The National Research Foundation (NRF) is a department within the Prime Minister's Office. We set the national direction for Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) by developing policies, plans and strategies; funding strategic initiatives that strengthen our scientific and technological capabilities, grow our RIE talent base, and achieve economic and national impact; and fostering RIE collaboration in Singapore and internationally.
National Research Foundation
Head / Deputy Head / Assistant Head / Senior Officer, RIE Talent
Permanent/Contract
Closing on 06 Mar 2026What the role is
What you will be working on
The key role of RIE Talent directorate is to shape Singapore’s overall RIE talent strategy and build an internationally competitive attraction, retention and development ecosystem. Talent is a priority focus for enhancing economic competitiveness and addressing national imperatives through science, technology and innovation. You will be part of the team that:
• Shapes and provides policy oversight over a ~$3.5 billion portfolio of talent-related initiatives and programmes.
• Engages the senior management of public research institutions, private sector organisations (e.g. venture capitalists and builders), and sectoral lead agencies to co-create policies and strategies with system-level impact.
• Designs, implements, and reviews talent initiatives, programmes and other ecosystem building tools. For flagship talent schemes that are directly administered by the RIE Talent Directorate, scope of work includes secretariat duties to support the Fellowship Evaluation Panel (comprising Nobel laureates and other eminent scientists) in assessing top research talent.
• Owns and uses a national-level platform to (i) analyse the stock/flow/mix of RIE talent within the ecosystem, (ii) support headhunting of global talent, (iii) facilitate competitive benchmarking and timely identification of gaps and interventions, and (iv) support policy decisions.
What we are looking for
• Proven experience in strategy, planning or policy in a similar sectoral development role is preferred.
• Fresh graduates or mid-career applicants with a strong aptitude for the following are also encouraged to apply.
o Strong analytical abilities with a broad sense of perspective.
o Ability to work with complex concepts and pull together information from different sources.
o Ability to collaborate well with others.
o Good written and verbal communication skills.
About your application process
This job is closing on 06 Mar 2026.
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 National Research Foundation or the wider Public Service.
About National Research Foundation
The National Research Foundation (NRF) was set up on 1 January 2006 as a department under the Prime Minister's Office. It was set up to perform the following:
a) To provide secretariat support to the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC), chaired by the Senior Minister;
b) To coordinate the research of different agencies within the larger national framework in order to provide a coherent strategic overview and direction;
c) To develop policies and plans to implement the five strategic thrusts for the national R&D agenda; and
d) To implement national research, innovation and enterprise strategies approved by the RIEC, and to allocate funding to programmes that meet NRF's strategic objectives.
Learn more about National Research Foundation