User Researcher Industrial Placement 2027 in Exeter

User Researcher Industrial Placement 2027

The Met Office is delighted to open our advertising for Industrial Placements 2027.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Met Office on a 12-month Year in Industry placement, commencing at the start of July 2027, developing your skills and knowledge and ensuring you gain the most value possible from your experience with us.

You will have the opportunity to network with our cohort of Industrial Placements all over the Met Office andunderstand what career opportunities are on offer at the Met Office after you graduate.

We’re looking for a User Researcher Industrial Placement to help us make a difference to our planet.

As our User Researcher Industrial Placement, 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. As an Industrial Placement, we would expect you to attend the office once a week as a minimum.

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.

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’reaforcefor good- focusing on our environmental and social impact
• We’reexperts 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’rebettertogether-understandingpartnerships and inclusivity make us greater
• We keep evolving- pushing boundaries to make tomorrow better for our customers

Your world of expertise

Our Industrial Placement scheme offers ambitious and capable undergraduates the opportunity to gain valuable experience working alongside diverse and highly skilled experts in their field. You’ll be working on projects that really matter and will make a difference.

The Industrial Placement for user research will work closely with the user researchers in the User-Centred Design (UCD) team to provide support in gathering evidence about our users and their needs.

They will be involved in activities to enable our user researchers and user-centred design team, including maintaining guidance documentation and research insights, providing support with user recruitment and testing, and advocating user-centred design across the business.

• provide support for user-centred design teams including user recruitment, note taking, presenting research findings, creating research reports, and maintaining guidance documentation and templates
• be supported to work collaboratively with teams, understanding the importance of team dynamics, collaboration and feedback
• be aware of the need for careful analysis of research data to produce clear findings
• support in conducting basic user research methods
• work to a user research plan and follow standards for user research
• work in an open-minded and iterative way
• follow the Government Digital Service Standards and user-centred design best practice guidelines
• communicate effectively with technical and non-technical colleagues, supporting multidisciplinary discussions
• be an advocate for the UCD team within the Met Office and be able to explain why user research and user-centred design is important
• be part of the UCD community of practice and champion user-centred design

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, 2025 and 2026 lists, as well as their ’54 Best Workplaces for Women’ 2023 list.

Your package includes:

• Your salary will be £27,170
• Annual Leave starting at 27.5 days
• Access to discounted shopping, inclusive of retail, leisure and lifestyle brands

Whilst this is a temporary position until July 2028, there may be an opportunity to apply for our Graduate Development scheme upon completion of your university studies. However, this is not guaranteed and would be subject to programme availability and a successful application.

Essential Criteria, skills and experience:

• Lead criteria Knowledge of user research. You understand the need for user research to drive good product decisions and can bring this knowledge to the role. You can explain some basic user research methods and are passionate about putting these into practice.
• Analysis and synthesis. You have an awareness of the need for careful analysis of research data to produce clear findings and to help us be 'experts by nature'.
• User focus and advocacy. You can explain how user-centred practices can be used to build products that 'keep evolving' to changing user behaviour and needs . You are willing to champion a user-focused approach with your colleagues.
• Better together. You are able to communicate effectively with stakeholders and team members and present user evidence that is relevant to them. You can be an active member and advocate of the user-centred design community.
• Agile thinking. You understand the benefits of agile working and the different roles in a multidisciplinary team. You are willing to evolve and iterate in your work.

The panel may perform a preliminary sift of the lead criteria as indicated above.

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. For more details, visit our approach to recruitment .

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 DisabilityConfidentScheme. To be invited to interview/assessment under this scheme, your application must meet the essential criteria for the role.

Weunderstand 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 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

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. The scheme is recognised as one of the most generous occupational pensions.

Rhea Basra

I’ve had so many brilliant opportunities, I’ve been able to lead my own project, creating a data catalogue, which was so rewarding and gave me a great sense of achievement to see it through from start to finish. This enabled me to develop relationships as I have collaborated with people across the office in workshops and meetings. I have also been given the opportunity to undertake a six-week secondment with the Communications and Engagement team.

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, 2025 and 2026 lists, as well as their ’54 Best Workplaces for Women’ 2023 list.

Everyone I have come across so far has been welcoming, easily approachable and happy to help, which has been crucial for me and the other placement students - who are all new to the working world. To have felt like a respected and trusted member of a team brimming with experts in their field has been an incredible experience. I think there is quite a kudos to being able to tell someone you work in science at the Met Office. Both in the brand itself and the global impact of the work.

Freya Lewin

My placement helped me to grow in three key areas: confidence, communication, and analysis. These are all transferable skills that will benefit me both when I return to university as well as my future career. Read my story

Emily Inganni

People are often quite surprised when I tell them I work at the Met Office, especially if they know I am doing a politics degree. For most people, the only part they really see is the forecasting, but there’s so much more going on. No matter your background, you’ll be made to feel very welcome here. I live with two other industrial placements and the breadth of what the three of us are involved in is astounding.

Edith Warne

I’ve had so many brilliant opportunities, I’ve been able to lead my own project, creating a data catalogue, which was so rewarding and gave me a great sense of achievement to see it through from start to finish. This enabled me to develop relationships as I have collaborated with people across the office in workshops and meetings. I have also been given the opportunity to undertake a six-week secondment with the Communications and Engagement team.

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, 2025 and 2026 lists, as well as their ’54 Best Workplaces for Women’ 2023 list.

Everyone I have come across so far has been welcoming, easily approachable and happy to help, which has been crucial for me and the other placement students - who are all new to the working world. To have felt like a respected and trusted member of a team brimming with experts in their field has been an incredible experience. I think there is quite a kudos to being able to tell someone you work in science at the Met Office. Both in the brand itself and the global impact of the work.

2. Application

Apply through our careers website. Each application will be assessed against the essential criteria detailed in the job advert. We recommend that you use the CARL or STAR method to answer the key questions. Evidence your answers and reference our values to bring your application to life.

3. Screening

The sift panel will assess all applications against our essential criteria. Our screening process usually takes one to two weeks following the closing date of the advert. After which, we’ll be in touch to let you know whether your application has progressed to the next stage.

4. Interview

Most recruitment processes will include a single-stage interview, some of which are virtual interviews and some may be in-person. Our interviews tend to blend competency questions, which focus on the essential criteria, with values-based questions.

5. Assessment

Some roles may require you to attend an assessment day. Any job-specific assessments will be outlined in the job advert and more details will be provided at the interview stage.

6. Offer

If you are successful following the interview, the hiring manager will contact you to offer the role. The Resourcing Team will then follow up with an offer letter and start your onboarding.

7. Onboarding

Before we can confirm a start date, we will first need to complete security clearance and reference checks. These usually take between eight to ten weeks to complete. We’ll also discuss any workplace adjustments that you may need. So they are in place on your first day.

On your first day your new manager will introduce you to the team and you’ll start our online corporate induction. You’ll also be asked to update your details in our People Hub system including bank details ready for your first pay day.

For those living outside of the UK, there are some roles where we can sponsor Skilled Worker visas. However, you will need to pass security clearance which requires you to have resided in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years and 2 of these years must be immediately preceding the point of your application.

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