Assistant Director, Partners

Summary

Dsg is looking for a passionate candidate to join the Partners unit, reporting to the Deputy Director or Director. As the Assistant Director, you will lead a team to develop and curate programmes in helping Singapore enterprises, public sector agencies and social enterprises understand how to innovate using design for strategy and organisational transformation.

About DesignSingapore Council Pte Ltd (Dsg)

DesignSingapore Council’s (Dsg) vision is for Singapore to be an innovation-driven economy and a loveable city through design by 2025. As the national agency that promotes design, our mission is to develop the design sector, help Singapore use design for innovation and growth, and make life better in this UNESCO Creative City of Design. The Dsg is a subsidiary of the Singapore Economic Development Board.

About Partners Unit

The Partners team works with both Singapore companies and MNCs, public sector agencies and social enterprises to facilitate the implementation of design for business strategy and organisation transformation, through establishing partnerships and connections.

Responsibilities

Your responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Enterprise Engagement for Design Adoption: Drive collaborations with business leaders locally and globally across diverse non-design industry sectors, such as Healthcare, Technology, FMCG, Retail and F&B to understand their business challenges and facilitate connections, tools, and support to leverage design for innovation and impactful outcomes.
• Design Advocacy and Sponsorship: Cultivate strategic relationships with industry enterprises, including the development of a sponsorship framework to secure support for Dsg’s design initiatives by aligning with their goals, showcasing design’s impact, and fostering collaboration on high-visibility projects.
• Cross-Sector Collaboration: Partner with public service agencies and social enterprises to drive innovation and growth in both public and private sectors through strategic design applications.
• Programme Development: Work with Dsg’s Product Innovation Team to design and implement a range of initiatives, such as the Good Design Research, that empower organisations to integrate design and build internal innovation capabilities, fostering growth.
• Strategy and Programme Review: Continuously evaluate and enhance strategies, programmes, and projects, proposing new initiatives and refining approaches to support design adoption across various industry sectors.

Requirements

• Extensive Experience: At least 8 years of experience in business development, industry development, or design management roles, with a strong background in formulating and implementing strategies for business strategy and organisational transformation in both the private and public sectors. Experience in public service is advantageous.
• Leadership and Team Collaboration: At least 3 years of experience in leadership roles. Ability to lead and motivate teams, foster a collaborative environment, and manage stakeholders. Skills in coordinating efforts across various units to drive results through strategic oversight and collaboration.
• Attention to Detail: Ability to identify and collaborate with organisations on transformative innovation projects, ensuring successful implementation and delivery with a creative, detail-oriented approach.
• Networking & Partnerships: Enjoys meeting people and business leaders in developing and nurturing local and international partnerships, amplifying the design message through leadership roundtables, learning journeys, and other platforms.
• Stakeholder Relationships: Ability to foster strong, supportive relationships with all stakeholders, both within Dsg and with external partners, taking ownership of these connections.
• Analytical and Strategic: Strong analytical skills for interpreting data and developing strategies, with an inquisitive mindset to challenge existing assumptions and improve approaches.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills in articulating Dsg’s vision, strategies, and requirements to stakeholders, team members, and customers. Ability to facilitate discussions and negotiations to drive alignment.