Project Executive Job 2026 at DFI Retail Group Singapore
DFI Retail Group is hiring Project Executives for their Tampines North location with monthly salary ranging from SGD 3,800 to SGD 4,500. This is a hybrid position managing retail store construction and M&E (Mechanical & Electrical) projects across their retail network in Singapore.
What makes this opportunity particularly welcoming is that fresh diploma, degree, and even ITE graduates are encouraged to apply. This isn’t the typical project management role demanding five years of experience. They’re genuinely open to hiring entry-level talent and training them in retail project management.
Understanding the Project Executive Role
As a Project Executive, you’ll oversee retail store construction projects from planning through completion. This includes new store openings, store refits, and refresh projects where existing locations get updated. Your responsibility spans managing budgets, schedules, procurement, quality control, and risk management for each project.
You’ll work closely with the banner project team, coordinating internal resources and vendors to ensure flawless project execution. The role requires ensuring all projects deliver on time, within scope, and within budget, which sounds straightforward but involves constant coordination and problem-solving.
M&E Responsibilities
Designing M&E works for retail units forms a significant part of the job. This means planning electrical systems, air conditioning, ventilation, lighting, and other mechanical installations for store environments.
Working with Quantity Surveyors for M&E tendering and cost estimation helps control project expenses. You’ll review all M&E drawings, documents, reports, and materials submitted by contractors, ensuring everything meets specifications and standards.
Managing site activities, vendors, and sub-contractors requires ensuring compliance with Electrical and CP (Consumer Protection) codes, quality standards, and government authority regulations. You’ll oversee and verify M&E systems to confirm they function correctly before stores open.
Stakeholder Management
You’ll interact directly with key stakeholders including Operations, Design, Marketing, Engineering, and Cost Management teams. Together you’ll define project requirements, prepare scope of work, determine resource needs, create budgets, develop schedules, and identify potential risks.
Identifying external project delivery resources involves working with pre-qualified vendor lists or qualifying new contractors. You’ll conduct request for proposals, complete bid analysis, and select appropriate partners for project execution.
Value Engineering and Reporting
Working across functions to value engineer schemes means finding ways to reduce build costs year over year without compromising customer experience or operational effectiveness. This creative problem-solving separates good project managers from great ones.
Implementing effective communication plans through meetings and written reports keeps stakeholders and management informed of project updates. You’ll track progress against goals, objectives, budgets, and timelines, reporting status and variances regularly.
The Available Position
DFI Retail Group is hiring Project Executives for their East Region operations based in Tampines North. This is a hybrid role, suggesting a combination of office work and site visits to retail locations under construction or renovation.
Who Can Apply for This Job
The requirements emphasize potential and attitude over extensive experience, making this accessible to recent graduates.
Educational Background
Fresh diploma, degree, or ITE graduates are welcomed. This inclusive approach means whether you completed university, polytechnic, or Institute of Technical Education, you’re eligible. Project management experience is a plus but not required, which is refreshing for project coordinator roles that often demand years of experience.
Essential Skills
Strong communication skills are mandatory since you’ll coordinate with multiple departments, contractors, and stakeholders daily. Clear verbal and written communication prevents misunderstandings that derail projects.
Being detail-oriented and meticulous matters enormously in project management. Missing small details in contracts, drawings, or schedules creates expensive problems later. If you naturally notice inconsistencies and follow through on every task, you have this quality.
Interest in the retail industry helps since you’ll be designing and building retail environments. Understanding how stores operate and what creates good shopping experiences informs better project decisions.
Technical Capability
You should demonstrate capability to read, understand, and apply standard to complex documents affecting store development projects. This includes work letters, project charters, presentations, surveys, and technical drawings. You don’t need existing expertise but should be comfortable learning to interpret construction and engineering documents.
How to Apply for This Position
Applications go through DFI Retail Group’s official career portal.
Visit DFI Retail Group’s careers page where you’ll find current job openings including the Project Executive position.
Browse their job listings by location or department to locate the Tampines North Project Executive role in the East Region.
Create an account on their recruitment platform if you’re applying for the first time. You’ll need valid email and contact information for communication throughout the hiring process.
Prepare your resume highlighting relevant coursework, internships, or projects related to project management, construction, engineering, or retail operations. Even if you’re a fresh graduate, include school projects involving planning, budgeting, or coordination.
