Kampong Gelam Ramadan Bazaar Project Manager

About the Event

The Kampong Gelam Ramadan Bazaar is KGA's flagship, signature cultural event, celebrating the rich Malay-Muslim heritage of the Kampong Gelam precinct. Gemilang Kampong Gelam (GKG) 2027 runs across Kandahar Street, Sultan Gate Park and the Malay Heritage Centre courtyard from Wednesday 3 February to Friday 5 March 2027, with set-up from 25 January 2027 and deinstallation through to 9 March 2027. The programme includes an Official Launch on 10 or 11 February 2027 and a Mass Iftar on 20 February 2027, and street light-ups run from 3 February through the post–Hari Raya period into mid-to-end March 2027.

Role Purpose

KGA is engaging an external Project Manager to oversee the administrative and operational coordination of GKG Ramadan Bazaar 2027. The Project Manager will be the central point of coordination across three appointed agencies and KGA's internal team, keeping the project on time, on budget and administratively in order for a signature event of this scale. This role complements, but does not replace, the KGA Place Manager who supports the licensing process — the Project Manager owns overall paperwork tracking and coordination, while the KGA leads the licensing submissions. This is a contract position that ends in April 2027.

Key Responsibilities

Agency & Vendor Oversight

•    Serve as the central point of coordination across the three appointed agencies: the overall Event Organiser (EO), responsible for bazaar logistics and curation and management of 80+ F&B and retail vendors; the Precinct Décor Organiser, responsible for street light-ups, arches and façade lighting from 3 February 2027 through the post–Hari Raya period (mid-to-end March 2027); and the Mass Iftar event company, responsible for event logistics and performance programming for the Mass Iftar on 20 February 2027.

•    Monitor each agency's deliverables against contracted scope, coordinate cross-agency dependencies (for example, shared site access and overlapping timelines across Kandahar Street, Sultan Gate Park and the Malay Heritage Centre), and escalate risks or delays to KGA promptly.

•    Chair or participate in regular coordination meetings with each agency and consolidate status updates for KGA management and the Ramadan Working Group.

Administrative & Licensing Paperwork

•    Own the master tracker for all permits, licences and approvals required across agencies (including NRTOL, SPF/LTA road closure, URA car park lots, SLA TOL, SPF/IMDA PEL/AEL, SFA, SCDF, NEA and PUB), ensuring every application is submitted, followed up and closed out on time.

•    Work closely with KGA, who supports the licensing process, to keep documentation, timelines and requirements aligned so nothing falls through the cracks between KGA and the external agencies.

•    Maintain organised records of all contracts, permits, correspondence and approvals for audit purposes, as KGA is subject to an event audit as part of its STB grant reporting.

Timeline Management

•    Develop and maintain a master project timeline spanning agency appointment through set-up (from 25 January 2027), the event run (3 February – 5 March 2027) and teardown/reinstatement (through 9 March 2027), plus precinct décor takedown after Hari Raya.

•    Track each agency's milestones against the master timeline, flag slippage early, and drive corrective action to keep the project on schedule.

Budget Management

•    Track actual spend against KGA's approved project budget across NRTOL, marketing, Mass Iftar, precinct décor, general logistics and admin lines, and against each agency's contracted sum.

•    Review invoices and claims from agencies for accuracy against contracted deliverables before recommending payment.

•    Flag budget variances promptly and support KGA in preparing STB grant qualifying-cost documentation.

Reporting & Stakeholder Management

•    Provide regular reports to KGA (Natalie Tan / Ramadan Working Group) covering timeline, budget, risks and outstanding items.

•    Support KGA's stakeholder engagement — including grant reporting and partner updates — with accurate, up-to-date project information.

What We're Looking For

•    Proven experience project-managing large-scale public events, festivals or bazaars, or a comparable scale of operation.

•    A strong track record managing multiple external vendors or agencies concurrently, with the ability to hold them accountable to scope and timeline.

•    Familiarity with Singapore event licensing and permit processes (e.g. SPF, LTA, SCDF, NEA, SFA, URA, SLA).

•    Strong budget management and financial tracking skills, including invoice review and variance reporting.

•    Excellent organisational and documentation skills — meticulous with paperwork and comfortable owning a master tracker across many moving parts.

•    Confident stakeholder management, able to coordinate smoothly between a community organisation, commercial agencies and government agencies.

•    Able to work independently, proactively identify risks, and escalate issues before they become problems.

•    Sensitivity to the Malay-Muslim cultural context of the event, including Ramadan and Hari Raya considerations, is an advantage.