Hong Kong authorities have launched an unprecedented open recruitment for director positions in the Information Services Department and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, both requiring ‘strong political acumen’. The posts will report to the permanent secretaries for home and youth affairs, and environment and ecology (food) respectively. The government posted the job advertisements on its website on Wednesday.
Hong Kong authorities have launched an unprecedented open recruitment exercise for director positions overseeing the Information Services Department and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, with “strong political acumen” listed as a common requirement. The government posted the two job advertisements on its website on Wednesday. The posts will report to the permanent secretaries for home and youth affairs, and environment and ecology (food) respectively.
Common requirements for both positions include “strong political acumen” and the ability to lead change, while the information services role also calls for “strong intellectual ability”.
The director of information services will be tasked with “projecting an accurate image of the city within and outside Hong Kong”, providing strategic public relations advice and support to the city’s leader and senior officials on policy addresses and budget matters, and actively engaging the media to enhance understanding of the government’s policy direction.
The director of food and environmental hygiene will be responsible for providing services “in tandem with the changing needs and expectations of the community”, as well as providing input to the bureau on the formulation of policies including food safety, public hygiene and licensing of food premises.
This recruitment highlights the emphasis on specific skills in Hong Kong's civil service hiring, though details such as application deadlines or salary were not specified in the advertisements.
