Senior/Manager (Digital Innovation) - Centre of Excellence in Maritime Safety

[What the role is]

About the Company
The Centre of Excellence in Maritime Safety (CEMS) is a national R&D centre, a collaborative effort between Singapore Polytechnic and the Singapore Maritime Institute. We focus on developing innovative digital solutions and training systems to enhance maritime safety. Our state-of-the-art research facilities, including South-east Asia's first navigation research simulator, setting us as an innovation champion.

About the Role
You will join CEMS as a Manager/Senior Manager (Digital Innovation) and lead the planning and delivery of AI, software, and immersive technology initiatives across research, industry collaboration, and centre-level programmes. You will be responsible for driving project outcomes, guiding technical teams, and ensuring solutions are relevant, deployable, and aligned with industry needs.

You are expected to have sufficient technical understanding to scope problems, evaluate approaches, and challenge technical decisions, while focusing primarily on programme management, stakeholder engagement, and delivery execution.

[What you will be working on]

Responsibilities

1. Programme Leadership & Delivery

• Oversee the portfolio of AI, software, and immersive (VR and navigation simulator) projects across training, assessment, safety analytics, and operational applications.
• Translate business and operational needs into structured project scopes, deliverables, and timelines.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with practical deployment requirements.

2. Technical Oversight

• Work with AI, software, and immersive teams to define system architecture, data requirements, and solution approaches.
• Review and challenge technical proposals to ensure they are practical, scalable, and aligned with intended use cases.

3. Team Leadership

• Supervise AI engineers, software developers, simulator technologists, and VR developers across multiple workstreams.
• Set direction, prioritise tasks, and ensure consistency in technical delivery.
• Support capability development within the team, including adoption of AI tools and workflows.

4. Industry Engagement & Stakeholder Communication

• Engage industry partners and stakeholders to identify problems and co-develop AI-enabled solutions and R&D initiatives.
• Present project concepts, progress, and outcomes clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences, bridging communication between internal technical teams and external partners.

5. Centre Initiatives & Governance

• Support funding proposals, reporting, and strategic planning activities.
• Contribute to centre-wide AI initiatives, including identifying use cases and driving adoption.
• Ensure alignment with organisational processes and funding agency requirements.

[What we are looking for]

Qualifications & Experience

• Tertiary Qualification in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or a related field.
• At least 5–10 years of experience in AI, software, or digital solution delivery roles.
• Strong understanding of AI/ML concepts (e.g. computer vision, NLP, data pipelines, model deployment).
• Proven experience managing projects or programmes involving technical teams.
• Experience working with industry stakeholders and translating requirements into deliverables.