SVP, Head of Spatial Design, CRESA, Group COO

Dbs

🇸🇬 Singapore

On-site

Manager or above

3 weeks ago

AI
Canvas
Design Thinking
AutoCAD
SketchUp
Adobe Creative Suite

3 weeks ago

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Head of Spatial Design

Design spaces thatshape how Asia’s leadingAI-drivenbank is experienced.
At DBS,physical design is a strategic expression of our brand and a source of competitive advantage. This is a rare opportunity to own how DBS is experienced across workplaces, wealthcentres, branches andspecialised client environments—combiningbehavioural insight, digital intelligence, sustainability and disciplined delivery to create intuitive, meaningful spaces that reflect our ambition to be an AI-driven bank with a heart. You willset the Groupdesign vision, raise quality acrossmarkets and build the standardsand governancethat enable great ideas to scale.

What you will shape

Set the global design vision. Create distinctive, progressive standards for DBS workplaces, wealthcentres and retail environments—translating brand ambition into compelling physical experiences.

Elevate design quality. Lead critiques and design reviews,balancing aesthetics, customer and employee experience, functionality, risk,cost and delivery.

Build an effective design ecosystem. Direct leading architects, interiordesigners and specialistagencies; create the conditions for bold thinking and disciplined execution.

Codify and govern excellence. Own global playbooks, approvalframeworks and design principles that protect consistency while enabling thoughtful local adaptation.

Lead Group design governance. Represent CRESA on the Group Design Council andestablish a Spatial Design Council with representatives from Brand, Marketing, businesssegments and CRESA across core markets to drive alignment,standards and decisions.

Own design assurance and approval. Review concepts, detaileddrawings and buildability; provide the final CRESA design recommendation before proposalsproceed to implementation.

Design for people andplanet. Applybehavioural insight, inclusive design and sustainable material choices to create spaces that work harder and feel better.

Champion the moments that matter. Elevate the smaller, high-impact details that shape a sense of arrival and the end-to-end human experience—from hospitality cues and service touchpoints to the spatial placement of media, digital content,wayfinding and signage within branches.

The role

You will be the senior design authority within CRESA, shaping the end-to-end spatial experience across a diverse regional portfolio. You will move fluently between enterprise strategy and design detail: setting a north star, challenging proposals, aligning seniorstakeholders and ensuring every project delivers arecognisable,modern and human DBS experience.

Develop future-facing concepts grounded in customer journeys, employee needs,behaviouralscience and global design trends.

Translate business and brandobjectives into clear spatial strategies, designbriefs and measurable outcomes.

Oversee the full design lifecycle—from discovery and concept through detailed design,implementation and post-occupancy learning.

Lead on-site design observations, milestonereviews and quality-control meetings, ensuring deliveryremains true to the approved concept, brand standards,budget andprogramme.

Chair design reviews and provide decisive, constructive direction to internal teams and external partners.

Shape scalable standards for retail,wealth and workplace formats across multiple markets.

Champion sustainability, circularity, accessibility and long-term adaptability in every solution, including compliance with the DBS Sustainable Fit-out and Operations Guide and relevantrecognised green-building standards.

Build trusted partnerships across CRESA, business units, Group Marketing & Communications,technology and market leadership.

Track emerging materials, tools,technologies and methods, and convert the best ideas into practical advantage for DBS.

Partner with business,brand and service teams to translate hospitality principles into practical service design changes, ensuring that physical settings, customer or employeebehaviours and customer journeys work as one coherent experience.

Set principles for the spatial impact of media, digital screens, environmental graphics,wayfinding and signage in branches, so content is visible,relevant and integrated without compromising the overall aesthetic.

Lead and develop a small, high-impact Group team spanning design governance, branchprogrammes andbehavioural design.

Your canvas is regional. Your impact is human.
This role suits a design leader who can protect a bold creative idea, earn trust in a complexorganisation and turn ambition into spaces that are beautiful, buildable,sustainable and unmistakably DBS.

