Lead/Principal AI Scientist (Education), DXD (Digital Excellence & Products Division), Ministry of Education

Job description

GovTech is the lead agency driving Singapore’s Smart Nation initiatives and public sector digital transformation.

As the Centre of Excellence for Infocomm Technology and Smart Systems (ICT & SS), GovTech develops the Singapore Government’s capabilities in Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, Application Development, Smart City Technology, Digital Infrastructure, and Cybersecurity.



At GovTech, we offer you a purposeful career to make lives better where we empower our people to master their craft through robust learning and development opportunities all year round.

Play a part in Singapore’s vision to build a Smart Nation and embark on your meaningful journey to build tech for public good.

Join us to advance our mission and shape your future with us today!

Learn more about GovTech at tech.gov.sg.

To Mould the Future of Our Nation

At MOE, we believe in enabling every learner to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

As part of our mission, we are building internal AI capabilities to improve student learning outcomes, enhance educator productivity, and strengthen our ability to innovate sustainably.

Through the responsible and meaningful application of AI, we aim to advance personalised learning, support teaching, and transform educational operations.

As a Lead/Principal AI Scientist, you will play a key role in shaping MOE’s AI capabilities by leading the evaluation, optimisation, and deployment of AI models for education.

You will partner closely with product managers, engineers, curriculum specialists, and policy teams to design solutions that are pedagogically relevant, technically robust, and ready for scale.

Our Team

You will be part of the Digital Excellence & Products Division (DXD), a cross-functional team driving MOE’s digital transformation across platforms, policies, and products.

Our Forward-Deployed AI/Data Science Team focuses on rapidly applying AI to real-world problems in education — from personalised learning and curriculum support to school operations.

Rather than building foundational models from scratch, we focus on evaluating and optimising best-in-class generative AI and LLM solutions, adapting them for MOE’s unique educational needs.

You will also contribute to horizontal AI platform capabilities, including benchmarking frameworks, model evaluation tools, and maturity scaling across initiatives.

What you will be working on

1.Evaluate and Deploy AI Solutions for Education

• Identify and adapt best-in-class AI/LLM technologies for MOE’s learning and administrative contexts.

• Optimise and fine-tune models to meet contextual performance goals using open-source or commercial offerings.

• Work with engineering and product teams to integrate AI into live platforms and workflows used in schools.

2.Strengthen Evaluation and Platform Capabilities

• Lead benchmarking and testing of AI models across pedagogical, technical, and ethical dimensions.

• Develop internal evaluation frameworks and tooling for scalable model assessment and governance.

• Contribute to the development of horizontal AI infrastructure and model maturity strategies across MOE.

3.

Identify and Explore New Use Cases

• Collaborate with educators, curriculum specialists, and digital teams to explore emerging opportunities for AI.

• Prototype and test applications in content generation, adaptive learning, teacher support, and process automation.

4.

Contribute to MOE’s AI Strategy and Governance

• Support horizon scanning and research into AI trends relevant to education.

• Participate in discussions on data policy, AI ethics, and capability-building for public sector AI deployment.

What we are looking for

• Applied AI Leadership – Evaluate and adapt advanced AI technologies for real-world use in education, focusing on optimisation, integration, and performance tuning.

• Evaluation and Experimentation – Design tests, analyse results, and iterate based on learning and feedback.

• Collaboration and Communication – Work effectively across curriculum, engineering, and policy teams; explain complex concepts to non-technical audiences.

• Ethical and Responsible AI – Apply principles of fairness, privacy, and explainability from the outset.

• Outcome-Driven Mindset – Prioritise impact on learners and educators, ensuring solutions are practical and scalable.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field; Master’s or PhD preferred.

• At least 5–8 years of experience in AI, machine learning, or applied data science, with a strong track record of delivering real-world solutions.

• Proficiency in Python and AI/ML frameworks (e.g. PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face).

• Experience in optimising and deploying AI models in production environments.

• Familiarity with LLMs, generative AI, or agentic AI systems.

• Strong skills in benchmarking, evaluation design, and model performance analysis.

• Excellent collaboration, problem-solving, and technical communication skills.

• Passion for public good, and interest in education as a domain for positive AI impact.

• Experience in the education sector or with education technology will be considered an advantage.

• Candidates will be considered for appointment at the Lead or Principal level depending on experience, expertise, and scope of contribution.

Join Us

If you’re excited about helping shape how AI can responsibly transform education and want to build systems that matter — we’d love to hear from you!
 

If you’re excited to turn cutting-edge AI into robust, production-ready systems that power the future of education — we’d love to hear from you.

Join us to build AI solutions that matter for the next generation of learners, educators, and public service!
 

GovTech is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive workplace that values diverse voices and perspectives, as we believe it is key to innovation. 

Our employee benefits are based on a total rewards approach, offering a holistic and market-competitive suite of perks.

We champion flexible work arrangements (subject to your job role) and trust you to manage your time to deliver your best.

Learn more about life inside GovTech at go.gov.sg/GovTechCareers.

Required Skill Profession

Postsecondary Teachers