Manager/Senior Manager, Partnerships and Innovation (ICPD) [1 - year Temp]

You will support SWDA’s efforts to deepen industry and ecosystem partnerships, develop programmes and pilots, and manage grants and funding matters that support initiatives related to career planning and development, employment services and capability building within the Careers and Employment Services (CES) sector. The role involves working closely with partners to translate ideas into well-designed programmes and pilots, while ensuring sound grant administration, project coordination and operational follow-through. Responsibilities As a Manager/Senior Manager in Partnerships and Innovation, you will: • Engage ecosystem stakeholders and partners such as training providers, institutes of higher learning (IHLs), employers, industry associations, sector agencies, and community partners to understand needs, identify collaboration opportunities and expand outreach. • Cultivate and maintain working relationships with partners to co-develop initiatives that support career development, career planning and employment-related outcomes. • Support the design and implementation of programmes, pilots and innovation projects, including defining objectives, target segments, delivery formats, success indicators and operational plans and requirements. • Translate feedback, observations and data into actionable proposals, pilot designs, implementation plans and improvement recommendations. • Develop concept notes, funding proposals, programme budgets and related documentation for assigned initiatives. • Manage grant administration and funding-related matters, including eligibility checks, claims documentation and processing, disbursement tracking, budget utilisation, compliance requirements, audit trails and outcome reporting. • Work with internal teams to ensure proper governance, timely execution and alignment with organisational priorities. • Monitor programme milestones and deliverables, project risks, budget utilisation and outcome indicators, and escalate issues early with practical options for resolution. • Evaluate programme effectiveness and recommend whether initiatives should be refined for future runs, scaled, handed over or discontinued. • Scan for new ideas, delivery models, tools and partnership approaches that can improve reach, accessibility, quality or impact. • Prepare clear updates, management submissions, briefing materials and presentations for internal stakeholders and senior management. Requirements You should have the following work experience and knowledge: • Relevant experience in partnership management, industry engagement, programme development, project management, grant administration, funding management, innovation projects and/or public-sector programme implementation. • Good understanding of stakeholder engagement, project governance, budgeting, funding processes, grant compliance and programme operations. • Experience working with training providers, institutes of higher learning, employers, sector agencies, community partners or education institutions will be advantageous. • Exposure to innovation methodologies or human-centred design approaches is good to have. • Proficient in Microsoft Office, especially PowerPoint and Excel. • Familiarity with grant management systems, CRM tools, collaboration platforms or dashboard tools will be advantageous. You should possess the following skill sets: • Stakeholder Engagement: Confident in engaging external and internal stakeholders, gathering useful inputs and maintaining productive working relationships. • Partnership Development: Able to identify partner needs, translate shared interests into concrete initiatives and support collaborations from discussion to implementation. • Programme and Pilot Management: Able to scope, coordinate and monitor pilots or initiatives from concept to delivery, including timelines, risks, deliverables and outcomes. • Finance and Grants Management: Able to manage programme budgets, grant documentation, claims, reporting requirements and compliance expectations with care and accuracy. • Innovation Mindset and Execution: Open to testing new approaches including design thinking or human-centred design methods, while maintaining disciplined operational follow-through; able to learn from pilots, refine programme models and improve processes for better reach and impact. • Analytical Sense-Making: Able to interpret partner feedback, programme data and ground observations to surface practical insights and improvement areas. • Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills to prepare clear proposals, updates and management-facing materials. Candidates are encouraged to sign up for a Careers & Skills Passport (CSP) account and include your CSP public profile in your resume. Please check out www.myskillsfuture.gov.sg for details on the CSP.