Deputy Chief of Staff / Chief of Staff, Product Division

Who we are

Open Government Products (OGP) operates like a startup within the government; We are a fast-paced, dynamic team of engineers, designers, and product managers dedicated to public good. We autonomously identify opportunities to solve public problems using tech, rapidly prototype, and launch solutions - from citizen apps to automating public agency operations. Embracing an open-sourced and flat hierarchy, we cut through bureaucracy to focus on real-world, user-centric innovations that drive change.

The products OGP builds are used by millions of people. The organisation that builds them needs to work just as well.

About the Role

Open Government Products (OGP) is seeking a Deputy Chief of Staff / Chief of Staff to work alongside the leadership of our product division. In this role, you will (1) help design how the division operates, (2) plan how OGP teams embed into government agencies, and (3) support digital transformation across the public service.

At its core, this role is about building the operating system for how government teams work with technology, from how teams are structured, to how decisions are made, to how impact is delivered at scale.

You will be shaping how the Singapore government engages with technology in the future. If successful, this work will scale across the public service, impacting how around 150,000 public servants, and ultimately everyone who calls Singapore home will experience the digital services you helped enable.

This is a high impact individual contributor role spanning organisational design, transformation, and cross government collaboration. You will work at the intersection of strategy, operations, and technology - helping teams move faster, align better, and deliver meaningful outcomes.

What you'll do

1. Build the division's operating infrastructure

Partner with division leadership and HR business partners to design the organisational structures that keep the division running smoothly, accountably, and at scale:

• Define and steward metrics, OKRs, and accountability mechanisms to track progress against divisional goals
• Establish and maintain division-wide operating cadences (e.g. leadership syncs, all-hands, planning cycles)
• Develop standard operating procedures, playbooks, and communication frameworks that align teams and reduce friction
• Identify and close gaps in process or team setup, and work with leaders and HR business partners to address them.

2. Plan and support the transition of OGP divisions into government agencies

Lead the strategic planning and execution for OGP teams to successfully embed into partner government agencies:

• Co-design transition plans and governance models with division leaders, policy leads, and HR business partners
• Shape how teams will operate in the new environment (org structure, hiring, performance, compensation structures, career development schemas, workplace arrangements and tooling, etc)
• Coordinate dependencies across workstreams and flag risks early, ensuring transitions are smooth and well-sequenced
• Build institutional knowledge and playbooks for future transitions
• Work with the leadership team, HRBPs, and government agency partners to define what success looks like and how it should be tracked.

3. Drive digital transformation in within government agencies

Once teams are embedded within a government agency, work with portfolio division leadership to lead digital transformation across the following domains:

• Shape how the agency makes decisions about technology - including systems, standards, and governance
• Strengthen core technology capabilities (e.g. enterprise architecture, infrastructure, tech policy) so teams can operate effectively at scale
• Ensure alignment across teams by connecting product, engineering, and leadership on shared direction and priorities

What we're looking for

We care more about how you think than where you have been. That said, some things are critical:

1. You can build structure where there isn't one yet

You're comfortable starting from a blank page - shaping goals, processes, or systems, and seeing them through to implementation.

2. You understand how government works

You have a good sense of how decisions are made, and can navigate across government teams, stakeholders, and constraints with respect to tech solutions to advance your organisation's interests.

3. You can align people and move things forward

You communicate clearly, build trust with different stakeholders, and help groups come to decisions and take action.

4. You use data to guide decisions

You are able to spot issues early, and translate ideas about people, teams, or systems into something measurable and trackable.

5. You are comfortable around technology

You don't need to be deeply technical, but you are able to (or willing to learn to) engage in conversations around product, infrastructure, or digital systems.

Working at OGP

• Ownership and Autonomy — Beyond technical tasks, this means having autonomy to voice opinions and suggest future directions. Building what you believe in drives the creation of great solutions.
• Rapid Prototyping — We prioritize testing ideas over debating them, allowing us to identify problems quickly and convey possibilities to others. This fail-fast approach accelerates innovation.
• Flexibility — We provide flexible work arrangements based on what works best for our team and its members, fostering a productive and supportive environment.
• Continuous Learning — Drive professional growth by exploring new architectures, frameworks, and technologies. With dedicated yearly learning months and hackathons, continuous learning is essential as we tackle innovative ideas and challenges.
• Mission-Driven — Our work is dedicated to the public good, aiming to improve the lives of Singapore citizens. We focus on creating impactful solutions that enhance the community and the place we call home.

Projects we have worked on include:

• Covid-19 Vaccination National Appointment System - A suite of systems built to enable Singapore's national vaccination campaign for Covid-19. This includes informational sites, appointment booking systems, and records management systems.
• Data.gov.sg - An open repository of all the Singapore Government's public data. It helps people understand the data using visualisations and articles, and provides real-time APIs for developers to use.
• Parking.sg - A mobile app alternative to parking coupons. It lets users pay, extend, and refund their parking sessions just using their phones.
• FormSG - A form builder tool for agencies to self-service and create online forms that capture classified data, with the goal of replacing paper forms.
• Isomer - Isomer provides government agencies with an easy-to-deploy static website building and hosting service to create usable, secure and faster informational websites quickly.
• RedeemSG - RedeemSG helps the Singapore Government to create, send and track redemptions of digital vouchers easily.
• PaySG - PaySG was developed to enable digital payments for government services, and was initially used for payments for COVID-19 swab tests and Stay-Home Notices for incoming travellers to Singapore.

An overview of other OGP products can be found on our website: https://www.open.gov.sg/products/