Job Description

Job Introduction

We're looking for an exceptional Foundation Scientific Software Engineer in HPC optimisation to help us make a difference to our planet.


As our Foundation Scientific Software Engineer in HPC optimisation, 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

As a Foundation Scientific Software Engineer in HPC optimisation you will contribute to the development, support, and optimisation of large-scale parallel climate and weather applications on HPC systems.


We are currently in a major push to develop our Next Generation Modelling Systems, to help exploit our new world-leading supercomputer capability and to support our adoption of data science (specifically artificial intelligence and machine learning) across our national capability, and you will be working towards these objectives in some form.

Your key duties:

The Scientific Software Engineer (SSE) role is a varied one, with many opportunities for development, progression and finding new challenges both within the SSE career family and beyond. Being a Scientific Software Engineer is about far more than just technical skills - you will need to be able to work alongside colleagues in a range of areas, both technical and scientific. We frequently require our SSEs to collaborate internally and internationally. We encourage all our SSEs to develop their skills - we provide training and development opportunities across technical, project and soft skills.

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 Foundation Scientific Software Engineer in HPC optimisation, your total reward package will be up to 38,280 annually, which includes:

26,954 base pay An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 28.97% 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 March 2026 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:

Demonstrate insight in software development, and in particular computational performance aspects, through the delivery of new capabilities for scientific applications (We're Expert by Nature). Engage with others to understand the requirements for your work and its wider context, and contribute to the development of plans to meet these requirements (We're Experts by Nature, Better Together). Apply good Quality Assurance processes, best practice, standards and/or regulations in your work (We're Experts by Nature, We Live and Breathe it). Communicate knowledge accurately and concisely in written documents and group discussions, tailoring communication for diverse audiences and building trust / credibility (We're Better Together). Proactively develop your skills and support others in developing their skills, leading to beneficial impacts (We Keep Evolving, Better Together, Experts by Nature).

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 07/09/2025 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 22/09/2025. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed.

Using AI in your application

We welcome applications that use AI tools for support in drafting or refining, as long as they accurately reflect your own skills and experience. All hiring decisions at the Met Office are made by people, not AI. For more details, visit our approach to recruitment.

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.