Assistant Director, Operations Excellence & Programmes (2-Year Contract)

About the role

The Health Promotion Board's Physical Activity Department, within the Physical Activity and Healthy Ageing Division, works across government, healthcare, community and industry to connect residents to physical activity opportunities and help them build sustainable habits. As Assistant Director, Operations Excellence & Programmes (Physical Activity), you will report to the Head of Department and lead, organise and develop the team to deliver its workstreams and outcomes. You will manage two complementary portfolios: operational excellence across the physical activity programme landscape, and the delivery and governance of department-led programmes.

Key responsibilities

• Set direction, organise the team around workstreams and translate priorities into an integrated workplan, assigning accountable workstream leads and coaching officers.
• Manage dependencies, risks and escalations so the team delivers its collective outcomes.
• Operational Excellence: establish standards, processes, controls and reporting; oversee quality assurance, audits, operational risks and incidents and ensure corrective actions are completed.
• Develop indicators, dashboards and assurance reviews to give management visibility of operational health, service quality, control effectiveness and emerging risks.
• Drive continuous improvement and productivity through data, feedback and root-cause analysis, and assess automation, AI and digital tools.
• Programmes: work with the Strategy and R&D team to turn direction into viable plans, and guide programme managers on capacity, budgets, timelines, dependencies and risk controls.
• Maintain programme performance and governance, overseeing outcomes, participation, service quality, safety, access, budgets and vendor performance, and directing recovery actions where needed.

Required profile

• Degree in Business or Operations Management, Engineering, Quality Management, Data Analytics, Economics, Public Health, Health Services Management, Exercise and Sport Science or a related discipline; professional certification is an advantage.
• At least 7-10 years in operations excellence and programme management, including leading a team to deliver multiple workstreams in a multi-stakeholder environment.
• Strong track record of building and running teams, setting clear roles and accountabilities and developing officers.
• Collaborative, adaptable and solutions-focused leader with strong stakeholder engagement, facilitation, written and presentation skills.

Required skills

• Operational governance, process improvement, programme and vendor management.
• Performance reporting, risk, audit and quality assurance.
• Able to turn data into practical decisions and improvements.
• Familiarity with automation, AI or digital productivity tools is advantageous.

Successful candidates will be offered a 2-year contract.