Operational Meteorologist - Mobile Meteorological Unit

Job Introduction

We're looking for Operational Meteorologists to join our Defence teams and the Mobile Met Unit (MMU) to help us make a positive difference to our planet.

As our Operational Meteorologists, 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. 

We have opportunities for already qualified Meteorologists at Royal Air Force and Army Air Corps stations throughout the UK delivering on-site services to our defence customers. When deployed to Mobile Met Unit as a Senior Operational Meteorologist - MMU you will provide services to military customers on exercises and operations around the world.

Our opportunity is full time, 37 hours per week, but we would also consider applicants wishing to work a minimum of 22 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’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 

Your role as an Operational Meteorologist within the Met Office involves interpreting real-time weather information and delivering meteorological and environmental services and advice to support decision makers. Services are delivered both face-to-face and remotely, depending on the customer requirements and location. You will work mainly onsite to deliver services to our customers, with occasional opportunities for home-working.

You will provide accurate and timely forecasting services to customers in order to meet service agreements as a member of a shift-working roster. Using your meteorological knowledge, you’ll be able to advise customers on the impact weather may have on their business, meaning that you should be as confident interacting with and influencing customers as you are forecasting.

Joining our Mobile Met Unit (MMU) as an Operational Meteorologist, you will specialise in Defence Meteorology, helping the UK’s armed forces make critical decisions in operational theatres and exercises across the world, and at home in the UK. You will split your time between working primarily as an Operational Meteorologist and then working typically a few weeks per year as a Senior Operational Meteorologist on deployments with the MMU.

Your role as a Senior Operational Meteorologist within the MMU is in addition to your civilian Operational Meteorologist role – you will be joining a Sponsored Reserve unit of the Royal Air Force. You will undergo military training and once qualified, hold the rank of Flying Officer. You will then spend typically a few weeks a year deployed on exercises and operations worldwide, providing similar services to the above but for a more diverse range of defence activities. This is an exciting opportunity to develop your meteorology and core skills further, in challenging situations around the world. 

Locations

We have vacancies for already qualified Meteorologists at Royal Air Force and Army Air Corps stations throughout the UK. Further opportunities may also arise in our Services Operations Centres in Exeter, Aberdeen and onsite with the team who work at Heathrow Airport.

In your role as an Operational Meteorologist, you’ll also have the opportunity to work flexibly with our Overseas and Deployed teams in locations including Cyprus and Gibraltar and as far away as the Antarctic and South Atlantic. These provide excellent opportunities to work alongside our customers as part of their teams in remote locations. 

Your key duties 

As an Operational Meteorologist your key duties are: 

• Be part of a shift working team to provide observing and forecasting capability to support customer operations.
• Using local knowledge, analyse and enhance forecast guidance, to deliver services and advice to the customer in a style that suits their requirements.
• Deliver high quality services to the customer, including briefings, and through customer engagement look to continually improve these products and services.
• Through use of excellent customer liaison skills and enhanced customer knowledge, provide guidance on impacts to allow the customer to operate in the most safe and cost-effective manner.

When deployed as a Senior Operational Meteorologist your key duties are: 

• Deliver meteorological and environmental advice to military customers in the deployed environment.
• Deploy, live and work as part of the British military on operations and exercises as an RAF Sponsored Reservist.
• Maintain military training and competencies.

Why join us 

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

As our Operational Meteorologist, your total reward package will be up to £46,974 annually. As an MMU Operational Meteorologist you may be eligible for additional allowances which will increase upon deployment and includes: 

• £33,794 base pay as Operational Meteorologist, increasing to £41,725 when deployed as Senior Operational Meteorologist. 
• Deployed allowances: MMU allowances for skills training plus daily allowances whilst on deployments as Senior Operational Meteorologist. On average, regularly deployed SOMs typically earn between £47,668 - £59,868 pro-rated which includes base salary plus various MMU allowances.
• Non-deployed allowances: £4,200 as an Unsocial Hours Shift Allowance until end March 2025, if applicable to your Operational Meteorologist role and the working pattern at your location whilst not deployed. This allowance is currently under review and there maybe changes from April 2025. Unsocial hours bank holiday allowance may also be applicable.
• An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
• 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. Evidence of being an Expert by Nature through having a range of operational forecasting experience delivering meteorological services to customers.
2. Show you Live and Breathe It with a proven track record in communicating meteorological information to both technical and non-technical audiences including customers and more senior staff.
3. Demonstrate being an Expert by Nature and Force for Good through excellent customer service focus and an appreciation of weather impacts on customers.
4. Evidence of being Better Together, with the ability to work as part of a team, contributing towards team goals and improving products, services and performance standards to ensure quality and consistency.
5. Keep Evolving with a willingness to actively engage and contribute towards the development of new capabilities and ways of working.
6. To be willing to train to become a Sponsored Reserve by having the desire and ability to work in uniform as an RAF Reservist, including passing medical and fitness standards and meeting RAF nationality and residency requirements.

Desirable Criteria: 

We encourage you to apply if you believe you meet our essential criteria, but we’re also keen to discover if you have: 

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 13/01/2025 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 27/01/2025. 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.