Field Service Engineer - Watnall

Job Introduction

We’re looking for an exceptional Field Service Engineer to help us make a difference to our planet.

As our Field Service Engineer, the job may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in the office or on location 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, based in Watnall, Nottingham. 

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

You will join the Met Office Field Service Engineering Team (FSE) to install, maintain and service UK-wide, (and occasionally overseas) observing networks. Observations are fundamental to almost all the services the Met Office provides; direct data and products, models, verification of forecasts, and for providing evidence of climate change. 

Our engineers use their electronic, electrical, and mechanical skills to install, maintain and provide field support of observing systems. You will be joining a team who have responsibility for ensuring our systems continue to supply the high-quality data required to produce our products and services.

You will have the opportunity to work on a 24/7 on-call roster, which attracts additional allowances. This will be a 'one week in three' rotation but may vary across the year to account for annual leave and to ensure the number of days is balanced across the team.

On joining FSE you will be given all the training required to work on new and existing systems as well as having the opportunity to use and develop your existing skills and knowledge.

Your key duties

• Develop work plans, including identification of improvements to systems, capabilities and/or processes. 
• Drive the delivery of work plans which repair, maintain, or improve Met Office observing systems and products. 
• Author the generation and presentation of documentation and reports internally and externally to meet the needs of the customer and Met Office including, maintaining capability, integrity, standards, communicating advice and knowledge, and/or promoting reputation. 
• Mentoring and providing guidance to other team members to improve the effectiveness of the team. 
• Carry out continuing professional development in line with current and future needs of the Met Office.

Why join us

Our work is life-changing, often life-saving and always life-enhancing. The Met Office is accredited as a 'Great Place to Work UK 2023' and in addition has achieved a place on both the UK's 'Best Workplaces in Tech' and 'Best Workplaces for Women' lists. 

As our Field Service Engineer, your total reward package will be up to £46,974.00 annually, which includes: 

• £33,794.00 base pay 
• An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 27% 
• Recruitment Retention Allowance (RRA) you will be paid £2,800.00 per annum as a market supplement to reflect the demand for your skills. Whilst in post, you will be paid this market driven allowance from April 2024 until September 2025 in your monthly pay. 
• Unsocial Hours On-Call Allowance for working as part of an On-Call Rota paid at £25 per day On Call. 
• 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. Demonstrable experience of being an expert by nature, providing proactive engineering and technical insight into problem solving. You will have NVQ level 4 or higher in an Engineering discipline or equivalent experience.
2. Possess a valid UK driving licence and be prepared to drive officially provided pool vehicles. Colour Perception CP2 or better is required to drive vehicles on airports or ports. 
3. Evidence of working better together with colleagues and/or wider stakeholders to understand your work requirements. Contribute to the development of plans to meet these requirements. Be prepared to work away from home, as required, to meet business requirements.
4. Demonstrate the application of good Quality Assurance processes, best practice, standards and regulations to all aspects of your work. 
5. Evidence of accurate, credible and tailored communication with colleagues and/or wider stakeholders.
6. Demonstrate a working knowledge of Health & Safety legislation and be prepared to work at heights of up to 25m.
7. Evidence of the application of your theoretical and practical engineering knowledge in the repair and maintenance of electrical/electronic systems. You keep evolving through continual professional development (CPD).

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 19/09/2024 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 01/10/2024. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed. 

How we can help 

If you are considering applying and need support to do so, please contact us via careers@metoffice.gov.uk. 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.