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.
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.
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.