Senior Assistant Director (Quality Assurance-Ops Policy), ECDA/PDS

The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) serves as the regulatory and developmental authority for the early childhood sector in Singapore. The Professional Development and Standards (PDS) Division oversees frameworks and initiatives that support the training and professional development of early childhood educators and leaders, including the implementation of national curriculum frameworks. The Division’s Quality Assurance (QA) team oversees the Singapore Preschool Accreditation Framework (SPARK), which recognises and supports preschools in improving teaching and learning, administration and management practices. Through SPARK, the Division partners the preschool sector to uplift and drive continuous quality improvement across the sector. We are looking for an experienced officer to lead the QA team’s operational policy and planning functions for SPARK. You will lead a small team to develop operational policies and strategies and translate them into operational requirements, systems and processes, while strengthening the integrity, effectiveness and sustainability of SPARK implementation. Responsibilities • Lead the development, review and implementation of operational policies and quality improvement initiatives for the preschool sector. • Work with policy and operational teams across ECDA and MSF to align operational strategies and implementation plans with ECDA’s Quality Preschool 2030 plan and ensure that policies are operationally feasible. • Work with the SPARK Secretariat and operational teams to redesign work processes, including the outsourcing of selected validation functions, and develop capability-building plans for SPARK Officers. • Conduct cross-divisional reviews on SPARK and licensing-related processes to further uplift preschool quality across the sector. • Develop approaches to monitor SPARK accreditation and sector quality improvement progress, and use data and ground insights to inform operational reviews. • Strengthen QA’s partnership model with preschool operators to engage, guide and support them in their SPARK accreditation and quality improvement journeys. • Work with the Partnership Division to frame clear communications for preschool operators, parents and the public on the meaning and value of SPARK, and respond to complex implementation issues where required. • Provide input and guidance to QA’s work planning, budget, procurement, finance and administrative matters where required. Requirements • At least 8 years of relevant working experience in strategic planning, policy development, operational policy, service delivery and/or process transformation. Experience in quality assurance or the early childhood sector would be an advantage. • Strong strategic, analytical, critical and systems thinking skills, with the ability to take a broad perspective while remaining attentive to operational and ground considerations. • Ability to translate policy intent into practical operational requirements, implementation plans, systems and processes. • Good written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to guide the development of clear and effective communications for different audiences. • Strong stakeholder management and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively across teams and with preschool operators, vendors and other partners. • Self-driven, meticulous and adaptable, with a collaborative mindset and openness to innovation and continuous improvement.