I lead the Urban Design Department in the master planning and design of a variety of projects, ranging from residential, to industrial and commercial ones. More recently, I worked on designing sustainable and community-centric towns.
On top of creating beautiful living spaces, we also strive to retain the area's heritage. For instance, the existing Memorial Garden was integrated into the new design of Bidadari estate to retain its heritage. When the proposals were exhibited, many visitors were excited about the plans and were eager to book units.
I take pride in the work we do, whether it is a large scale project such as town or estate planning, or a more focused one such as a housing project. When residents enjoy and look forward to living in the spaces designed and built by my team, we get the affirmation that we have delivered on our promise of producing quality work. In addition, we continue to strive for excellence by learning from best practices through participation in overseas conferences.
In a nutshell, I design mechanical systems, prepare design drawings and tender documents, assess site conditions and ensure the timely completion of my projects.
In line with HDB's shift towards sustainable living, I have been involved in engineering design projects that reduce energy consumption. One example is the regenerative lift which harnesses energy from the lift's movements to power common area facilities or other lifts.
In a large organisation like HDB, the scope of work is diverse, and so are the people. Since the work we undertake is large-scale, a lot of collaboration is required among various teams of professionals. Through teamwork in this multi-disciplinary environment, I have grown to understand the situation from the viewpoints of different professionals and thus, am better equipped to solve problems.
My job scope is very diverse. In the area of estate management, I assist residents with lease and mortgage loan matters. I also work with residents and contractors on the maintenance of flats and car parks. In the area of enforcement, I check on illegal subletting and misuse of flats.
As part of my work, I am also involved in polling projects for the Home Improvement Programme, Lift Upgrading Programme and Enhancement for Active Seniors Programme.
I derive great satisfaction from being able to make a significant difference in the lives of residents by extending a helping hand in relieving their financial burden, helping to put a roof over their heads or directing them to relevant social service agencies for assistance. Once, I helped a family to right-size their flat as they were facing difficulties in making their mortgage payments. They were very grateful and invited me over to celebrate the festive season in their new flat.
I oversee the entire spectrum of the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS). This is an unique opportunity to oversee work of such breadth and depth.
My work brings both immense meaning, as well as a range of challenges. At the micro level there are operational and implementation details to consider, and at the macro level there are planning and policy considerations. All of these evolve with the changing social and economic landscape and human behaviour dynamics, adding to the complexity of the job.
HDB is a firm believer of life-long learning and demonstrates this by providing career and personal development opportunities for staff. Within three years of my graduation, I took on my first managerial position as Deputy Director in a totally new work area. I also had the opportunity to hone my management skills through pursuing an MBA at Haas School of Business, USA under the HDB postgraduate scholarship. Through my experiences thus far, I have seen myself learn and grow with HDB.
Be involved in physical and land use planning of HDB towns & housing estates and the re-planning of existing estates for rejuvenation and renewal. Other duties include conducting planning research / analysis, formulating / refining planning guidelines for facilities provision and conceptualising and drawing up planning strategies and programmes for implementation.
Be involved in a spectrum of work areas spanning project management, system development and maintenance, data / systems management, quality management, network and communications, desktop services, Data Centre operations and IT security.
Play a part in research and special topical projects on real estate issues, as well as monitor and analyse the Singapore residential market through environment scan.
Work with a team of Researchers from multi-disciplinary backgrounds in the conceptualisation and execution of research projects related to public housing, with emphasis on the community and community bonding.
Provide pertinent sociological input and conduct analysis to enhance the value of research projects with social themes. Responsibilities include compiling and analysing the demographic and socio-economic profile of residents, and monitoring their level of satisfaction with various aspects of public housing, with the view to create a better living environment conducive for building cohesive communities.
Formulate financial policies and procedures, financial accounting, cost and management accounting, budget, treasury functions, payments, systems development and other related duties.
Provide in-house legal advice, draft and review terms and conditions of agreements and other legal documents on corporate and construction related matters, act for the Board in litigation and prosecution cases relating to residential, commercial and industrial properties, advise on legislation within the Board's purview as well as work with multi-disciplinary teams in a wide range of interesting and challenging projects.
Manage media relations, publications, as well as communication programmes for new and major HDB policies and projects; or organise and coordinate VIP visits as well as delegations to overseas; and monitor and analyse public feedback.
Administer corporate planning process and provide support for Board and corporate matters, such as monitoring of key performance indicators and providing analysis of key trends; planning and managing corporate events and projects and delivering content reports on various subjects related to HDB.
Manage one or more of the following functions in human resource management, such as leadership & career development, recruitment, training, welfare benefit schemes administration and / or other related HR areas.