Director of IT - Geylang

JOB PURPOSE

The successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing the entire lifecycle of digital products, from conceptualization and development to launch and ongoing optimization.

CRITICAL WORK FUNCTIONS & KEY TASKS

Strategic Planning:

• Define and execute the organization's digital product development strategy, aligning it with overall business objectives which includes identifying market opportunities, assessing competitive landscapes, and setting clear product goals and milestones.
• Accountable for formulating and establishing digital roadmap through identification of emerging technologies and trends to stay abreast of technological advancements to ensure competitive advantage.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product management, design, engineering, marketing, and commercial, to prioritize digital initiatives and allocate resources effectively through balancing competing priorities and stakeholder interests.
• Champion a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within the IT department, fostering creativity, experimentation, and knowledge sharing.
• Provide leadership in identifying, assessing and managing technology needs within an organisation.
• Establish systems that facilitate data analytics throughout the organisation.

Digital Product Development:

• Lead the end-to-end development of digital products, from concept to launch, ensuring alignment with user needs and business goals that include defining product requirements, creating user stories, and overseeing the development and testing process.
• Shared accountability with product managers, designers, and engineers to define product requirements, user stories, and feature prioritization on alignment of diverse perspectives and drive consensus.
• Implement agile methodologies and best practices to accelerate product development cycles and enhance responsiveness to market feedback and ensure project milestones are met.
• Establish and foster a customer-centric approach to product development, leveraging data-driven insights and user research to drive decision-making through user interviews, analyzing user behavior metrics, and iterating on product features based on user feedback.
• Drive the adoption of modern development tools and technologies to streamline development processes and improve product quality. This includes evaluating new tools and technologies, conducting proof-of-concept experiments, and implementing best practices for code quality and performance optimization.

IT development and operation risk:

• Establish organisation wide risk assessment and management frameworks.
• Review results from risk assessments for mitigation.
• Guide risk management strategies, disaster recovery and business continuity efforts.

Stakeholder Management:

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders, and executive leadership, to gather feedback and incorporate requirements into product development efforts.
• Responsible for providing project updates and soliciting feedback on product features and functionalities.
• Cultivate strong relationships with external partners, vendors, and industry experts to stay abreast of market trends and identify potential collaboration opportunities.
• Advocate for digital initiatives and secure buy-in from key stakeholders by articulating the value proposition and anticipated impact by creating persuasive presentations, developing business cases, and addressing concerns or objections raised by stakeholders.

Technical Leadership:

• Recruit, mentor and develop team members, empowering them to grow their skills and contribute to the success of digital projects.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to the IT team, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and innovation through setting clear expectations, providing regular feedback, and mentoring team members to help them grow and develop their skills.
• Oversee the implementation of robust engineering practices, including code reviews, automated testing, and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines.
• Pioneer establishing of coding standards, conducting code reviews, and implementing tools and processes to automate testing and deployment.
• Ensure adherence to industry standards, compliance requirements, and best practices in software development and security through regular security audits, implementing security controls, and staying abreast of regulatory requirements and industry best practices.

Performance Management & Continuous Improvement:

• Establish metrics and milestones to track the success of digital product development efforts that includes defining metrics such as time to market, product adoption, customer satisfaction, and revenue impact.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and provide constructive feedback to team members, recognizing achievements and addressing areas for improvement. This involves setting clear performance expectations, conducting timely performance evaluations, and providing actionable feedback to help team members improve.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning and professional development, encouraging team members to pursue training and certifications relevant to their roles.
• Lead post-mortem reviews and retrospectives to identify lessons learned and opportunities for process optimization and efficiency gains and implementing process improvements based on lessons learned.

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field.
• Proven experience in leading digital product development initiatives, preferably in a fast-paced, technology-driven environment.
• Strong understanding of agile methodologies, product management principles, and software development lifecycle (SDLC).
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across functions and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Demonstrated leadership capabilities, including the ability to inspire and motivate teams, drive results, and foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
• Deep technical expertise in relevant technologies, platforms, and frameworks, with a passion for staying abreast of emerging trends and advancements in the digital landscape.