The Public Service newbie guide

Example: Your RO reviews your work and development; it is not a live reporting dashboard.

Also heard as: RO, direct reporting officer

Context: The formal reporting and countersigning structure varies by agency.

A widely used Civil Service scheme of service covering many policy, administration and management roles.

Example: “She’s an MX officer” usually tells you the scheme of service, not her exact job title.

Also heard as: MX Scheme, MXS, Management Executive

Example: Her next posting is in another agency; the word describes the job placement, not a social-media update.

Also heard as: job posting, posted

A variable civil-service payment calibrated to economic and labour-market conditions, with mid-year and year-end amounts announced separately.

Example: The year-end AVC is announced service-wide; your PB is a different component.

Also heard as: mid-year AVC, year-end AVC, variable bonus

An individual variable payment linked to performance under the applicable public-service compensation framework.

Example: PB is performance-linked; it is separate from the AVC announced for the wider Civil Service.

Also heard as: performance bonus

Context: PB is highly ambiguous and can also mean Personnel Board.

Also heard as: 360-degree feedback, 360 exercise, 360

A central leadership-development track aimed at developing officers with whole-of-government perspectives and capabilities for senior roles.

Also heard as: AS

An officer appointed to the Administrative Service and developed through multi-sectoral postings and leadership experiences.

Also heard as: Admin Officer

Context: AO is highly ambiguous and also commonly means Action Officer, Approving Officer or Accounting Officer.

MFA's foundation programme equipping new Foreign Service Administrative Specialists with basic technical, administrative and operational skills.

An MFA programme updating Foreign Service Administrative Specialists through practice-oriented workshops in project management, administration and social media.

Also heard as: work attachment, external attachment

The MINDEF/SAF professional community covering business digitalisation, data and information-technology roles, including workforce planning, competency development and professionalisation.

Context: BDIT refers to a professional community and competency framework rather than a single department, system or appointment.

Also heard as: calibration exercise, rating calibration

Context: Calibration does not necessarily imply a fixed quota; the applicable framework depends on the organisation.

The Public Service approach of translating changing business needs into job competencies and using them to guide officer development.

Also heard as: Competency Driven Growth

An assessment of the largest job size an officer is considered capable of handling in future, which may change as the officer develops and demonstrates capabilities.

Also heard as: Current Estimated Potential

Context: CEP is an assessment of future job capacity, not a fixed lifetime ceiling or a guarantee of promotion. PSD material has used both “Currently” and “Current”; the definition text uses “Currently Estimated Potential”.

A service-wide movement encouraging officers and agencies to plan proactively for longer careers, skills renewal and employability.

Also heard as: CareerFitness Movement, Career Fitness

A practitioner-led milestone course introducing junior and mid-level public officers to Singapore's integrated urban-development and governance approach.

Also heard as: City EXCEL Programme

Example: A clean wage is meant to make the package legible, not leave the benefits to office folklore.

Also heard as: clean-wage policy, clean wage policy

Context: Used especially in discussions of political office-holder and public-sector remuneration. It does not mean that every organisation or role receives the same package.

Also heard as: countersigning, counter-sign, CSO

Context: The role and abbreviation vary by agency and appraisal system.

A Civil Service scheme of service covering corporate support roles.

Context: CSS is highly ambiguous and also means Customer Satisfaction Survey in the dataset.

Also heard as: annual declaration of non-indebtedness, declaration of indebtedness or non-indebtedness

A practitioner-led milestone course developing broader urban-governance perspectives among high-performing middle-management officers in the Infrastructure and Environment sector.

A survey used by public agencies to understand officers’ engagement and workplace experience.

Also heard as: engagement survey

Context: EES can have other system-specific meanings.

Also heard as: emplaced, permanent emplacement

Context: Emplacement is distinct from confirmation after probation, and exact arrangements vary by employer and scheme.

Also heard as: establishment, estab post

Context: The exact shorthand and manpower concepts vary by agency; “establishment” also has a specific constitutional and HR meaning.

Context: PSD states that flexible work arrangements are not entitlements and remain subject to operational needs and exigencies of service.

