The Food Business Facilitation Department drives development of the food businesses sector through facilitating business development and capability building initiatives for Singapore’s food importers and exporters, to support Singapore’s food security needs and development into a regional food trading hub.
Manager/ Assistant Director (2 years contract)
Singapore Food Agency
Fixed Terms
Closing on 27 Aug 2025
What the role is
What you will be working on
Responsibilities
a. Facilitating business development opportunities for food businesses, to drive the growth of Singapore’s food business sector, in support of our overall food security and food safety strategies. This comprises:
i. Planning and identifying sourcing opportunities (from local and overseas markets) such as organising sourcing and business matching missions
ii. Functioning as the key point of contact in SFA for engagement and coordination with industry associations and partners for food security, food sourcing, overseas investment, and regulatory matters
iii. Explore and identify new market opportunities for Singapore food businesses (e.g. producers/manufacturers).
iv. Maintaining rapport with food businesses for market intelligence, feedback, and information sharing
b. Promoting the adoption of industry standards and best practices amongst food businesses. This comprises:
i. Building an understanding of regional/global food industry through research on local and global business trends, as well as Singapore’s priorities in key thematic areas relating to the needs of food businesses
ii. Identifying, establishing and nurturing relationships with key stakeholders, including other government agencies (e.g., EnterpriseSG), institutions of higher learning, and industry partners to develop solutions to promote adoption of standards
c. Develop and maintain SFA’s overseas network to enhance market access, including the following:
i. Engage foreign regulators to negotiate for market access requirements and recognition of Singapore’s 3rd party Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) scheme
ii. Identify opportunities for international cooperation to facilitate exports for products from Singapore to destination countries
iii. Pursue opportunities with sponsors and collaborators to improve standards of producers/manufacturers to meet technical requirements of destination countries
d. Coordinate SFA’s bilateral engagements with key regional counterparts through sharing of standards and regulatory practices, to deepen cooperation and uplift industry standards of both parties.
Qualifications
University degree preferably in Business Administration, Economics, Engineering or Science.
Preferably with at least 1-2 years of work experience.
Other Requirements
Excellent communication, interpersonal and writing skills. Proficiency in Chinese language is preferred.
Analytical, self-motivated, result-oriented and dynamic. Able to thrive under pressure and work independently and within a team.
Keen sense of observation and business opportunity instincts.
Good understanding of the requirements of an accreditation or certification framework and how to operationalize it.
Competent in advanced computer skills in Microsoft Office applications such as Access, Excel, Word and Powerpoint.
Frequent overseas travel is required.
Work Location
SFA HQ at JEM
What we are looking for
If you do not hear from us within 4 weeks of our job ad closing date, we seek your understanding that it is likely that we are not moving forward your application for this role. We thank you for your interest and would like to assure you that this does not affect your other job applications within the Public Service. We encourage you to explore and apply for other job roles within Singapore Food Agency or the wider Public Service.
About Singapore Food Agency
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) is a new Statutory Board formed under the ‘Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) to oversee food safety and security. The SFA will serve as the single point of contact for public feedback on food-related issues, and strengthen management of foodborne disease outbreaks to protect public health.
The SFA will also facilitate more business-friendly regulations with oversight of all food safety policies and consolidation of food laboratory capabilities to deepen competencies in food diagnostics, and research and development in food safety.
About your application process
This job is closing on 27 Aug 2025.
If you do not hear from us within 4 weeks of the job ad closing date, we seek your understanding that it is likely that we are not moving forward with your application for this role. We thank you for your interest and would like to assure you that this does not affect your other job applications with the Public Service. We encourage you to explore and apply for other roles within Singapore Food Agency or the wider Public Service.