Empowering people through innovation

Left to right: Wei Jie, Desirene and Jestine.

Their work builds a stronger, more sustainable social service ecosystem that enables social service agencies (SSAs) to thrive and operate more effectively. This in turn, allows social service professionals to focus on delivering impactful services to their service users in a rapidly evolving landscape. At the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), dedicated individuals lead the way, working towards the goal of enabling and empowering everyone to live with dignity.

Making workflows seamless with automation

Wei Jie has always been passionate about using technology to maximise efficiency and streamline processes. As a Business Analyst and Automation Lead under the Work and Workforce Transformation (WWT) team, he helps teams reduce manual and repetitive work.

Wei Jie collaborating with his team to brainstorm innovative solutions.

One of his most significant contributions has been the introduction of Robotic Process Automation (RPA), drawing on his experience with automation solutions in his previous role.  With RPA, tasks such as data entry, report generation, and document processing will be automated, resulting in a reduction in manual work and human errors.

While automation may not be visible to the public, its impacts are far-reaching. By optimising processes, Wei Jie ensures that NCSS can respond more effectively to the evolving needs of social services. This commitment to learning keeps NCSS at the forefront of social service, allowing it to identify gaps and develop user-centric solutions.

Recognising the importance of continuous learning, NCSS places a strong emphasis on upskilling, providing formal learning opportunities, including structured training programmes and courses that enhance technical and managerial skills. In turn, this encourages employees like Wei Jie to explore and implement new automation tools that enhance their work capabilities.

Championing digital transformation for greater impact

For Desirene, digital transformation goes beyond digitalising NCSS’ work, it’s about fundamentally reimagining and improving how NCSS operates and empowers the sector by making effective use of data and technology.

Desirene equipping teams with data, technology and the capabilities to enhance service delivery.

Desirene also highlights how NCSS provides opportunities for professional growth. Through supportive supervisors who recognise and cultivate her potential, she has found opportunities to leverage her strengths in meaningful ways. This nurturing environment exemplifies NCSS’ approach to people development, where people are encouraged to grow, innovate, and collaborate to create meaningful impact in social service.

Strengthening financial foundations for long-term impact

Behind every impactful initiative is a strong financial backbone, and Jestine plays a key role in ensuring that NCSS and SSAs have the resources they need to continue their work. As the head of the Finance division, she oversees investment, budgeting, procurement, and reporting, ensuring that funds are optimally allocated for maximum impact.

Jestine ensuring financial sustainability through strategic planning.

Jestine sees finance as an enabler, not just a function. By streamlining workflows for faster issue resolution and smoother operations, she ensures that funding and resources are managed efficiently.

Collaboration is also at the heart of her work. She credits her team’s success to close collaboration and a focus on sustainable funding, driving long-term impact. Through her efforts, social service professionals can focus on their mission, knowing that financial systems are in place to sustain their work.

Her leadership ensures that finance is not just a backend function but an integrated pillar of organisational capability. 

Building a stronger future, together

The impact of Wei Jie, Desirene, and Jestine’s work is felt across NCSS and the social service ecosystem. Their expertise in automation, digitalisation, and financial management strengthens organisational capability, in line with NCSS’ mission to enhance member capabilities, advocate for social service needs, and build strategic partnerships. They help to improve internal workflows while empowering SSAs to adopt better practices and scale their impact. This cascading effect also ensures that SSAs are well-equipped to provide meaningful support for service users. 

Overall, NCSS’ commitment to empowering its people through holistic support and growth opportunities enables employees to thrive, positioning the organisation as a leader in excellence and a driving force in social service.

How you can be at the heart of social change

Innovation and transformation are made possible by passionate individuals dedicated to making a difference. Discover a meaningful career at NCSS and join us in building a stronger social service ecosystem. Together, we can work to ensure every person is empowered to live with dignity.