Assistant Director, Acute Care Operations

About

Woodlands Health is an integrated healthcare campus designed to shape the future of care delivery in Singapore. Bringing together acute and community care, specialist outpatient services and innovative care models, we provide person-centred, seamless and connected healthcare that extends beyond hospital walls.

As part of the National Healthcare Group (NHG), we are committed to improving population health through innovation, collaboration and continuous transformation. Our people play a critical role in reimagining healthcare delivery, improving patient outcomes and building a healthier future for the communities we serve.

Why This Role Matters

The Acute Care Operations division plays a pivotal role in ensuring patients receive timely, safe and coordinated care across their healthcare journey. As Assistant Director, Acute Care Operations, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across key acute care services, partnering closely with clinical, nursing, allied health and corporate teams to deliver operational excellence and sustainable service outcomes.

This role oversees a diverse portfolio comprising inpatient wards, the Emergency Department, Bed Management Unit, Health Information Services and the Clinical Coding Unit. Through effective leadership, innovation and collaboration, you will drive patient flow optimization, enhance service performance, strengthen operational resilience and support ongoing transformation across the hospital.

What You Will Drive

1. Strategic Planning & Service Transformation

• Translate organisational and divisional priorities into actionable operational plans and initiatives.
• Develop and implement workplans aligned with Woodlands Health and NHG strategic objectives.
• Monitor healthcare trends, service demands and operational risks to support proactive planning.
• Analyse operational, financial and performance data to enable evidence-based decision-making.
• Lead service redesign, care model innovation and workforce transformation initiatives.
• Drive strategic projects and programmes that enhance operational effectiveness and patient outcomes.

2. Acute Care Operations & Service Excellence

• Provide operational leadership across Acute General Wards, Community Hospital Wards, Inpatient Hospice and Palliative Care Services, and the Emergency Department.
• Partner with clinicians, nurses and multidisciplinary teams to ensure safe, efficient and high-quality service delivery.
• Monitor operational performance, resource utilisation and service capacity across the portfolio.
• Support patient flow optimisation, bed utilisation strategies and discharge planning efforts.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, accreditation, quality and safety standards.
• Lead initiatives that strengthen operational readiness, service continuity and patient experience.

3. Bed Management & Capacity Optimisation

• Oversee operational performance and governance of the Bed Management Unit.
• Monitor occupancy trends, capacity utilisation and patient flow indicators across the hospital.
• Develop and refine bed allocation, prioritisation and surge management strategies.
• Ensure timely, accurate and meaningful operational reporting.
• Drive data-informed planning to improve capacity management and operational efficiency.
• Identify trends, risks and improvement opportunities through data analytics and performance monitoring.

4. Health Information Management & Clinical Coding

• Provide strategic oversight for Health Information Services and Clinical Coding operations.
• Ensure compliance with health information governance requirements, medico-legal standards and regulatory obligations.
• Oversee record integrity, service quality and operational performance.
• Drive initiatives to improve clinical documentation quality and coding accuracy.
• Support audit readiness, reporting reliability and data quality improvement efforts.
• Partner with clinical stakeholders to strengthen documentation practices and coding outcomes that support funding, casemix and organisational performance objectives.

5. Operational Readiness, Facilities & Infrastructure Management

• Lead operational readiness planning to support the safe and effective delivery of acute care services.
• Oversee facility enhancement, space optimisation and infrastructure improvement initiatives.
• Support procurement planning, budget management, contract administration and project implementation activities.
• Monitor the utilisation of operational resources and assets to ensure responsible stewardship.
• Support ward expansions, relocations, redevelopment projects and service commissioning activities.
• Ensure facilities, systems and infrastructure remain aligned with evolving operational requirements.

6. Organizational Preparedness & Risk Management

• Lead planning and readiness efforts for emergencies, disease outbreaks and major operational disruptions.
• Oversee business continuity planning and organisational resilience initiatives.
• Develop strategies to support surge capacity management and service continuity.
• Strengthen risk mitigation frameworks that enable safe and sustainable operations.

7. Financial Stewardship & Resource Management

• Support annual operating and capital budget planning processes.
• Monitor budget utilisation and resource allocation across the portfolio.
• Develop business cases and proposals to support service enhancement initiatives.
• Drive cost optimisation, productivity improvement and resource stewardship efforts.
• Ensure financial sustainability through effective planning and responsible resource management.

8. Leadership, People Development & Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and lead high-performing teams with a strong culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Develop future leaders through coaching, mentoring and succession planning initiatives.
• Foster staff engagement, recognition and workplace well-being.
• Lead communication and change management efforts across operational services.
• Cultivate strong partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to advance organisational priorities and transformation outcomes.

What You Bring

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Healthcare Management, Public Health or a related discipline.
• A Master's Degree would be advantageous.
• At least 10 years of relevant experience, including leadership experience within a large and complex organisation.
• Experience in healthcare operations, hospital administration or acute care service management is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated track record in leading multidisciplinary teams, operational improvement initiatives and complex stakeholder engagements.
• Experience in healthcare transformation, service planning or large-scale project implementation would be advantageous.

Professional Skills & Attributes

• Strong strategic thinking and operational leadership capabilities.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate data into actionable insights.
• Strong understanding of patient flow, capacity management and healthcare service delivery.
• Proven ability to lead transformation, change management and process improvement initiatives.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills.
• Strong financial and resource management acumen.
• Ability to balance strategic priorities with operational execution in a fast-paced healthcare environment.
• Resilient, adaptable and committed to delivering service excellence and patient-centred outcomes.

Why Join Us

1. Play a strategic leadership role in shaping acute care operations within one of Singapore's newest integrated healthcare campuses.
2. Partner with clinicians, nurses and healthcare leaders to improve patient outcomes and experiences across the care continuum.
3. Lead transformative initiatives that strengthen operational excellence, service innovation and healthcare delivery.
4. Contribute meaningfully to population health while developing your leadership capabilities in a dynamic and future-focused healthcare environment.