The Manager (Trade Advisory and Skills Development) is responsible for advancing Singapore's workforce readiness for international trade, investment, and global business expansion. The role emphasises skills articulation, aggregation, and recognition, enabling enterprises to adopt globally relevant workforce strategies, align talent development to trade and investment skills pathways, and strengthen capabilities in line with national competitiveness and internationalisation priorities.

The incumbent must bring a strong background in skills development, including the ability to interpret and apply SSG's Skills Frameworks, Jobs-Skills Insights (JSI), and WSG's Job Transformation Maps (JTMs) to guide enterprise workforce planning and training adoption. They must be able to contextualise trade and investment skills within sectoral transformation strategies, including alignment with Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs), Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), and regional integration frameworks such as ASEAN and APEC.

This role demands a One SBF / One WDD mindset, working across divisions to deliver integrated, high-impact solutions. Success will be measured by the ability to translate strategic workforce goals into operational delivery, drive enterprise adoption of TII skills interventions, and contribute to SDP LOA KPIs such as skills articulation, aggregation, recognition, and programme impact.

The incumbent must also be able to unpack workforce needs into targeted programme interventions, including EWTP (job redesign and consultancy), JSIT (placement and profiling), CCPs (conversion and upskilling), and MCPP (mid-career pathways), and bundle these into holistic workforce solutions that meet business transformation priorities.

Responsibilities:

Skills Articulation

Translate global trade and investment trends into skills standards and in-demand workforce competencies.
Develop, apply and promote TII skills frameworks to support organisational workforce planning.
Map recognised certifications, international standards, and credentialing pathways.
Develop and communicate jobs-skills insights, advisory resources, and thought leadership for the global economy.
Apply SSG's Skills Frameworks and Jobs-Skills Insights to contextualise TII skills for enterprise use and co-develop sector-specific pathways in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
Support the integration of JTMs and ITMs into workforce planning conversations, ensuring alignment with national transformation priorities and internationalisation strategies.

Skills Aggregation

Validate and prioritise enterprise demand for trade and investment skills.
Facilitate job redesign to align roles with global business practices.
Advocate for participation in SSG-approved TII skills training programmes.
Engage enterprises, shape solutions, and drive participation in skills development and unpack into relevant skills and workforce interventions aligned with SDP LOA KPIs.
Identify workforce transformation needs and mapping them to suitable interventions such as EWTP, JSIT, CCPs, and MCPP, ensuring that solutions are tailored to business context and workforce maturity.

Skills Recognition

Apply recognition frameworks and credentialing models to align enterprise workforce development with internationalisation needs.
Curate, promote, and support uptake of trade and investment-focused training and development solutions, leading to tangible credentialing outcomes and adoption of recognised certifications.
Ensure that recognition pathways are embedded in enterprise workforce strategies and contribute to SDP LOA performance metrics.
Support the development of certification pathways and credentialing models that align with SSG-accredited subsidised courses and national frameworks.

Stakeholder Engagement & Advisory

Build and sustain relationships with government, unions, industry leaders, professional bodies, and academia.
Consult on trade and internationalisation workforce development strategies and implementation.
Engage economic agencies, including EnterpriseSG, WSG, and SSG, to ensure alignment with ITMs and JTMs.
They will also collaborate with SSG's Queen Bee firms and strategic partners to validate and scale adoption and ensure relevance of TII skills interventions.

Evaluation & Governance

Conduct diagnostics and impact evaluation of skills initiatives aligned to SDP LOA performance indicators.
Support governance panels or expert groups to steer TII skills development initiatives.
Maintain high standards of reporting and contribute to transparent, data-driven decision-making to support audit-readiness, funding reconciliation, and performance tracking across TII skills programmes.

Requirements:

Experience in workforce development and skills strategy, supported by a strong understanding of internationalisation, trade, and investment dynamics.
Knowledge of global trade and investment trends, as well as regional integration frameworks (e.g., ASEAN, APEC), and the ability to translate these macro trends into workforce capability implications.
Proven ability to engage enterprises and stakeholders on trade-driven talent initiatives.
Strong knowledge of competency frameworks, job redesign, and skills recognition methodologies.
Ability to interpret and apply familiarity with SSG's Skills Frameworks, Jobs-Skills Insights, and WSG's JTMs to guide enterprise workforce planning and training adoption.
Experience in skills development and unpacking skills requirements into relevant training and workforce interventions such as SSG-funded programmes, knowledge in EWTP, JSIT, CCPs, and MCPP is highly desirable.

Technical Competencies:

Background in skills development and courseware development background in trade, investment, and internationalisation.
Understanding of international certifications, standards, and credentialing pathways.
Proficiency in applying and promoting competency/skills frameworks to organisational contexts.
Ability to map and curate credentialing pathways and certifications aligned to sectoral needs.
Expertise in workforce planning, job redesign, and global skills mapping.
Research, data analysis, and impact evaluation capabilities.
Proficiency in project management and multi-stakeholder facilitation.
Ability to use data to track progress, measure outcomes and inform continuous improvement.

Soft Skills:

Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
Ability to synthesise global trade and investment trends into practical workforce insights.
Strategic and analytical thinking to align skills strategies with internationalisation objectives.
Collaborative and adaptable, able to work in dynamic and cross-functional environments.
Influence and persuasion skills to advocate for adoption of skills-based frameworks and programmes.
A strong drive to deliver results and exceed expectations is critical to success in this role.
The incumbent must lead with influence, navigate complexity, and maintain momentum towards achieving programme goals.

Preferred Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Business, International Trade, Economics, or related discipline.
Postgraduate qualifications/ certification or training in trade, investment, or internationalisation preferred.
Certification or experience in Competency Frameworks, CET (Continuing Education & Training), or HR Development preferred.

This is a contract position till 30 April 2028.

Manager (Trade Advisory and Skills Development) (Contract role)