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Senior Public Engagement Officer

  • Hybrid
    • Singapore, Central Singapore, Singapore
  • Public Engagement

Job description

Who we are

Open Government Products (OGP) operates like a startup within the government; We are a fast-paced, dynamic team of engineers, designers, and product managers dedicated to public good. We autonomously identify opportunities to solve public problems using tech, rapidly prototype, and launch solutions - from citizen apps to automating public agency operations. Embracing an open-sourced and flat hierarchy, we cut through bureaucracy to focus on real-world, user-centric innovations that drive change.

About the role

At Open Government Products (OGP), we build technology for the public good. But building useful products is only part of the work. It’s also about the problems we choose to tackle, the values and principles that guide us, and how we approach building solutions. The Public Engagement (PE) team helps connect OGP's work with the people and communities we serve. We shape how our organisation and products are understood, develop initiatives that drive awareness and engagement, build relationships with the media and partners, and manage OGP’s public presence. 

As OGP’s work reaches more Singaporeans, our communications needs are growing too. Our work increasingly features in national launches, government announcements and media coverage. We want to be more proactive in identifying stories worth telling about our approach and the difference we’re making. By showing what’s possible, we want to raise expectations for what digital government services can deliver.

We're looking for a Senior Public Engagement Officer with a strong background in media relations and executive communications to strengthen how we tell OGP’s organisational and product stories. Helping people understand not just what we build, but why and how we build it, is an important part of earning public trust. 

You’ll lead media relations and press office work, develop executive communications strategies, and advise on reputational issues. You'll also contribute to broader public engagement initiatives that strengthen OGP’s visibility and credibility. You'll work closely with OGP leadership, product teams, government agency partners and fellow PE teammates, including those leading community and partnership engagement. Your involvement may begin well before a product or initiative is ready to launch, often without a clear brief. We expect you to identify opportunities, develop recommendations and drive initiatives from idea to outcome.

This is an individual contributor role with significant ownership and autonomy. You'll be expected to lead through your expertise, judgment and ability to bring people together.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead media relations and PR. Build and maintain strong relationships with journalists, editors and government communications partners. Proactively identify newsworthy stories about OGP, our products and our approach, develop media strategies, and secure meaningful coverage that strengthens public understanding of our work. Lead press office activities, including media enquiries, announcements, interviews and official communications, while coordinating with PE teammates on media engagements in their respective areas.

  • Manage reputational issues and crisis communications. Identify emerging issues and reputational risks, advise on appropriate responses and coordinate with relevant stakeholders. Strengthen OGP’s crisis communications readiness and support communications during sensitive situations.

  • Lead executive communications and external engagements. Develop and drive executive communications strategies that strengthen the public presence and thought leadership of OGP’s leaders. Shape leadership narratives, speeches, talking points and executive social media content. Identify strategic speaking and media opportunities, and prepare leaders and spokespeople for interviews and public engagements.

  • Develop and deliver public engagement initiatives. Identity opportunities that strengthen awareness and understanding of OGP, our products and organisational priorities. Work with PE teammates across content, social and digital channels, partnerships and community engagement to reach the right audiences. Use evidence and insights to evaluate results and improve future efforts.

  • Advise on communications and engagement strategies. Partner with product teams and OGP leadership to develop clear positioning, compelling narratives and engagement approaches. Help teams anticipate public perceptions, stakeholder expectations and policy sensitivities, and communicate complex problems and solutions in ways that are accessible and relevant to the public.

Who We’re Looking For

We are looking for someone who can work independently and:

  • Has at least 5 years of experience in public engagement, communications or PR, with a strong track record in media relations and experience in executive communications. Can independently build journalist relationships, secure meaningful coverage and advise senior leaders on public engagements. A good understanding of Singapore's media landscape is essential.

  • Is an excellent writer and communicator who can make complex ideas clear, accurate and compelling across formats, including media statements, speeches, website content, social media and other public-facing materials.

