National Capability Integrated Plan Delivery Lead in Exeter

Location: Exeter HQ Met Office

Reference number: 1444

Contract: Fixed Term Contract - Full time

We’re looking for an exceptional National Capability Integrated Plan Delivery Lead to help us make a difference to our planet. 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. 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. Whilst this is a temporary position for two years, there is potential for it to develop into a permanent position.

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.

Your world of expertise

The Met Office's National Capability domain brings together the observations, science, technology, and computing expertise that underpin our world-leading weather and climate services. It plays a vital role in supporting the Met Office’s mission by strengthening how we connect research, development and operations. We are entering a period of significant transformation. Over the next four years, we will modernise our forecasting and climate modelling capabilities, embed new technologies including AI, and maximise the value of major investments in supercomputing. Alongside this, we will shape our long-term modelling strategy through to 2032 and define the future computing capabilities needed to support the next generation of environmental prediction.

As a senior leader, you will play a pivotal role in driving this transformation. You will provide strategic leadership across a complex portfolio of change, ensuring programmes are aligned, technical dependencies are effectively managed, and the benefits of investment are fully realised. Working with senior stakeholders from across the Met Office, you will help shape the future of weather and climate science, and services, while leading the organisational change needed to create a modern, agile and future-ready National Capability.

Reporting to the Director of Research and Development, you will work closely with senior colleagues across National Capability, our Products and Services and Enabling Domains to ensure future modelling capabilities, research priorities and delivery plans meet both organisational objectives and customer needs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide technical leadership for the delivery of National Capability's elements of the Met Office Integrated Plan, ensuring programmes are coordinated effectively to maximise the benefits of supercomputing investment and deliver the Met Office's long-term strategic ambitions.
• Lead the transformation of ways of working across National Capability, driving the adoption of agile approaches to enable more rapid update cycles for Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP).
• Lead the analysis, coordination and development of modelling plans to optimise the use of Met Office supercomputing out to 2032, delivering future operational and research outcomes.
• Lead the analysis, coordination and development of future supercomputing requirements for National Capability, ensuring scientific needs are captured and inform future business cases.
• Support the delivery of National Capability's strategic objectives and wider programme of work by acting as a visible and influential member of the Senior Leadership Team, championing organisational values, and mentoring and coaching colleagues to build capability across the domain.

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, 2024 and 2025 lists, as well as their ’54 Best Workplaces for Women’ 2023 list.

Essential Criteria, skills and experience:

• Significant experience and understanding of the environmental prediction value chain, from observations and modelling through to operational service delivery, including Numerical Weather Prediction and physics-based and machine learning weather and climate modelling approaches.
• Proven ability to lead large-scale technical and organisational transformation, delivering change through effective leadership, collaboration and influence.
• Ability to communicate complex scientific and technical concepts clearly and credibly to senior executive and board-level audiences.
• Demonstrable experience of engaging and influencing senior stakeholders, building consensus and enabling evidence-based decision-making across complex environments.
• Proven track record of successfully delivering large-scale programmes, transformation initiatives or strategic change.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to balance long‑term vision, organisational priorities and delivery outcomes.

We encourage you to apply if you believe you meet our essential criteria, but we’re also keen to discover if you have knowledge and/or experience of Lean, DevOps and Agile principles.

Closing date: 30/09/2026 at 23:59 with interviews scheduled for 12/10/2026. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed.

Using AI in your application: We welcome applications that use AI tools for support in drafting or refining, as long as they accurately reflect your own skills and experience. All hiring decisions at the Met Office are made by people, not AI.

How we can help: If you have any questions or would like to discuss this opportunity further, please contact us at careers@metoffice.gov.uk. 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. We require Security clearance without caveats and/or restrictions for this role, for which you need to have resided in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years to be eligible, 2 of these years must be immediately preceding the point of your application.

Our rewards and benefits: Our rewards and benefits are as varied as our customers and our people, depending on your role, and which part of the business you join. The one thing they have in common is that they’re designed to recognise your contribution to our success. Starting at 27.5 days and rising to 32.5 days after five years of service (both figures exclude bank holidays). As well as the flexibility to buy or sell annual leave annually. You’ll automatically qualify to join our alpha pension scheme, part of the Civil Service Pension arrangements.

Lifestyle support: Whether you wish to utilise our excellent family-friendly schemes, be paid up to 3 days for volunteering with your chosen organisation, have the reassurance of a generous sickness pay scheme or be part of an organisation that is happy to pro‑actively talk about flexible working the Met Office wants you to have a great work and lifestyle balance.

Investing in your development: The world around us is constantly changing. New technologies, shifting climate patterns, artificial intelligence. These factors and more shape the need for us to develop our skills and knowledge as a business and as individuals. Our investment in learning and development is testament to this and we have partnered with external bodies in each profession to help shape the way we develop the incredible talent right across the Met Office.