Write a cover letter expressing your interest in retail project management and willingness to learn. Since they welcome fresh graduates, emphasizing enthusiasm and learning mindset matters more than extensive experience claims.
If you have any CAD knowledge, familiarity with construction drawings, or experience reading technical documents, mention these specifically as they relate directly to the role’s requirements.
Important Details to Consider
The salary of SGD 3,800 to SGD 4,500 monthly is reasonable for fresh graduates in Singapore, particularly for roles offering substantial learning opportunities. Your exact placement within this range likely depends on your educational level and any relevant internship experience.
Hybrid work arrangement means some days in the Tampines North office and other days visiting construction sites. Prepare for varied work environments from air-conditioned offices to active construction sites requiring safety equipment and physical mobility.
Project management involves juggling multiple priorities simultaneously. If you thrive in dynamic environments where no two days are identical and enjoy problem-solving under pressure, you’ll find this work engaging. If you prefer highly routine, predictable work, project management might feel chaotic.
The role requires occasional site visits during construction phases, meaning comfortable footwear, weather-appropriate clothing, and willingness to walk construction sites in various conditions.
Application Timeline
No specific deadline is mentioned, suggesting ongoing recruitment as they expand their project team. However, attractive entry-level opportunities with training often fill quickly, so applying promptly makes sense.
Other Career Opportunities
While considering this position, explore additional opportunities like luxury hotel security officer roles if you’re interested in various career paths in Singapore’s hospitality and retail sectors.
Common Questions About This Role
Can I really get this job as a fresh graduate with no project management experience?
Yes, DFI Retail Group explicitly welcomes fresh diploma, degree, and ITE graduates, stating that project management experience is a plus, not a requirement. This suggests they have training programs or mentorship systems to develop new hires into capable project executives. Your educational background, attitude, communication skills, and willingness to learn matter more than existing experience. During interviews, emphasize any school projects involving planning, budgeting, or coordination, even if not directly project management. Demonstrate eagerness to learn about construction, M&E systems, and retail operations. Companies offering genuine entry-level project roles are relatively rare, making this opportunity valuable for starting a project management career.
What does working with M&E systems actually involve for someone without engineering background?
While the role involves M&E work, you’re not designing complex engineering systems from scratch. You’ll learn to coordinate with qualified M&E engineers and contractors who handle technical designs. Your responsibility focuses on project management aspects like reviewing their submissions for completeness, ensuring compliance with codes and standards, managing timelines and budgets, and coordinating installations. Think of it as project oversight rather than technical engineering. You’ll develop understanding of electrical, air conditioning, and mechanical systems through on-the-job learning, but you’re managing the process rather than calculating electrical loads or designing HVAC systems yourself. The company likely provides training on reading M&E drawings and understanding basic systems relevant to retail environments.
How does hybrid work function for a role involving construction site visits?
Hybrid arrangements for project management typically mean office days for planning, meetings, documentation, and coordination, with site visit days for inspections, contractor meetings, and progress monitoring. You might spend two or three days weekly in the Tampines North office handling administrative project tasks and attending team meetings, with remaining days visiting various retail construction sites across Singapore. The schedule likely varies based on project phases, with more site time during active construction and more office time during planning or closeout phases. This variety keeps the work interesting but requires flexibility with your schedule and sometimes traveling across Singapore to reach different project sites. Clarify the typical office versus site time ratio during interviews to understand the work pattern better.
Final Assessment
The Project Executive position at DFI Retail Group offers excellent entry point into project management for fresh graduates. The SGD 3,800 to SGD 4,500 monthly salary provides fair compensation while you gain experience managing retail construction projects.
The willingness to hire fresh diploma, degree, and ITE graduates without requiring extensive experience makes this genuinely accessible for recent graduates seeking project management careers. The exposure to M&E systems, construction management, stakeholder coordination, and budgeting provides comprehensive project management training.
If you’re a recent graduate with strong communication skills, attention to detail, and interest in retail operations, this position deserves serious consideration. Just understand the role requires juggling multiple projects simultaneously, occasional site visits in various weather conditions, and learning technical aspects of construction and M&E systems on the job. The hybrid work arrangement offers variety, and working for an established retail group provides stability while building valuable project management experience applicable across industries. This represents solid foundation for long-term project management or construction management careers in Singapore.
