligence lead.

What Success Looks Like

• An integrated P&C transformation roadmap agreed with Directors, with clear milestones and owners.
• Delivery risks surfaced early and resolved, or escalated with clear options.
• Capability gaps assessed and development actions in place, so teams take on new responsibilities and ways of working.
• Directors have a reliable, decision-ready view of progress, dependencies, risks and benefits across the transformation portfolio.

Requirements

What you will bring

• Programme leadership. Track record of planning and running complex, multi-project programmes: prioritising, managing dependencies and resource constraints, and taking corrective action early.
• Strategic judgement and influence. Ability to see department-wide implications, advise senior stakeholders, negotiate competing priorities and work independently within agreed direction.
• Design thinking and change. Practical experience in discovery, workshop facilitation, process redesign, testing ideas and capability development.
• Analytics and dashboarding. Strong Excel skills and the ability to define management-information requirements, interpret transformation dashboards and use performance evidence to guide decisions. Working Power BI or comparable proficiency is advantageous.
• AI and communication. Uses approved AI tools to improve everyday work, checks outputs before use and handles sensitive information appropriately. Writes concise papers and updates for senior leaders.

Requirements

• A degree in business, management, organisational development, engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant professional qualifications and experience.
• Typically 8 or more years of relevant experience in transformation, programme management, consulting or operations, including independently leading complex initiatives across functions and engaging senior leaders.
• Evidence of delivering measurable improvements across teams and functions.

Good to have

• Project management, agile or design thinking certification.
• An HR background is not essential.

All new hires are appointed on a 3-year renewable contract in the first instance.