Senior Executive/Assistant Director, Criminal Policy Division

Ministry of Law; Singapore; On-site; SGD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ministry of Law in Singapore is seeking a Senior Executive/Assistant Director to join the Legal Policy Group and contribute to national policy reviews in criminal law. You will collaborate with stakeholders across agencies to review laws, draft reforms, and translate policy ideas into implementable actions.

You will work in a small, multidisciplinary team, thrive in a fast-moving environment, and help shape policy that has tangible, national-level impact for Singaporeans.

Qualifications

• Excellent writing skills to crystallise core issues clearly and concisely.
• Strong analytical thinking to distil key issues from diverse information.
• Ability to develop domain knowledge and work with experts to shape policy.
• Consider implementation and communications factors early in policy thinking.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to legal reform by reviewing laws and proposing reforms.
• Turn policy ideas into practical legislation and Parliament-ready solutions.
• Engage stakeholders to develop practical, national-significant policy outcomes.
• Assist with drafting subsidiary legislation and align policy design with execution.

Skills

Excellent writing

Deep critical thinking

Domain-specific expertise

Design for implementation

Education

Basic law degree

Job description

What the role is:

Who we areThe Legal Policy Group (LPG) in the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) plays a critical role in upholding the rule of law, advancing access to justice, and ensuring a sound and progressive legal framework for Singaporeans.

Under LPG, officers at the Criminal Policy Division (CPD) do not just review laws — we play an important role in helping to shape the future of legal policy and governance in Singapore. Our team has driven reforms that keep Singaporeans safe by improving our criminal justice system. Some recent initiatives include:

• Protecting the public from dangerous offenders: In 2024, CPD worked closely with MHA to introduce the Sentence for Enhanced Public Protection (SEPP) to better protect the public from dangerous offenders. The SEPP applies to offenders who commit serious offences like rape and culpable homicide, and who are assessed to pose a risk of committing similar offences in the future. Under the SEPP, such offenders will only be released from prison if they no longer pose a threat of serious harm to others. This regime came into effect in July 2026.
• Promoting inclusive justice: CPD supports the ongoing work of the Inclusive Justice Taskforce, which comprises representatives from the public and private sector. The Taskforce aims to develop recommendations to promote just outcomes and better support persons with disabilities and mental health conditions in their interactions with the criminal justice system.
• Promoting consistency and transparency in sentencing: CPD support the Sentencing Advisory Panel, an interagency group which formulates and published guidelines on matters relating to sentencing including, most recently, guidelines on the sentencing of scams-related offences.
• Safeguarding the quality of expert evidence in criminal proceedings: Expert opinion such as psychiatric evidence plays an important role in criminal proceedings. In 2025, CPD introduced a framework to govern expert opinion, including setting up a Panel of Psychiatrists to strengthen the quality and objectivity of psychiatric expert evidence.
• Enhancing the victim compensation regime: In 2024, CPD operationalised enhancements to the criminal compensation process to encourage the use of compensation orders in favour of victims, and to increase victim participation in the process.
• Safeguarding the administration of justice and the rule of law: In 2024, CPD introduced the amendments to the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act to make clear that egregious cases of abuse of process, such as filing of fictitious claims for purposes of delaying criminal proceedings and persistently commencing manifestly groundless actions, will amount to contempt of court.

We are a small, multidisciplinary team that values thoughtful debate, moves with gumption, and is unafraid of breaking the mould. Officers will have the space to challenge assumptions and propose new ideas.

This role is ideal for someone who is passionate about making a difference, thrives on intellectual challenge, and enjoys working collaboratively in a dynamic environment — and who wants their work to have tangible, national-level impact.

What you will be working on:

You will join us in a variety of ongoing and upcoming policy reviews and reforms for the policy areas set out below:

• Contribute to legal reform: Work with fellow officers to review laws, propose reforms and pursue new initiatives, tackling both classic and frontier issues. If you ever wanted to rewrite the rulebook (legally, of course), this is your chance.
• Drive change, turn ideas into reality: Turn complex policy challenges into tangible solutions that improve real lives — take legislation from idea to Parliament, collaborating with legislative drafters, experts, and stakeholders. Become the bridge between policy vision and practical reality.
• Engage stakeholders: Work with stakeholders and partners to develop creative, practical solutions to issues of national significance.
• Drive implementation: Take an active role in implementing policy initiatives —assist with drafting subsidiary legislation, provide policy inputs on operations, and ensure that sound policy design together translates into practical execution.

What we are looking for:

Key Competencies

• [Excellent writing skills] Able to crystallise core issues through clear and concise writing
• [Deep critical thinking] A sharp and analytical mind capable of distilling critical issues and sense-making from a wide range of information to arrive at effective policy solutions
• [Domain-specific expertise] Able to develop domain knowledge to collaborate and/or co-create policy solutions with experts and professionals
• [Design for implementation and communication] Able to contribute to policy thinking that factors in strategic communications considerations upfront, with sensitivity to implementation considerations

Work Experience Required / Personal Traits

• Basic law degree — Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor
• Prior experience with criminal law practice is a plus
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills, both written and spoken
• Self-motivation and discipline
• Strong teamwork and ability to work with stakeholders
• Comfortable with ambiguity and a fast-moving environment
• A passion to serve the public and make a difference to society
• Senior Executive: 0 – 2 years’ PQE
• Assistant Director: 2–4 years’ PQESuccessful
• Successful candidates will be offered a 1-year contract in the first instance.

About Ministry of Law

In Singapore, having the rule of law and advancing people’s access to justice are not just lofty ideals but the backbone of a functioning and a progressive society. At the Ministry of Law, not only do we contribute to developing the legal frameworks and policies that uphold our way of life, but also to providing community legal services that Singaporeans benefit from. The key policies we oversee include Singapore’s legal and intellectual property infrastructure, the civil and criminal justice systems as well as land resources.Our officers are experts from different fields, and enjoy an excellent and challenging career in a fast-paced environment with plenty of opportunity to grow. If you share our vision of shaping the future of Singapore, you will definitely fit right in here at MinLaw.