Manager / Senior Manager (Marine Licensing & Permits)

What the role is

Singapore is a global hub port and a leading maritime centre. To ensure that ships calling at our port do so safely, they are required to comply with port entry requirements. The ocean-going ships also require services such as fuel (bunker), towing and crew change. These are provided by harbour craft operating in our port. The Marine Licensing & Permits administers port entry requirements, and also licenses harbour craft operating in the Port of Singapore. To support our national decarbonisation goals, MPA has already set goals to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of our local harbour craft, which will entail a full change in the mode of operations of our companies.

Reporting to the Marine Licensing and Permits Department, which is part of the Marine Services Division, you will part of a dynamic team that is issuing licenses/permits to ensure vessels operating in Singapore meet the necessary safety standards, certifications, ethical guidelines, and regulatory requirements.

You will also be involved in formulating policies to promote the harbour craft sector, creating a pipeline of seafarers to meet the industry needs and prepare for the decarbonisation milestones of the maritime industry. Your key responsibilities include:

What you will be working on

1. Licensing

• Administration and enforcement of manpower quota policies for the harbour craft industry.

• Oversee the licensing requirements for harbour craft and pleasure craft to ensure they meet safety standards and are properly manned, which is critical for safe port operations.

• Develop licensing measures to spur a younger and optimised harbour craft fleet, which would also support implementation of decarbonisation targets for the harbour craft sector.

• Manage the allocation of sea space for mooring buoys, as well as policies for their use.

2. Port clearance processes

• Direct and lead major projects to improve customer-fronting processes (e.g. applying for licences, customer enquiries, submission of documents) especially for areas where there can be digitalisation.

• Organise and oversee a team of about 5 officers to run 24/7 port clearance operations, while maintaining high standards of customer service.

• Administration and enforcement of port clearance requirements to ensure proper control and monitoring of vessels entering/leaving the port.

3. Development of policies to support harbour craft industry

• Review policies and programmes to support manpower development of seafarers for the harbour craft sector. This includes introducing new training programmes and review of existing programmes to ensure effectiveness in attracting and retaining talent.

• Monitor and analyse data on the harbour craft population, to identify trends in the harbour craft industry for MPA to better support the sector.

• Engage the harbour craft industry to understand pain points, while at the same time rallying them to adapt and evolve to adopt new technology.

What we are looking for

You should possess relevant work experience in customer-facing service delivery as well as process improvement and regulatory/licensing policy. Experience in manpower development work or shipping will also be beneficial. You must be motivated with a high level of initiative to drive process change, while being able to prioritise and work within tight timelines in a fast-paced environment. You should also have excellent verbal and written communication skills and possess strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to communicate with and manage a wide range of stakeholders. You should be comfortable with use of data analysis to drive policy formulation. You will also be required to attend to after office hours duties on occasion.