Assistant Director (Digital Transformation) - Contract, Public Defender’s Office

About the Role

The Public Defender’s Office (PDO), a department within the Ministry of Law in Singapore, is dedicated to ensuring access to justice for accused individuals with limited resources by providing criminal defence services. As the Assistant Director for Digital Transformation, you will act as the lead champion driving PDO’s digital evolution. This role is suited for someone who can skillfully navigate the technological landscape, pragmatically assess solutions, and effectively lead implementations, rather than deeply technical experts.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the enhancement and development of PDO’s case management systems by creating and maintaining a system improvement roadmap including conceptual planning and system design.
• Design and plan improvements to front-end systems to boost user experience and operational efficiency.
• Manage the integration and implementation of new system features to streamline operations.
• Identify, evaluate, and implement innovative digital technologies such as document processing and workflow automation to improve legal workflows and case management.
• Explore emerging technologies like generative AI and advanced analytics for practical operational enhancements through evaluation, piloting, and proof-of-concept development.
• Collaborate closely with business users, external partners, vendors, and the IT team to ensure system requirements are gathered and delivered according to business priorities and quality standards.
• Champion change management efforts by promoting digital adoption, preparing organizational readiness, and embedding new workflows through communication, training, and user engagement strategies.
• Encourage a culture of experimentation and continuous improvement to optimize digital tool utilization across teams.

Candidate Profile

• Strong technology acumen with an ability to quickly understand, evaluate, and translate technical capabilities into actionable business value.
• Capability to align business strategy with technological solutions and deliver measurable outcomes.
• Proven experience managing diverse stakeholders and fostering strong partnerships between business units, technology vendors, and government entities.
• Excellent communication skills to convey complex ideas clearly and build alignment among cross-functional teams.
• Experience driving change management initiatives, managing expectations, and boosting user adoption within organizations.
• Solid project management expertise handling multi-stakeholder projects from inception to delivery on time and within scope.
• Strong analytical and systems thinking skills to identify dependencies and optimize processes end-to-end.
• Adept at working in complex and ambiguous environments with flexibility.

Qualifications and Experience

• Degree qualification in any discipline.
• Between 5 to 7 years of experience in digital transformation, business transformation, or process improvement initiatives.
• Familiarity with enterprise systems and digital platforms from a business perspective.
• Interest and working knowledge of emerging technologies, especially generative AI.
• Proven success in managing projects and collaborating with cross-disciplinary and technical stakeholders.
• Experience evaluating technology solutions focusing on business impact and user needs.
• Competency in simplifying complex concepts for non-technical audiences.

Desirable Skills and Knowledge

• Public sector digitalisation project experience.
• Familiarity with legal technology implementations or case management systems.
• Understanding of Singapore’s legal tech environment and court filing processes.
• Knowledge of data security, governance, and compliance in technology solutions.
• Experience with AI/ML applications, including generative AI.
• Background in Agile frameworks, such as serving as a product owner.
• Insight into system design, architecture, and integration principles.

Contract Details

The appointment will initially be for a one-year contract, with the possibility of extension for up to an additional two years.