Director, Technology Operations - Applications, Digital & Data

About Temasek

Temasek is a leading global investment firm based in Singapore, managing a portfolio valued at S$434 billion (approx. US$324 billion) as of 31 March 2025. Marking unlisted assets to market is expected to add S$35 billion, bringing the portfolio value to S$469 billion. Guided by its purpose “So Every Generation Prospers,” Temasek aims to generate sustainable returns over the long term through commercial principles. The company operates from 13 offices across 9 countries globally.

Role Overview

The Director of Operations role is focused on reimagining technology operations within Temasek’s Technology, Applications, Digital, and Data platforms. This strategic leadership position centers on creating an AI-first, autonomous operations function that transitions away from reactive models toward intelligent, predictive, and self-healing systems. The incumbent will be tasked with redefining operational frameworks, cutting complexity, and yielding substantial improvements in reliability, security, and cost-effectiveness across the enterprise.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement AI-centric, automation-driven operational models from the ground up.
• Develop and expand AIOps platforms to support predictive analytics, autonomous problem resolution, and continuous performance enhancement.
• Replace manual and repetitive operational workflows with intelligent automation and generative AI-powered processes.
• Embed self-healing capabilities as standard across systems.
• Achieve near-zero unplanned downtime through enhanced system reliability.
• Institutionalize Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles, including error budgets and resilience engineering.
• Implement comprehensive observability and real-time operational insights.
• Ensure accountability for verifiable reliability outcomes rather than mere operational activities.
• Optimize costs by challenging and lowering baseline expenses across infrastructure, cloud, and applications.
• Utilize AI-based financial operations (FinOps), workload optimization, and autonomous scaling to drive cost efficiency.
• Simplify tooling and processes by consolidating fragmented solutions into scalable platform models.
• Collaborate with the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) to enforce cybersecurity policies, embed security in workflows and systems, and maintain continuous audit readiness.
• Transform incident management via AI-driven real-time detection, automated triage, and rapid containment techniques to minimize business disruption.
• Lead governance and audit practices by establishing real-time data-driven control environments, ensuring consistent controls, zero-backlog remediation, and platform-integrated policy automation.
• Spearhead modernization efforts by reducing legacy complexity, fostering cloud-native, platform-centric architectures, and standardizing tools and processes to improve delivery velocity.
• Build and manage high-performance teams across AIOps, SRE, cloud, and cybersecurity operations with a focus on accountability and talent retention.
• Continuously challenge operational norms, benchmark against top global technology leaders, and position operations as a competitive advantage driving transformative outcomes.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence or related disciplines.
• Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, ITIL, or cloud provider certifications (AWS, Azure, GCP) are advantageous.
• Minimum of 15 years of experience in technology operations, including over 7 years in senior leadership roles.
• Demonstrated expertise in enterprise-scale modernization and operational transformation, particularly with automation and AI-driven operational frameworks.
• Solid background in building or scaling AIOps and automation-centric operation environments, cloud-native platforms, observability, system resilience engineering, and SRE practices.
• In-depth knowledge of cybersecurity controls, platform engineering, and contemporary infrastructure architectures.
• Experience leading significant operational rebuilds or transformation initiatives in complex environments.
• Capability to drive clarity and effective execution in ambiguous contexts with a strong focus on outcome-oriented leadership.
• Proven track record of delivering substantial cost efficiencies by managing complex budgets and vendor relationships while linking operational improvements to enterprise value.