Junior DevOps Engineer - MSS

Job Introduction

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

As our Junior DevOps Engineer, 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.  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 join the Message Switching Services team who are responsible for the reliable and timely exchange of data and products with both internal and external customers.   The team manages the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) message and file switching services, the corporate e-mail gateway, EARTH (the Environment Agency Rainfall Translation Host) and a facility that allows an Internet-accessible area supporting the sharing of data between internal and external research collaborations.

Your key duties

• Providing support to operational services, mainly Linux based.
• Work with the appropriate processes to manage Change, resolve Incidents and manage Problems on the services.
• Support services proactively in terms of monitoring Lifecycle Management, Capacity Planning and Service Improvements.
• Support colleagues in the team and in IT Operations in order to ensure a high-quality service is maintained.
• Contribute to a program of changes looking at improving the service delivered in terms of exploiting new capabilities, reducing risk, removing unnecessary complexity or reducing the cost to the organisation.
• Work in an operational environment and tackle operational issues which are affecting business continuity, including occasionally supporting IT Operations colleagues outside normal working hours.

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 Junior DevOps Engineer your total reward package will be up to £39,976 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. Basic technical knowledge: You have a fundamental understanding of networking concepts, protocols, and tools, as well as some experience with routing and switching technologies. Additionally, knowledge of data manipulation techniques and tools is important. You also have experience working with Linux operating systems, such as Ubuntu, CentOS, or Debian, and using command-line tools and shell scripts.
    
   
2. Basic knowledge of programming languages and scripting: You should be familiar with at least one programming language, such as Python or Java, and be able to write simple scripts to automate tasks and processes using scripting languages such as Bash, PowerShell, or Perl.
    
3. Willingness to learn: You have a desire to learn and improve their skills in automation, networking, data manipulation, and DevOps practices. (We keep evolving)
    
   
4. Collaboration: You have the ability to work closely with development and operations teams to ensure smooth and efficient data manipulation and routing. (Better Together)
   
5. Problem-solving: You have a the ability to troubleshoot and resolve basic issues related to data manipulation and routing in a timely manner.

How to apply

If you share our values, we’d love to hear from you. Apply below using your CV and a Cover Letter/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 19/05/2024 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 3rd June. 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.