Senior Executive / Assistant Director (Maintenance Enforcement Division)

The Maintenance Enforcement Division (“MED”) is a new division under the Insolvency and Public Trustee’s Office (“IPTO”). The MED enhances access to justice by improving the process for enforcing maintenance arrears. A summary of the maintenance enforcement process and the role of the MEO can be found in this video: https://med.mlaw.gov.sg/video-role-of-maintenanance-enforcement-officers/.

Your responsibilities as a Maintenance Enforcement Officer (MEO) in the MED will include the following: a) Managing your own cases relating to the enforcement of maintenance orders. You will conduct (1) fact-finding and (2) conciliation, and write reports regarding your findings. In conciliation, which replaces the existing mediation process, MEOs will play a more active role in seeking information and recommending solutions to the parties. You will be required to understand agreements reached between parties and draft the corresponding Consent Order. You will also need to appear in court via video-conferencing to assist parties in recording the Consent Order. You may also have to appear in court if the judge requires your attendance to address any queries regarding the report. b) Beyond your casework, you will also have the opportunity to contribute to projects relating to, amongst others, enhancing operational workflows, developing IT systems and testing GenAI products, and evaluating the maintenance enforcement process.

Key competencies a) [Strong interpersonal and communication skills] Strong communication abilities and emotional resilience to manage hostile or emotional situations, de-escalate conflicts, and facilitate constructive dialogue between parties with fundamental disagreements, particularly drawing from family law work, social work or counselling experience. b) [Investigating and Gathering Evidence] Ensure all evidence related to the case are appropriately obtained, documented, processed, and stored in accordance with agency policy and procedures to support case resolution. Able to assess financial information and formulate practical settlement proposals based on parties’ financial circumstances and needs (including understanding of common financial documents such as bank, CPF, and IRAS statements as well as payslips) c) [Case management] Independently manage multiple case files progression, as well as related financial matters while ensuring compliance with SOP and timelines. d) [Leveraging on technology] Keep up to date on technological trends relevant to my work in enforcement, and adopt relevant technology-enabled solutions to address current and future enforcement challenges. e) [Application of law] Demonstrate understanding of and apply the fundamental legal principles, laws, legislation and government regulation to the relevant areas of work. f) [Litigation support] Prepare high quality and accurate written correspondence as well as court papers such as the Maintenance Enforcement Report or follow-up reports to be submitted to the Court within required timeline. g) [Optional] Proficiency in data analysis with strong Microsoft Excel skills, including advanced functions, pivot tables, and data visualisation, experience in interpreting datasets and translating findings into actionable insights. Personal traits Candidates should: a) Possess strong verbal and written communication skills b) Be able to do front-line work with members of public c) Have a keen interest in the development of ops-policies and operational work d) Be meticulous and capable of collecting and evaluating complex or multifaceted information e) Prior experience in mediation, legal drafting, handling casework that involves family disputes, family law practice, finance, accounting, proficiency in using Microsoft Excel, statistical analysis or developing/managing IT systems will be an advantage, but is not a pre-requisite for the role f) Ability to speak local languages/dialects will be an advantage Successful candidates will be appointed on a 1-year contract in the first instance.