Also heard as: non-scholar, non scholar

Context: This is not an official Public Service classification and can be dismissive or disparaging. Use it only to explain the jargon, not to label people.

The Civil Service leave provision broadened from Parent Care Leave on 1 January 2025 to cover caregiving for other immediate family members.

Context: Officers must immediately declare when unsecured debts and liabilities exceed three months of their monthly salary.

Also heard as: flexi load

Also heard as: flexi place

Also heard as: flexi time

An MFA programme preparing mid-level officers for Deputy Chief of Mission roles through leadership development, policy dialogues and simulations.

MFA's foundation programme teaching new Foreign Service Officers basic diplomatic knowledge and skills, including exposure to an overseas mission.

MFA's apex milestone programme preparing first-time Heads of Mission to lead and manage Singapore's overseas missions.

An MFA programme developing mid-level officers' supervisory, managerial, coaching and mentoring capabilities.

Also heard as: public service gig, gig

A PSD-coordinated traineeship programme giving fresh graduates structured public-sector experience and skills development before full-time employment.

A structured transfer of duties, information, records, assets, access and outstanding actions from one person or team to another.

Also heard as: handover takeover, hand-over/take-over, handover, takeover

Context: The exact checklist and scope vary by role and agency.

A development plan used to structure career and growth conversations between an officer and supervisor.

Also heard as: individual development planning

The Public Service framework describing leadership competencies and red-flag behaviours at different leadership levels.

Also heard as: Public Service Leadership Competency Framework

Development work and programmes intended to prepare officers for larger leadership responsibilities.

Also heard as: leadership development programme, LD programme

Context: LD is highly ambiguous and can also be the name of an organisational unit or track.

Context: CLC delivers three Infrastructure and Environment programmes: City EXCEL, EDGE and LUGP.

A practitioner-led milestone course for senior Infrastructure and Environment officers examining integrated urban development, governance, markets and community partnerships.

An annual salary increment whose amount is differentiated based on performance and potential under applicable schemes.

Also heard as: merit-based increment

Context: MI is highly ambiguous and the detailed arrangements vary by scheme of service.

The framework used to manage and constrain public-sector manpower growth while allowing agencies to prioritise staffing within their allocations.

Also heard as: Manpower Management Framework cap

A Civil Service scheme of service covering management and administrative support roles.

A widely used Civil Service scheme of service covering executive roles in areas such as policy, planning, administration and operations.

Context: MXS is the official short form used in current PSD material. MX is separately recorded as a widely used form for the scheme and as a grade prefix.

The one-month year-end allowance commonly described as the civil service’s 13th-month payment.

Also heard as: 13th month, 13th-month bonus

A Civil Service scheme of service covering operations support roles.

Context: The current official name is Operations Support Scheme, not Operational Support Scheme.

The Public Service opportunities marketplace supporting access to cross-agency growth and development opportunities.

Also heard as: OneTalent Gateway

A two-year development initiative for procurement professionals in the Singapore public sector.

Also heard as: P³

Context: MOF styles the programme as P³. P3 is the plain-text form used here for easier typing, search and copying.

The former Civil Service leave provision for officers to care for their parents, before it was broadened to Family Care Leave from 1 January 2025.

Also heard as: Parent-Care Leave

MFA training preparing officers for their first overseas posting in tradecraft, administration, consular assistance and media engagement.

A central programme that develops officers for sectoral and other senior leadership roles across the Public Service.

Also heard as: General Phase, PSLP GP

Also heard as: Sectoral Phase, PSLP SP

Also heard as: ranking, ranking exercise, performance ranking, ranking panel

Context: The board's composition, process and relationship to final ratings vary across agencies.

Also heard as: service scheme, scheme

Also heard as: government scholar, PSC scholar, agency scholar

Context: Scholar is not a formal grade and does not by itself determine an officer’s appointment or eventual progression.

Also heard as: seconded, on secondment

A Civil Service scheme of service covering technical support roles.

Also heard as: X-shaped public officer

The length of time an officer has served in the organisation or Public Service, depending on the context.

Also heard as: years of service