What you bring

Leadership & influence

Design & technical depth

Typical experience

Requirements:

A degree in Architecture, Interior Design, EnvironmentalDesign or a related discipline isrequired; a master’s degree isadvantageous. You should bringat least 15 years of relevant spatial or interior design experience, includingsenior leadershipin corporate real estate, a leading design consultancy or a complex globalorganisation.Your experience should cover the full lifecycle from concept and detailed design through construction,completion and post-occupancy learning, supported by strong knowledge of building codes, construction methods, material and furniture specifications, and sustainable building practices.Additional qualifications in design thinking, user experience,behaviouralscience or business will be valued.A portfoliodemonstrating distinctive, executed and preferably award-recognised work will strengthen your application.

Leadership & Influence

Enterprise-level leadership; able to inspire teams and influence senior stakeholders.

Confident communicator and presenter with strong design judgement.

Strategic, commercially aware and comfortable navigating ambiguity and trade-offs.

Skilled at agency leadership, vendor management and constructive critique.

Curious about how behaviour,culture and service shape spatial outcomes.

Design and Technical Depth:

Deep expertise across branded retail environments, wealthformats and corporate workplaces. Proven ownership of design standards, playbooks, governance and multi-marketroll-outs.

Strong grounding in architecture, interior design, ergonomics,materials and buildability.

Working fluency in relevant design tools such as AutoCAD, SketchUp,Revit and Adobe Creative Suite.

Demonstrated capability in sustainable,inclusive and evidence-led design.

Location:

DBS Asia Central

Job:

Corporate Services

Schedule:

Regular

Employee Status:

Full time

SVP, Head of Spatial Design, CRESA, Group COO · Dbs

Auto apply with Likeremote

Head of Spatial Design

What you will shape

Set the global design vision. Create distinctive, progressive standards for DBS workplaces, wealthcentres and retail environments—translating brand ambition into compelling physical experiences.

Elevate design quality. Lead critiques and design reviews,balancing aesthetics, customer and employee experience, functionality, risk,cost and delivery.

Build an effective design ecosystem. Direct leading architects, interiordesigners and specialistagencies; create the conditions for bold thinking and disciplined execution.

Codify and govern excellence. Own global playbooks, approvalframeworks and design principles that protect consistency while enabling thoughtful local adaptation.

Lead Group design governance. Represent CRESA on the Group Design Council andestablish a Spatial Design Council with representatives from Brand, Marketing, businesssegments and CRESA across core markets to drive alignment,standards and decisions.

Own design assurance and approval. Review concepts, detaileddrawings and buildability; provide the final CRESA design recommendation before proposalsproceed to implementation.

Design for people andplanet. Applybehavioural insight, inclusive design and sustainable material choices to create spaces that work harder and feel better.

Champion the moments that matter. Elevate the smaller, high-impact details that shape a sense of arrival and the end-to-end human experience—from hospitality cues and service touchpoints to the spatial placement of media, digital content,wayfinding and signage within branches.

The role

Develop future-facing concepts grounded in customer journeys, employee needs,behaviouralscience and global design trends.

Translate business and brandobjectives into clear spatial strategies, designbriefs and measurable outcomes.

Oversee the full design lifecycle—from discovery and concept through detailed design,implementation and post-occupancy learning.

Lead on-site design observations, milestonereviews and quality-control meetings, ensuring deliveryremains true to the approved concept, brand standards,budget andprogramme.

Chair design reviews and provide decisive, constructive direction to internal teams and external partners.

Shape scalable standards for retail,wealth and workplace formats across multiple markets.

Champion sustainability, circularity, accessibility and long-term adaptability in every solution, including compliance with the DBS Sustainable Fit-out and Operations Guide and relevantrecognised green-building standards.

Build trusted partnerships across CRESA, business units, Group Marketing & Communications,technology and market leadership.

Track emerging materials, tools,technologies and methods, and convert the best ideas into practical advantage for DBS.

Partner with business,brand and service teams to translate hospitality principles into practical service design changes, ensuring that physical settings, customer or employeebehaviours and customer journeys work as one coherent experience.

Set principles for the spatial impact of media, digital screens, environmental graphics,wayfinding and signage in branches, so content is visible,relevant and integrated without compromising the overall aesthetic.

Lead and develop a small, high-impact Group team spanning design governance, branchprogrammes andbehavioural design.

Your canvas is regional. Your impact is human. This role suits a design leader who can protect a bold creative idea, earn trust in a complexorganisation and turn ambition into spaces that are beautiful, buildable,sustainable and unmistakably DBS.