The Security and Intelligence Division (SID), an external intelligence agency under Mindef, has just launched their official website.

Most of its operations are shrouded in secrecy.

However, what is made known is that it provides intelligence and assessments to Singapore government agencies, supports deliberations on international and strategic issues and analyses global developments that could affect Singapore’s security and national interests.

According to Mindef, the official website will "give Singaporeans a better sense of the significant work SID does and an opportunity to explore a wide range of careers at SID".

Careers available

So, what job openings are currently available?

The roles have five broad categories:

• Research, which produces intelligence assessments on the latest geopolitical developments and threats to Singapore, including specialisations in political and global trend analysis
• Operations, which seeks "timely and actionable information on threats to Singapore’s security, stability and interests". Specialisations include cybersecurity and terrorism threat.
• Technology, which builds and deploys technical tools, products, and platforms to meet mission requirements.
• International partnerships, which plan, develop and drive SID’s relationships with its foreign and local partners.
• Corporate, which works with internal and external stakeholders to plan, develop and implement strategies to enable smooth operations.

According to their website, the positions are only open to Singaporeans.

People are encouraged to apply for any opening that "fits (their) skillset and work experience". Final-year undergraduates are also welcome to apply.

The process involves "suitability tests", which can be conducted online or in-person, an interview, as well as a security clearance process.

The starting salary package will be based on factors such as one's work experience, skills, qualifications and the demands of the job.

Straits Times reported that fresh graduates used to make up the bulk of people coming into SID.

However, according to Today, a senior director of the division said that there are some private-sector roles with transferable skillsets. Economists, for instance, would be able to value-add through making sense of numbers, while lawyers will be able to advise on legal boundaries.

The division has also recruited a banker who could give them a better understanding of financial systems.

More information about SID

The agency was established in 1966, and much of SID’s operations remain classified for national security reasons.

Contributions include working with other Singapore security agencies for counter-terrorism efforts, such as the arrests of Jemaah Islamiyah terrorists in the early 2000s, and supporting efforts to disrupt a terror group’s plot to launch an attack on the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort in 2016.

Top photo via Mindef.