Main purpose of job:

This is a senior and high impact opportunity to join the Ministry of Defence (MOD) team at the British High Commission in Singapore as Head of Defence Collaboration and Exports.

The MOD works to protect the UK’s security, strengthen international defence partnerships, and support sustainable prosperity through responsible defence collaboration and exports. Singapore is one of the UK’s most important strategic defence partners in the Indo Pacific, and this role sits at the centre of that relationship.

The post holder will lead the UK Government’s defence export, collaboration and investment agenda in Singapore, supporting UK defence companies to secure export opportunities, deepening government to government and industry partnerships, and positioning the UK as a trusted long term partner in Singapore’s defence modernisation and capability development.

While Defence is the core focus of the role, the post holder will also engage selectively across security, maritime and aerospace related activity where these sectors directly support or enable defence outcomes, including defence adjacent technologies, dual use capability, and advanced aerospace platforms.

The role includes significant government to government defence engagement, supporting the UK–Singapore defence relationship through trusted capability dialogue, cooperation initiatives, and long term partnership building alongside commercial outcomes. The post holder will exercise high levels of judgement, discretion and political sensitivity, balancing commercial ambition with strategic, diplomatic and security considerations.

The role requires senior level relationship management across government and industry, strong commercial judgement, and the ability to operate credibly and independently in complex political, military, and procurement environments.

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve:

Delivering defence export and collaboration outcomes

•    Lead and own the UK defence export and collaboration campaign for Singapore, aligned to MOD priorities, wider UK Government objectives, and British High Commission Singapore strategy.
•    Develop and maintain a deep understanding of Singapore’s defence capability priorities, procurement processes, and strategic intent, identifying where UK industry can add value as a long term partner.
•    Build and manage a high value pipeline of defence export, collaboration and investment opportunities, working closely with UK industry (from SMEs through to primes), MOD stakeholders, and wider UK Government partners.
•    Shape the upstream environment for UK defence engagement through early insight, market shaping activity and trusted dialogue, positioning UK capability ahead of formal procurement where appropriate.
•    Use security, maritime and aerospace engagement selectively and strategically, where this activity directly supports defence outcomes (for example military aerospace platforms, ISR, autonomy, cyber enabled defence capability and dual use systems).
•    Monitor relevant Singaporean policy, regulatory, and political developments, anticipating implications for UK defence engagement and advising UK companies and government stakeholders accordingly.
•    Identify and address market access barriers, working with MOD policy teams and wider HMG colleagues as required.

Strategic relationship management and influence

•    Develop and sustain trusted senior relationships across the Singapore Armed Forces, Ministry of Defence, Home Team agencies, wider Government, and defence relevant industry.
•    Act as a senior adviser and honest broker to UK defence companies seeking to engage the Singapore market, providing practical, commercially informed advice and strategic insight.
•    Provide coherence across UK Government defence engagement in Singapore, aligning MOD, FCDO, UK Export Finance and Devolved Administration activity into a single, prioritised UK offer.
•    Leverage high level UK engagement (High Commissioner, Ministers, senior military leaders and officials) to advance priority defence objectives and unlock complex opportunities.
•    Represent the UK Government independently, as appropriate, in senior level defence and industry discussions.

High profile events, campaigns and senior visits

•    Design and deliver high impact defence focused events, trade missions and campaigns that showcase UK capability and deliver tangible commercial and partnership outcomes.
•    Lead and coordinate UK input into major defence and defence relevant exhibitions, dialogues and fora in Singapore and the region.
•    Support and deliver senior level visits, including Ministerial, senior military and official engagements, through high quality briefing, programme design and stakeholder coordination.
•    While based in Singapore, contribute to wider UK defence engagement across Southeast Asia and the Indo Pacific, working with regional posts and partners as required.

Learning and development opportunities (if any):

We offer time and financial support for the successful candidate to take advantage of professional learning and development opportunities inside and outside of the organisation.

The BHC has an active Learning & Development Committee which works hard to provide a comprehensive L&D offer. There is a wide range of options available for personal development including training courses, coaching and mentoring, job-shadowing, presentations and learning sets. Staff have access to a wide variety of online resources through the International Academy and Civil Service Learning. Staff are strongly encouraged to take advantage of all available opportunities.

All new hires undertake a workplace induction and there are several mandatory e-learning courses that must be completed to pass probation.

•    Proficient in written and spoken English.
•    Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build credibility and trust with senior government, military and industry stakeholders.
•    Willingness to obtain security clearance. Candidates must be nationals of Five Eyes countries and must have a traceable physical residency footprint of at least five (5) of the last ten (10) years in their home country, which is required to obtain the necessary clearance for the role.
•    Experience working with Government Departments or Defence Industry.
•    Demonstrable experience in defence engagement, international trade, business development, or government–industry collaboration, with a proven record of delivering outcomes.
•    Strong experience in strategy or campaign design, implementation and evaluation, including market analysis and opportunity development.
•    Experience of staff management and working collaboratively across complex, multi stakeholder environments.
•    Strong political awareness, judgement, and discretion.
•    Highly organised, self-directed, and able to operate at pace while managing competing priorities.
•    Willingness to travel regionally and to the UK as required.
•    Residency and personal history are assessed on a case-by-case basis by UK Security Vetting. Candidates whose background does not allow meaningful checks to be undertaken may be unlikely to meet the requirements for this role.
•    Time spent living or working overseas, including at diplomatic missions, does not automatically meet UK residency requirements and may affect the ability to complete vetting checks.