This position offers the right candidate the opportunity to define and develop evidence-based national policies and strategies in preventive health, to achieve a supportive and sustainable environment for healthy lifestyle behaviours. This is an exciting opportunity to solve some of the most critical issues facing preventive health in Singapore today. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to engage senior stakeholders from across the government and businesses, and influence decision making on public health policies. The successful candidate will also work closely with industry and academic experts, as part of the consultation and strategy development process.
The Policy and Strategy Development Division is part of the Policy, Research and Surveillance Group in the Health Promotion Board. The Division’s mission is formulating public health policies and strategies, as HPB progresses beyond promotional approaches to employ regulatory and policy levers to modify health behaviours. Areas of focus include obesity control (food and physical activity), substance abuse (tobacco and alcohol), as well as emerging areas of public health concerns.
Key responsibilities include:
- Review and analyse public health findings in the area of diet and nutrition, as well as market data from a wide range of sources, and develop evidence-based policies and strategies that address public health gaps in the general and targeted populations.
- Keep abreast of prepacked food products’ labelling and claims (health, nutrient and functional) matters locally and across major jurisdictions; and be able to identify and collate claims that will useful for spurring product innovation and serve public health goals.
- Conduct literature reviews where needed, surveys, and analysing data to gain insights into the area of claims and consumers’ perception. ,
- Consult actively with government agencies, companies and experts, to address key stake holders and their concerns, with the objective of achieving successful and sustainable policy and implementation. For e.g. Ability to independently coordinate meetings across relevant stakeholders to seek views and consensus, and provide reports and updates to management.
- Provide guidance and technical support in alignment with HPB’s nutrition policies and strategies
- Monitor and evaluate policies and strategies to assess impact and review approaches, where necessary, to collaborate with relevant stakeholders e.g. academic institutions and government agencies
- Facilitate collaborations and foster strategic alliances, both local and international, to support policy advocacy and lead conversations on emerging public health issues.
- Address and formulate responses from queries from companies, experts and members of public
- Assist with or take charge of ad-hoc projects or tasks as may assigned from time-to-time.
Requirements
- Qualifications in life sciences, nutrition science, health promotion or any other relevant disciplines.
- At least 5years of experience in developmental, planning and secretariat roles, preferably with public policy experience.
- Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills to identify, define and propose policy solutions for national preventive health problems focused on diet and nutrition
- Highly proficient in using MS Excel and other analytical tools
- Strong analytical abilities to synthesize information, build strong narrative, and distil ideas and concepts into concrete plans.
- Excellent interpersonal and relationship building skills to maintain strong stakeholder partnerships.
- Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills.
- Strong ability to work effectively in an environment that is team focused and across divisions, fluid and fast-paced.
