Hiring for a Singapore family office: local staff and work passes

Which roles does a Singapore family office hire first?

An office can start from the functions the family needs: someone who leads the office, someone who manages investments, someone who keeps the books and someone who runs operations. A small office can combine 2 functions in one person, and a larger one separates them for control. Each role then has a clear owner, a clear report line and a clear place in the budget.

Sequence the hires by risk. A finance and compliance person protects the family from record gaps, an investment professional turns the policy into positions, and an administrator keeps the calendar and the payments flowing. Write a one-page profile for each role before you meet candidates.

How large should a Singapore family office team be?

Size follows the workload, which comes from the number of assets, entities, banks and jurisdictions. A family with many assets across several jurisdictions needs more coordination than a family with a single portfolio, and the team grows with that coordination. Review the headcount every year, because the workload moves with the family and its assets.

Split each function into hire, share and outsource. A hire sits in the office every day, a shared provider serves several clients, and an outsourced provider delivers a defined service on a contract. The split changes the payroll, the work passes and the control you keep, so decide it before you draft job descriptions. Put the answer in writing for each role, with the reason for the choice.

Who counts as a key employee of a Singapore family office?

The MAS exemption names the key employees: executive directors, the chief executive officer, the chief financial officer and investment professionals. These people may invest alongside the family, within limits (MAS FAQ, 2026). A family that lists these roles by name can see at once who falls under the rule.

Assets that originate from key employees stay at or below 10% of the total assets under management, and key employees may own a non-controlling stake of up to 10% of the office. Write the limit in the employment contract and in the compensation plan, so the structure respects the exemption from the first payslip. Ask your lawyer to review the wording before the contract is signed.

When should a Singapore family office hire locally?

Local hiring fits roles that need a deep market network and regular contact with Singapore banks and advisers. The employer advertises on MyCareersFuture and considers all candidates fairly before it applies for an Employment Pass (MOM, 2026). A hire from the local market also brings knowledge of the banks, advisers and customs of the city.

A local search also gives the office a view of the market for pay and skills. Run it first, record the shortlist and the reasons for each decision, and keep the file. The record shows the family and the authorities a fair process, and it supports the application when a foreign hire follows.

Which work pass does a foreign hire for a family office need?

The Employment Pass lets foreign professionals, managers, executives and technicians work in Singapore, and the Ministry of Manpower states that candidates need to earn at least $5,600 a month (MOM, 2026). The framework called COMPASS also applies, where an application earns 40 points to pass unless an exemption applies. Each pass has its own conditions, so the family reads the official page for the pass it targets.

The guide on the Employment Pass for family office staff explains what the application looks at, from salary to qualifications. Start the application once the role, the salary and the employer entity are fixed, because each of the 3 shapes the result. Keep the file of the local search, since it supports the same application.

Why do families debate the investment role in a Singapore family office?

The investment professional is the role that families debate most, because it combines market judgement with trust. The MAS exemption counts investment professionals as key employees, so their own assets can sit in the office within the 10% limit. That trust element explains why the decision deserves its own page and its own process.

The page on investment professionals in a family office sets out the local-hire question in detail: where to search, what to ask and how to weigh a foreign candidate against a local one. Treat the hire as a decision with criteria, written before the first interview.

How do you write a hiring plan for a Singapore family office?

Use 5 columns: role, function, location, pass type and start date. Fill one line per role and add the budget line from the cost plan of the family. Review the table with your lawyer, so the key employee limit, the pass route and the contract terms agree with each other. Share the table with the family council so everybody sees the same hiring sequence.

EQOS Asia scores a family decision and ranks the options (EQOS Asia private page, 2026). A pre-diagnostic applies that method to your hiring question, such as local against foreign, hire against outsource, and the timing of each role. The result is a hiring plan with a score, a ranking and a date for review.

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About the author

Stéphane Jambu

President, EQOS Forecast Asia

Stéphane Jambu leads EQOS Forecast Asia and works as a consultant in e-commerce, search visibility, and AI. LinkedIn profile