Foundation Scientific Software Engineer - Ocean Forecasting

Job Introduction

We’re looking for an exceptional Foundation Scientific Software Engineer - Ocean Forecasting to help us make a difference to our planet. 

As our Foundation Scientific Software Engineer - Ocean Forecasting, 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 

You will work within the Ocean Forecast Verification team to develop and support tools to assess and monitor the quality and accuracy of our ocean forecasts, and the systems used to verify, post-process and deliver these forecasts to our customers

Our team is part of the Ocean Forecasting R&D group which develops operational forecast systems used to monitor and predict physical ocean dynamics, waves, and ecosystems. These systems combine numerical models with in-situ and remotely-sensed observations of the ocean providing a digital representation of the global ocean and shelf seas surrounding the UK. 

Your key duties 

• Development and technical support of our ocean post-processing systems, which are used to deliver forecasts to users including the Royal Navy and the RNLI
• Development of novel verification and observation processing tools
• Enhancing how we visualise our models to assist monitoring and assessment of forecast performance
• Working to integrate ocean forecast verification within coupled atmosphere-ocean systems

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 Foundation Scientific Software Engineer - Ocean Forecasting, your total reward package will be up to £37,776 annually, which includes: 

• £26,954 base pay
• An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 27%
• Recruitment Retention Allowance (RRA) you will be paid £2,200 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
• 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. Show technical insight through creation of solutions showing the effective application of technical knowledge, understanding and skills
2. Experience of common scientific programming languages/environments such as Python, Linux, Bash, or similar.
3. Engage with others to understand the requirements for your work and its wider context
4. Consider good Quality Assurance processes, best practice, and/or software coding standards in your work
5. Communicate knowledge accurately and concisely in written documents and discussions in small groups
6. Proactively develop your skills and support others in developing theirs

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 05/01/2025 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 20/01/2025. 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 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 - 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.