Boundary Layer and Orographic Processes Foundation Scientist

We’re looking for an exceptional Boundary Layer and Orographic Processes Foundation Scientist to help us make a difference to our planet.

As our Boundary Layer and Orographic Processes - 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.  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

We live on the Earth’s surface. The meteorology near the ground is key to the weather and climate we experience throughout our lives. Temperature, humidity and wind are the critical variables, and the way that they vary locally, and through the lower atmosphere above our heads, is key to predicting heat waves, cold snaps and fog events. Fog in particular can have a high impact on road and air traffic and its accurate forecasting is essential to the efficient running of the international aviation and the national road transport networks. Throw in undulating hills and valleys, and maybe scatter in some trees and hedges, and the challenge of predicting temperature, humidity and fog gets very interesting indeed.

We are looking for a Foundation Scientist to join the Boundary Layer and Orographic Processes (BLOG) group within the Atmospheric Processes and Parametrizations (APP) team.

We seek someone who shows the potential to be an exceptional team member and who is passionate about understanding atmospheric processes that occur in the lower parts of the atmosphere. Using your scientific knowledge, you will improve the way those processes are represented in our numerical models used for weather forecasting and climate predictions.

The models we run and develop are not just used over the UK. In your initial project, you will be assessing forecasts of near-surface temperature and humidity both nationally but also further afield. You will learn how to develop, run and evaluate models against routine and research observations. It’s a team effort, though, so you will have the opportunity to work closely with Operational Meteorologists and staff working on postprocessing and verification to establish the key requirements of our customers and hence prioritise future model developments.

The work we undertake in the BLOG team is diverse. We are also interested in how winds flow over and around mountains. We also study how turbulence interacts with clouds, radiation and precipitation making the difference between overcast decks of stratocumulus or sunny intervals of broken cumulus. Beyond the BLOG team, APP hosts leading experts in atmospheric physics and its impact on weather and climate. In addition to your main project, you will have the opportunity to learn from colleagues, work on cross-disciplinary topics and develop a sound understanding of how scientific research is translated to operational forecasts which are used for decision making.

Your key duties:

• Evaluate current and prototype regional forecast model configurations by comparing to observations.
• Investigate how the surface and the topography modulate the local thermodynamic state and lead to the formation and maintenance of low-visibility conditions.
• Develop better representation of the key atmospheric processes and hence use that knowledge to improve our forecasts.
• Present your work to key stakeholders.
• Contribute to the production of project reports and the publication of scientific papers.

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 Boundary Layer and Orographic Processes - 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:

1. Expert by nature: Knowledge and experience equivalent to a university degree (2:1 or above) in physical sciences, with a strong mathematical element (e.g. physics, maths, physical geography, natural sciences, meteorology).
2. Expert by nature: Experience in the use of scientific software to analyse and interpret scientific data.
3. We keep evolving: Willingness to learn new IT skills (the job will require using Python, Fortran and Linux and the ability to run and develop our model on a supercomputer platform).
4. We’re a force for good: Good oral and written communication skills, with demonstrated ability to communicate complex scientific and/or technical information to a range of audiences.
5. We live and breath it: Ability to work independently on a challenging scientific or technical problem and to deliver high quality scientific output.
6. We’re better together: Evidence of the ability to work effectively as part of a team, delivering quality scientific output in a timely manner.
7. We live and breathe it: Desire to apply scientific analysis to understand the world around us and deliver useful outputs to a range of stakeholder.

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 09/11/2025 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 24/11/2025. 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.