[What the role is]
The National Arts Council (NAC) champions the arts in Singapore. By nurturing creative excellence and supporting broad audience engagement, our diverse and distinctive arts inspire our people, connect communities and profile Singapore internationally. We preserve our rich cultural traditions as we cultivate accomplished artists and vibrant companies for the future. Our support for the arts is comprehensive, ranging from grants and partnerships to industry facilitation and arts housing. The Council welcomes greater private and corporate giving to the arts and through the arts, so that together, we can make the arts an integral part of everyone’s lives.
At NAC, we have a team of creative and dynamic staff who share this common vision.
If you have a strong passion for the arts, we welcome you to join us for a fulfilling and rewarding career.
[What you will be working on]
The Deputy Director (DD), Infrastructure Planning & Development leads the planning, development and stewardship of Singapore's arts space ecosystem, translating NAC's long-term infrastructure strategies into precinct, space and arts housing outcomes.
The DD is accountable for shaping Singapore's future arts infrastructure, translating strategy into deliverable projects, and ensuring the effective stewardship of NAC's existing arts space portfolio. The role leads two interconnected portfolios that directly support NAC’s strategic thrust of building a Distinctive City through the arts: Planning & Diversified Spaces and Leasing & Tenancy Management. The DD will develop and implement strategies to strengthen cultural precincts, secure and diversify arts spaces through public and private partnerships, and ensure that NAC's arts housing and leasing portfolio remains responsive, equitable and sustainable.
Working across government agencies, developers, landlords, arts organisations and community stakeholders, the role connects upstream planning and policy with downstream space delivery, activation and tenancy outcomes, while supporting the Director in shaping NAC's overall arts infrastructure strategy.
You will be responsible for:
Arts infrastructure planning and translating the Arts Spaces Plan into an implementable pipeline
- Lead the implementation and review of the Arts Spaces Plan.
- Direct demand-supply and spatial analysis to identify future needs by art form, location and typology.
- Work with agencies to incorporate arts requirements into upstream planning and development opportunities.
Precinct development and placemaking strategies
- Lead cultural precinct strategies, including for Bras Basah and Bugis, and progressively expand NAC's placemaking efforts to other key precincts.
- Develop integrated place plans covering cultural anchors, connectivity, programming, tenancy mix and community participation.
- Establish governance, partnerships and measurable precinct outcomes, including sustainable precinct stewardship arrangements and frameworks.
Expand and diversify the arts space ecosystem beyond NAC-managed premises
- Lead NAC’s diversified spaces strategy across State Properties, CSFS, SDI and public/private developments.
- Identify, evaluate and secure opportunities for arts spaces through government land-use planning, adaptive reuse, co-location and partnerships with private developers and property owners.
- Lead engagements with government agencies, developers and landlords to secure space and precinct opportunities.
- Structure and negotiate partnership, leasing and operating arrangements.
Steward Arts Housing Policy & Framework Development
- Develop and review policies and frameworks to connect arts groups and artists with available spaces, informed by research and data.
- Recommend policy shifts, incentives and toolkits to diversify infrastructure support.
- Align housing decisions with sector needs, the Arts Spaces Plan and precinct strategies.
- Review the long-term sustainability of NAC's arts housing portfolio, balancing affordability, equitable access, efficient space utilisation and appropriate levels of public subsidy.
Provide strategic oversight of Tenancy & Lease Management
- Oversee tenancy processes across the Arts Housing Scheme and Framework for Arts Spaces (FFAS), providing strategic direction on space allocation and tenant mix to support arts sector development, equitable access and wider precinct objectives.
- Ensure headlease and tenancy agreement renewals are properly tabled and approved.
- Ensure all agreements are properly documented and followed through in a timely manner.
- Oversee Open Calls, renewals and sensitive tenancy matters.
Financial & Budget Oversight
- Oversee budget planning and financial performance across the leasing portfolio.
- Coordinate with SLA and NAC Finance on rent collection and grant processing.
- Recommend optimisation strategies for financial arrangements, including rental structures, subsidies, service charges, contract costs and resource deployment.
Strengthen Governance, Compliance & Process Improvement
- Develop and refine SOPs to ensure good practices are consistently upheld, particularly in procurement, contract management and tenancy administration.
- Ensure robust documentation systems and data governance practices are in place.
- Incorporate audit recommendations into continuous process improvement.
- Maintain compliance with IM and NAC operational guidelines.
- Establish performance measures across precincts, arts housing and diversified spaces.
- Monitor utilisation, demand, affordability and outcomes.
- Ensure major decisions are supported by sound policy, financial and risk analysis.
Stakeholder Engagement & Change Management
- Manage engagement plans and change initiatives to support policy shifts or new strategies.
- Facilitate good landlord-tenant relationships and assist arts groups and artists in transitioning towards sustainable arts housing arrangements.
- Coordinate cross-agency collaboration with URA, MCCY, SLA, NLB and PA, as well as developers, property owners, arts organisations, venue operators and other public and private stakeholders.
Team Leadership & Development
- Coach and enable team members across both units to grow to their fullest potential.
- Provide guidance and direction across all workstreams under the team's charge.
- Set priorities and accountabilities, manage resources and competing project demands, and empower officers to exercise sound judgment and independent ownership.
- Build capabilities across planning, policy, property, negotiation and placemaking.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement and knowledge-sharing, ensuring continuity of operations and effective performance management.
[What we are looking for]
- At least 10 years of relevant working experience, with experience in urban planning, property or infrastructure planning, including the development of spatial requirements and implementable planning interventions.
- Experience in policy development related to infrastructure, space management, cultural infrastructure or cultural policy, preferably in the public sector or the arts and cultural sector.
- Experience in leasing, asset or tenancy management, including contract administration and space resource planning.
- Experience in public-sector commercial development, public-private development and partnership arrangements, including the assessment of property propositions and operating models.
- Strong stakeholder engagement and negotiation experience across government, private-sector organisations and community partners.
- Good understanding of public-sector governance, procurement, compliance and approval processes, as well as financial management, budget oversight and commercial analysis.
- Strong strategic analysis, policy formulation, risk management and performance measurement capabilities.
- Strong leadership and people-management capabilities, with at least 5 years of supervisory experience, including experience leading multi-functional teams in policy, tenancy management or infrastructure-related functions. Experience managing teams of more than four staff is preferred.
- Experience in public infrastructure, cultural precinct development, placemaking or the management of public or community facilities would be advantageous.
