Science Manager - Surge and Waves Monitoring and Prediction

Job Introduction

We’re looking for an exceptional Science Manager - Surge and Waves Monitoring and Prediction to help us make a difference to our planet.

As our Science Manager - Surge and Waves Monitoring and Prediction, 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 3 days per week / 22.2 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

The Ocean Forecasting Research and Development (OFRD) team develop, deliver, and monitor operational marine forecast model and analysis systems relied on by Met Office forecasters, UK government agencies, industrial and academic users. The Surge and Wave Monitoring and Prediction team are responsible for our global-regional wave model and UK storm surge model science and configurations and provide scientific and technical expertise to a range in internal and external stakeholders. The team works with WAVEWATCH III and NEMO codes, contributing to international community model development and code standards. As Met Office systems keep evolving, the team will play a significant role in both the future of coupled Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) systems and Next Generation Modelling Systems. This role presents an opportunity to join the OFRD management team and lead a group delivering science that helps people Stay Safe and Thrive in the UK and beyond.

Your key duties

To plan and deliver the research into operations work of the Surge and Wave team, to manage and contribute inputs to the development of Met Office coupled atmosphere-ocean forecasting and next generation modelling systems, to develop and maintain relationships with systems users (particularly the Environment Agency) and to support the strategic management of the wider Ocean Forecasting R&D team.

• To contribute to the leadership of the Ocean Forecasting R&D team management team, helping to set the strategic direction and contribute to the success of our staff.
• To recruit, manage, motivate and support the Surge and Wave Monitoring and Prediction team, helping them work closely with others within and outside the Met Office and quality assuring scientific and software practices related to development and evaluation of surge and wave models, and delivery to the operational suite.
• To work closely with operational users, including Operational Meteorologists and Environment Agency and devolved government equivalents, to understand their requirements and advise on the ability of our current operational systems to meet these.
• To work closely with the head of OFRD in understanding stakeholders’ requirements, setting model development priorities and evaluating the impact of proposed upgrades on our operational products and services.

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 Science Manager - Surge and Waves Monitoring and Prediction, your total reward package will be up to £72,530 annually, which includes:

• £52,799 base pay, rising to £56,738 over time.
• An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 27%.
• 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. An Expert by Nature with evidence of a strong track record in scientific and/or technical delivery demonstrating scientific insight and independence.
2. A demonstrated ability to Keep Evolving, showing evidence of experience in development and quality assurance of science, software or systems for weather, ocean or climate prediction.
3. An ability to help us be Better Together through building and maintain effective working relationships with team members, key stakeholders and collaborators, both internally and externally.
4. Evidence of excellent (written, oral, presentation and listening) communication skills, with an ability to communicate complex science effectively in a relevant way to different audiences.
5. You Live and Breathe It, showing evidence of planning, leading and delivering science or technical projects with an ability to prioritise effectively when required, make decisions based on user needs and manage stakeholder relationships appropriately.

How to apply

If you share our values, we’d love to hear from you. Apply below providing your Supporting Statement with evidence against each of the essential criteria. We recommend candidates use the CARL method (Context, Action, Result and Learning) for presenting evidence of experience and skills.

Closing date Sunday 08/05/2024 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 28/05/2024. 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.