Ministry of Defence
Polytechnic | Ministry of Defence

A Different Line of Defence

Ministry of Defence

Jeeva Dharsini
Executive (Risk Management), Corporate Plans and Excellence Department
Digital, Corporate and Transformation Division
Diploma in Electronic and Computer Engineering Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
Currently pursuing Bachelors in Communications with Marketing
Singapore University of Social Sciences.

Jeeva Dharsini takes us behind the scenes of how her role in the Digital, Corporate and Transformation Division contributes towards the holistic defence of Singapore, and why she finds her work fulfilling.

Give us an outline of your job scope. Explain how your role contributes to the organisation’s objectives.

I work in the Corporate Plans and Excellence Department where we oversee the enterprise risk management (ERM) in the resources domain for MINDEF and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). We identify emerging risks that would derail our mission objectives and put in place the necessary risk mitigation strategies. We are also tasked with Business Continuity (BC) management for MINDEF entities where we develop action plans to maintain the readiness of our critical processes.

My primary role is to support my team in driving and implementing BC plans and training for MINDEF divisions. On an annual basis, we would conduct BC exercises to validate our BC plans by testing the recovery procedures. On ERM matters, I provide secretariat support on the liaison with risk owners and the conduct of meetings. I find my role very fulfilling as we play important functions to ensure critical risks are addressed through appropriate strategies and actions, and MINDEF/ SAF’s overall BC readiness is maintained.

Share with us the corporate culture at the Digital, Corporate and Transformation Division.

I have been in the organisation for over four years and the journey thus far has been delightful because of the fun and caring people that I work with. The organisation shapes us to be agile and innovative. For example, I was given opportunities to try new challenges and projects, such as developing a BC e-Learning module to train BC personnel, and a video to educate and raise greater awareness on the importance of BC.

I have very supportive bosses who understand my strengths and weaknesses, and guide me to be more competent in my role. With a performance-driven culture, my bosses appreciate my efforts and I was recently recognised and promoted. This has given me more motivation to excel on a personal level and contribute further to the organisation.

“The DXO scheme allows you to rotate appointments after fulfilling a minimum of two years in the current portfolio. Through this, one can choose to specialise in their domain or expand their horizon in new job areas. The new appointments provide new challenges and opportunities to grow.”

Why would you recommend others to be a DXO?

In terms of career development, the DXO scheme allows you to rotate appointments after fulfilling a minimum of two years in the current portfolio. Through this, one can choose to specialise in their domain or expand their horizon in new job areas. The new appointments provide new challenges and opportunities to grow.

MINDEF also encourages upskilling, with training credits that allow DXOs to initiate and plan personal functional or general competency trainings. I am currently pursuing my degree locally using the training credits, to offset part of my semester fees. I am also able to balance my work and study commitments as there are training leaves to study for examinations.

One of the proficiencies that I had learned and become skilled at in the years in my appointment is to develop infographics and communication messages for BC exercises and events. As my major is in Communication, it helps me to apply the concepts that I have learned in my degree courses. After graduation, I am keen to explore positions in the communications domain in MINDEF.