Scientific Manager - Operational Evaluation & Monitoring

We're looking for an exceptional Scientific Manager - Operational Evaluation & Monitoring to help us make a difference to our planet.

As our Scientific Manager - Operational Evaluation & Monitoring , the job may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in the office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and the location advertised will be your contractual place of work.

Our opportunity is full time, 37 hours per week, but we would also consider applicants wishing to work a minimum of 30 hours per week and we will also try our best to consider those intending to work a job share. Our people are at the heart of what we do and we'll do our best to agree a working pattern that works for everyone.

World changing work

From science to technology, from meteorology to management, and from planning to communication, our expertise helps us stand out as the authority on weather accuracy and climate prediction. We help individuals, industries and government to make better decisions to stay safe and thrive. This is the Met Office. This is who we are.

• We're a force for good - focusing on our environmental and social impact
• We're experts by nature - always learning and developing to do things better
• We live and breathe it - putting our purpose at the heart of decision-making
• We're better together - understanding partnerships and inclusivity make us greater
• We keep evolving - pushing boundaries to make tomorrow better for our customers

Your world of expertise

The Research to Operations (R2O) team deliver and coordinate upgrades to the Met Office's operational Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) suite and coordinate and improve the Met Office's wider R2O activity. The Operational Evaluation and Monitoring group in R2O was formed to coordinate the evaluation and monitoring of our operational NWP systems, to help improve our understanding of their performance characteristics, and to coordinate our response to existing and emerging operational requirements. The group play a leading role in the evaluation of proposed operational upgrades and the assessment of current operational performance. It also contributes to activities such as testbeds, particularly over the UK, and developing an improved understanding of operational requirements. This is an opportunity to join the R2O management team and take on the leadership of this group.

Your key duties

• To work as part of the R2O management team to set the strategic direction and contribute to the success of R2O.
• To recruit, manage, motivate and develop the Operational Evaluation and Monitoring group and support them in working closely with others within and outside the Met Office.
• To coordinate the monitoring of our operational NWP systems, working closely with teams already monitoring their own components, to improve and develop a rounded understanding of our performance and diagnose the source of operational issues.
• To work closely with operational users, including Operational Meteorologists, to understand their requirements and the ability of our current operational systems to meet these.
• To work closely with model and system developers to help set priorities and evaluate the impact of proposed upgrades on our operational systems.
• To contribute to testbed activities to better understand operational requirements and the potential benefit of proposed future upgrades and new capabilities for operational users.
• To lead and contribute to the development of tools required to make these activities a success.
• To undertake personal research in the field of model and system evaluation and to contribute constructively to the research of others.

Why join us

Our work is life-changing, often life-saving and always life-enhancing. The Met Office is Great Place to Work UK certified. We are also featured on their 'Best Workplaces in Tech' 2023 and 2024 lists, as well as their '54 Best Workplaces for Women' 2023 list.

As our Scientific Manager - Operational Evaluation & Monitoring , your total reward package will be up to £72,530 annually, which includes:

• £52,799 base pay
• An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 27%
• Annual Leave starting at 27.5 days (plus Bank Holidays) rising to 32.5 days (plus Bank Holidays) after 5 years and option to buy or sell up to 5 days per year of annual leave

Essential Criteria, skills and experience:

1. An Expert by Nature with evidence of a strong track record in scientific and/or technical delivery demonstrating scientific insight and independence.

2. A demonstrated ability to Keep Evolving, showing evidence of experience in an area of science related to the evaluation or development of modelling systems for weather or climate prediction

3. An ability to help us be Better Together through building and maintain effective working relationships with team members, key stakeholders and collaborators, both internally and externally.

4. Evidence of excellent (written, oral, presentation and listening) communication skills, with an ability to communicate complex science effectively in a relevant way to different audiences.

5. You Live and Breathe It, showing evidence of planning, leading and delivering science or technical projects with an ability to prioritise effectively when required, make decisions based on user needs and manage stakeholder relationships appropriately.

Desirable Criteria:

We encourage you to apply if you believe you meet our essential criteria, but we're also keen to discover if you have:

An understanding of the key requirements and challenges in the evaluation and monitoring of operational NWP systems.Experience of working with internal or external stakeholders and users and translating their broad requirements into scientific projects and plans.

How to apply

If you share our values, we'd love to hear from you! Click apply to begin your application. Please complete your career history and provide evidence against each of the essential criteria in the supporting statement questionnaire. We recommend candidates use the CARL method (Context, Action, Result and Learning) for presenting evidence of experience and skills.

Closing date 08/12/2024 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 07/01/2025. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed.

How we can help

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this opportunity further, please contact us at .

If you're considering applying and need support to do so, please get in touch. You can request adjustments either within your application or by contacting us. Should you be offered an interview, please be aware there may be a selection exercise which could include a presentation, written test or a scenario-based activity. You can select in your application to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme. To be invited to interview/assessment under this scheme, your application must meet the essential criteria for the role.

We understand that great minds don't always think alike and as an equal opportunities employer we welcome applications from those with all protected characteristics. We recruit on merit, fairness, and open competition in line with the Civil Service Code.

We can only accept applications from those eligible to live and work in the UK - please refer to GOV.UK for information. We require Security clearance, for which you need to have resided in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years to be eligible. You will need to achieve full security clearance within your first 6 months with us.

We are currently working through a re-prioritisation process in our Science Directorate, with some employees being asked to discontinue their current work. These employees will be given priority for internal campaigns until the re-prioritisation is complete.

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Location: Exeter, GB

Posted Date: 11/27/2024