National Capability Prediction and Projection Transformation Lead in Exeter

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.

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.

Our values:

• 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

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 optimize 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 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.

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.

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.

If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact us at: careers@metoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: info@csc.gov.uk.