Principal Project Director, Communications Engineering

About the company

NCS is a major AI technology services provider with a workforce of 15,000 across Asia Pacific. The company helps organisations move faster and operate more resiliently by combining AI, digital resilience, and a broad partner ecosystem. NCS is part of the Singtel Group.

Role overview

This senior leadership role is focused on directing the end-to-end delivery of multiple IT and engineering programmes, making sure they are delivered with quality, stay within scope, and meet customer timelines and standards. The position also leads delivery for the homeland and public service segment and carries profit-and-loss accountability.

You will oversee cross-functional project teams, contribute to pre-sales and tender responses, and take ownership of staff development, performance, project assignments, milestones, and financial outcomes.

Project and service leadership

• Take charge of the full project lifecycle, from initiation and planning through execution and closure.
• Assess and control schedules, quality plans, budgets, and communication, as well as risk and issue management plans.
• Handle scope-related conflicts and disputes that affect delivery timelines, costs, or scope boundaries.
• Manage integration challenges across project components such as hardware, software installation, testing, process redesign, application development, migration, and data conversion.
• Track project financials and ensure cost and revenue forecasts are prepared accurately.
• Oversee delivery against schedule, budget, staffing, and quality expectations.
• Address and resolve project overrun situations.
• Report project status and delivery progress to senior leadership and customers.
• Allocate and shift resources across teams as needed to maximise productivity and reduce inefficiency.
• Guide the project and service teams through transition into operations in line with customer processes and requirements.
• Ensure service levels are sustained without penalties or security incidents caused by negligence or lack of awareness.

Stakeholder, customer, and vendor management

• Administer contracts and manage subcontractor relationships.
• Engage stakeholders actively in delivery decisions and execution.
• Strengthen long-term client relationships by understanding expectations early and delivering beyond them.
• Negotiate change control with customers while prioritising work based on business needs and schedule impact.

Business development and pre-sales

• Identify opportunities to expand or improve services for customers and work with sales leaders to pursue them.
• Contribute to tenders by providing delivery input, identifying risks, and reviewing compliance with tender requirements.
• Support pre-sales work by helping evaluate proposals and enhancements for feasibility, value, and cost.

Team leadership

• Take part in leadership initiatives and provide performance feedback and coaching.
• Improve team performance through leadership, team-building, and active performance management.
• Lead and inspire teams to deliver high-quality work and resolve exceptions while keeping customers satisfied.
• Plan the best use of resources across project and technical teams.
• Run performance reviews and maintain open channels for continuous improvement feedback.
• Support career development plans for team members.
• Maintain strong individual and staff billability.

Qualifications

• A degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a similar field is required.
• More than 15 years of project management experience is needed.
• Experience in the defence and homeland sector is preferred.
• Strong self-drive, a positive can-do mindset, creativity, and excellent presentation, communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills are expected.
• The ability to build respectful, trusting relationships is important.
• Willingness to travel when necessary is required.

Additional information

NCS operates with the AEIOU values: Adventure, Excellence, Integrity, Ownership, and Unity. The company looks for people who reflect these principles at work and in daily life. Its broader purpose is to value clients, grow its people, and shape the future.

Applicants should be aware of fraudulent recruitment activity. Official communications from the company are sent only from verified corporate email addresses ending in @ncs.com.sg. If there is any doubt about a message’s authenticity, the sender should be verified directly using the company’s official contact channel.

Travel requirement

Travel is expected as needed for the role.