Government Technology Agency

[What the role is]

GovTech is the lead agency driving Singapore’s Smart Nation initiatives and public sector digital transformation. As the Centre of Excellence for Infocomm Technology and Smart Systems (ICT & SS), GovTech develops the Singapore Government’s capabilities in Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, Application Development, Smart City Technology, Digital Infrastructure, and Cybersecurity.

At GovTech, we offer you a purposeful career to make lives better where we empower our people to master their craft through robust learning and development opportunities all year round.

Play a part in Singapore’s vision to build a Smart Nation and embark on your meaningful journey to build tech for public good. Join us to advance our mission and shape your future with us today!

Learn more about GovTech at tech.gov.sg.

[What you will be working on]

About the Design Practice at GovTech

The Design Practice within GovTech’s Government Technology Office is dedicated to enabling positive, user-centred impact in government digital services. Our mission is to ensure design drives meaningful outcomes for the people who use public services every day.

We set high design standards, promote best practices, and support GovTech teams in applying human-centred design across the product development lifecycle. Our focus is not just on doing design well, but on making sure design actively shapes what gets built—and why.

To achieve this, we invest in our designers’ growth, equipping them with the tools, guidance, and community they need to thrive. We are building more hands-on support systems, whether by training and/or hiring design managers or by ensuring our team structures enable better oversight. We also cultivate a strong learning culture that encourages experimentation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

We work to build deep partnerships with product managers, engineers, and senior leadership—ensuring that design is not an afterthought, but a strategic input from the start. Whether we’re advising on complex policy-driven challenges or improving everyday digital touchpoints, we help teams understand complex ecosystems of users and their needs, so that we can design with impact.

By embedding design from the core of decision-making to development, we aim to deliver better public services—and to grow a practice that shapes not only what government builds, but how it builds it. If you're passionate about using design to drive systemic change, this is where your work will matter.

What you will do as a Principal Designer, Design Practice

You work to influence and lead design direction at the highest level in the organisation. You work with program leadership and cross-functionally with peers to help achieve the overall objectives of the Design Practice.

As a Principal / Lead Designer - UX Design, you will:

• Work with senior leaders, program leaders, and product owners to ensure the continuous and valuable presence of design across product phases, from discovery through delivery, and into measurement and iteration.
• Advocate for the user at all stages of development, while aligning design solutions with organisational metrics and strategy.
• Work with teams as needed to reframe system complexity into usable, inclusive and coherent experiences that align with policy, tech and operational realities.
• Interface with your peers in engineering and product to integrate design with technical architecture, systems and existing compliance/legal framework.
• Work with programs and teams to consult on using end-to-end design work for complex, ambiguous and high impact programs.
• Frame user experience at a service or system level, so that teams and programs can design for connected touchpoints and real-world constraints.
• Be the practice lead in your domain of expertise. Set the standards in design processes, methodology and outputs, constantly push to improve the quality and standards of the work within your domain and program.
• Evangelise and lead in systems thinking, design-led thinking and strategic thinking at the top level of the organisation.
• Expand the sphere of influence of design across GovTech and across the WoG.
• Track and manage design KPIs and OKRs across the programs under your purview. Take the necessary steps to ensure alignment across all designers within the programs.
• Proactively share and expand the knowledge of design and designers in GovTech.
• Train, teach and mentor more junior designers.
• Be the resident expert in your domain.
• Actively be on the lookout for new design tools, methods and processes to improve designer engagement and output.

[What we are looking for]

• Diploma, bachelor’s degree or higher in industrial design, interaction design, Human Computer Interaction (HCI), visual arts or similar.
• 12 - 15 years experience working in design across multiple industries, 6 of which in a position of influence or leadership.
• Experience working in cross-functional delivery teams.
• Excellent skills in design tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe CC or similar.
• Expert in design methodology and a keen eye for detail.
• Deep understanding of methods to elicit insights from users.
• Deep understanding of the way people engage with digital systems.
• Strategic thinker and a proven ability to drive strategic initiatives in your work.
• Track record of leading cross-functional discovery and shaping product direction based on insight and iteration.
• Proven ability to work seamlessly with senior leaders.
• Strong evidence of partnership with fellow functional leaders and/or stakeholders in driving products towards common goals.
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to present findings clearly and persuasively.
• Strong analytical thinking with attention to detail and ability to handle ambiguity.
• Strong empathy for users and a desire to advocate for their needs.
• Take the lead to learn, adapt and grow in the UX field.

You’ll thrive here if you

• Enjoy making sense of complex, ambiguous challenges.
• Translate technical concepts into clear, human language.
• Focus on outcomes and long-term value, not just deliverables.
• Influence through trust, clarity, and collaboration.
• Love working at the problem-definition stage.

What We Offer:

• Collaborative and creative work environment.
• Competitive salary and benefits package, including opportunities for professional growth and development.
• Work environment that is fully supportive of personal/professional development.

GovTech is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive workplace that values diverse voices and perspectives, as we believe it is key to innovation.

Our employee benefits are based on a total rewards approach, offering a holistic and market-competitive suite of perks.

We champion flexible work arrangements (subject to your job role) and trust you to manage your time to deliver your best.

Learn more about life inside GovTech at go.gov.sg/GovTechCareers