  • Can think strategically about organisational positioning, public narratives and reputation, and translate broader objectives into actionable communications strategies. Understands how different channels work together, and uses evidence to inform decisions.

  • Can engage and influence a wide range of stakeholders, from citizens and journalists to product teams and senior government officials, while navigating differing perspectives with confidence and tact.

  • Takes initiative and is comfortable with ambiguity. Can identify opportunities without waiting for instructions, develop recommendations and drive initiatives through to completion, exercising sound judgment about when to challenge assumptions or escalate sensitive issues.

  • Is curious about technology and committed to public service. A technical background is not required, but a willingness to understand the problems OGP tackles, how our products work and the thinking behind our approach is important.

  • Experience in the technology sector, government or social impact space is a strong advantage.

Interested in the role? We'd love to hear from you. Apply now to join us at OGP!

Working at OGP

Ownership and Autonomy - Beyond technical tasks, this means having autonomy to voice opinions and suggest future directions. Building what you believe in drives the creation of great solutions.

Rapid Prototyping - We prioritize testing ideas over debating them, allowing us to identify problems quickly and convey possibilities to others. This fail-fast approach accelerates innovation.

Flexibility - We provide flexible work arrangements based on what works best for our team and its members, fostering a productive and supportive environment.

Continuous Learning - Drive professional growth by exploring new architectures, frameworks, and technologies. With dedicated yearly learning months and hackathons, continuous learning is essential as we tackle innovative ideas and challenges.

Mission-Driven - Our work is dedicated to the public good, aiming to improve the lives of Singapore citizens. We focus on creating impactful solutions that enhance the community and the place we call home.

Projects we have worked on include:

  • Covid-19 Vaccination National Appointment System - A suite of systems built to enable Singapore's national vaccination campaign for Covid-19. This includes informational sites, appointment booking systems, and records management systems.

  • Data.gov.sg - An open repository of all the Singapore Government's public data. It helps people understand the data using visualisations and articles, and provides real-time APIs for developers to use.

  • Parking.sg - A mobile app alternative to parking coupons. It lets users pay, extend, and refund their parking sessions just using their phones.

  • FormSG - A form builder tool for agencies to self-service and create online forms that capture classified data, with the goal of replacing paper forms.

  • Isomer - Isomer provides government agencies with an easy-to-deploy static website building and hosting service to create usable, secure and faster informational websites quickly.

  • RedeemSG - RedeemSG helps the Singapore Government to create, send and track redemptions of digital vouchers easily.

  • PaySG - PaySG was developed to enable digital payments for government services, and was initially used for payments for COVID-19 swab tests and Stay-Home Notices for incoming travellers to Singapore.

    An overview of other OGP products can be found on our website: https://www.open.gov.sg/products/

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Consent to Use and Disclosure of Personal Data

I hereby give my consent to Open Government Products, Government Technology Agency (“OGP”) to: Obtain and verify information from or with any source (including third parties) as may be deemed appropriate by OGP and/or any relevant Government agency for the purposes of assessing my application for employment and/or for recommendation to a third party for employment with or engagement by that third party (see below for more information). Share my personal data set out in this application form and any other personal data subsequently provided by me arising out of or in connection with my application for employment with other Government agencies or a third party vendor appointed by OGP for the purposes of recruitment and/or review of recruitment practices, and for such personal data to also be used as part of de-identified and aggregated data for reporting purposes.  

Additionally, where relevant, OGP may share my personal data set out in this application form and any other personal data subsequently provided by me to a third party for that third party to consider employing or otherwise engaging me to undertake work relevant to OGP. I understand and acknowledge that the collection, use and/or disclosure of such personal data may also be subject to that third party’s privacy terms. I declare that all the information given by me is true to the best of my knowledge and voluntarily given.   By clicking the 'Apply' button, I hereby certify that I have read and understood all of the clauses above and that I agree to all of them.