Job Description

Job Introduction

We're looking for an exceptional

National Capability Weather Intelligence Foundation Scientist

to help us make a difference to our planet.


As our National Capability Weather Intelligence Foundation Scientist, 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

The National Capability Weather Intelligence (NCWI) area is made up of a mix of Scientists and Scientific Software Engineers with a range of backgrounds and different academic/career experiences - we do not all come in with a meteorology background, but we do all share a passion for taking weather and climate information and making it useful, usable and used.


As both individuals and teams we deliver high quality, impactful outputs, whilst ensuring we work together in a positive, collaborative and supportive way; understanding we all have lives and responsibilities beyond our jobs, respecting each other, benefiting from our differences and building and developing both our own and others' skills to progress as a team and in our own careers.


The focus of the NCWI area is to innovatively apply our world-leading weather science to ensure our customers can make the best possible use of meteorological information in their decision making. At the heart of this are our Post-Processing teams, working with stakeholders to understand the challenges they face and researching and developing underpinning forecast capabilities to meet the needs of a wide range of users.


You will develop an excellent understanding of how weather information is used inside and outside the Met Office. Your work will combine this with your relevant scientific and technical background to develop and support the next generation of weather forecast services for new and existing Met Office customers, for example by developing Machine Learning tools to improve the quality of our forecasts.

Your key duties:

Researching cutting edge science and technology to utilise weather forecast data and observations to produce outputs that benefit our customers. Developing high quality scientific computing code to undertake the required data analysis and designing and building forecast production systems. Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team to successfully deliver a range of projects. Clearly communicating science through reports and presentations to customers and peers. Carry out the scientific and technical activities to ensure timely delivery of operational services for the benefit of our customers.

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 National Capability Weather Intelligence Foundation Scientist, your total reward package will be up to 40,524 annually, which includes:

28,600 base pay 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:

Experience and knowledge in a physical science or quantitative scientific discipline at graduate or equivalent level - (we're experts by nature) Demonstrable experience of applying scientific and analytical methods to numeric data, including exploring and learning new methods to solve problems Scientific computing skills (e.g. in Python) with experience in learning and applying software tools and programming languages to address scientific/mathematical problems Strong communication skills (written, oral, presentation and listening) with the ability to clearly communicate scientific and technical information to a range of audiences An independent thinker, able to proactively take ownership of your work, to identify and address your own knowledge gaps and able to plan your work - (we keep evolving) A contributing team player with the ability to work and collaborate as an effective and productive team member to deliver scientific/technical projects - (we're better together).

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 25/11/2025 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 02/12/2025. 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, 2 of these years must be immediately preceding the point of your application. You will need to achieve full security clearance within your first 6 months with us.