Lead Developer - Management

Location: Exeter HQ Met Office

Reference number: 575

Contract: Permanent

Hours per week: 37

Salary: £52,799 - £56,738

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We are looking for an exceptional Lead Developer - Manager. The role is within our Operational Technology Directorate within the Defence Tribe who work towards providing defence partners across the globe with a range of data, products and services, making use of the Met Office's world leading science and technology capability.

This role will sit within the Senior Leadership Team for the Defence Tribe and will be representing the Met Office in the Defence Sector. Please note this role does require a certain amount of international travel mainly across Europe and North America and dependent on our commitment to sustainability and achieving carbon neutrality. This includes travel to critical events and meetings across the globe.

As Lead Developer for the Defence Tribe, you will have oversight of all the development activities across the Tribe. You will be expected to engage and help those Development Teams deliver to the Defence Programme, including mentoring, troubleshooting and supporting the work they do.

From edge computing to supercomputing, at the Met Office, we use a diverse set of cutting-edge technologies to drive our innovative projects. Our tech stack includes Python and JavaScript for a wide range of applications, from scientific computing to web development. Our cloud infrastructure spans AWS and Azure, where we embrace containerization using Docker and serverless architectures to ensure scalability and efficiency. Additionally, we are making ever greater use of machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to enhance our weather and climate predictions. Join us to work with these exciting technologies and more, as we push the boundaries of weather and climate science.

To find out more about Technology at the Met Office, please take a look here.

Why work for the Met Office

As our Lead Developer, your total reward package will be up to £77,318 annually which includes;

  • £52,799 base pay
  • An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 28.97%.
  • Recruitment Retention allowance (RRA). You will be paid £3,800 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 to 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 the option to buy or sell up to 5 days per year of annual leave.

What You’ll Bring to the Role

We're looking for someone who meets the following Essential Criteria for this role:

  1. Availability and Capacity Management. You will ensure the implementation of availability and capacity management standards and procedures.
  2. Development process optimisation. You can analyse current processes and identity opportunities and implement optimisation of services.
  3. Modern Development Standards. You can identify and apply modern development standards to support complex projects, and you can lead others in applying these standards.
  4. Programming and build. You can collaborate with others when necessary to review specifications. You can use the agreed specifications to design, code, test and document programs or scripts of medium-to-high complexity, using the right standards and tools.
  5. Systems Design, Integration and Service Support: You can design and review cost efficient systems using design standards, methods tools, and ensure they are applied effectively. you can identify risk, impact. You can apply efficient use of resources and integration of multiple systems and technology. You can define the integration build; co-ordinate build activities across systems to undertake and support integration testing activities. You can identify, locate and fix faults.
  6. User focus. You can collaborate with user researchers and can represent users internally. Explain the difference between user needs and the desires of the user. Champion user research to focus on all users. Prioritise and define approaches to understand the user story, guiding others in doing so. Offer recommendations on the best tools and methods to use.
  7. Information Security: You can understand information security, design solutions and services with security controls embedded, specifically engineered with mitigation of security threats as a core feature.

Our Working Arrangements

As our Lead Developer, 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.

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 mentioned in the ‘What You’ll bring to the Role’ section in the supporting statement questionnaire.

We recommend candidates use the CARL (Context, Action, Result and Learning) method the help best demonstrate your experience and skills. When providing examples, you should include the context of the example, The action you took, what the result was and any learning you took from this example.

As leaders in embracing AI technology in many areas of our business, we encourage the use of AI technology to enhance your application. However, all information provided must be honest, accurate, and a true reflection of your skills and experience.

We suggest 300 to 500 words per answer to keep your response focused and impactful.

Closing date 28/02/25 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 17/03/25. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed.

How we can help

If you would like to better understand the organisation, the role or have any questions 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

Rewards and benefits

Our rewards and benefits are as varied as our customers and our people, depending on your role, and which part of the business you join. The one thing they have in common is that they’re designed to recognise your contribution to our success.

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Generous holiday allowance

Starting at 27.5 days and rising to 32.5 days after five years of service (both figures exclude bank holidays). As well as the flexibility to buy or sell annual leave annually.

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Civil Service pension

You’ll automatically qualify to join our alpha pension scheme, part of the Civil Service Pension arrangements. The scheme is recognised as one of the most generous occupational pensions.

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Continuous career development

We’ll invest in your training and personal development throughout your career to help you reach your potential. We provide you with the space and freedom to think, innovate and try new things and have professional frameworks aligned to each area. We encourage and support professional memberships, have an array of internal apprenticeship and qualification opportunities and a comprehensive mentoring and coaching programme to name just a few initiatives to create your world of development at the Met Office!

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Cycle to work scheme

We can help towards the purchase of bicycles and equipment for healthy, low carbon travel via a salary sacrifice scheme.

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Lifestyle support

Whether you wish to utilise our excellent family-friendly schemes, be paid up to 3 days for volunteering with your chosen organisation, have the reassurance of a generous sickness pay scheme or be part of an organisation that is happy to pro-actively talk about flexible working the Met Office wants you to have a great work and lifestyle balance.

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Established hybrid working

We have bases all over the UK and some roles allow for you to work abroad so there is the option to travel for work also, we have established amazing hybrid working practices across all of our offices and have enhanced technology to enable office and home-based meetings. We work with employees to agree on a suitable working pattern that works for us both and have various working patterns in place.

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Onsite parking and EV charging

We offer onsite free parking at our main offices with disabled parking spots also available. We are ever expanding our eCharging stations and have these available for use at most sites.

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Benefits platform

We offer an enhanced discount shopping portal and schemes for employees to make everyday savings including retail shopping such as your weekly food shops, technology products, DIY projects, travel and trips as well as active lifestyle options. We also have an instant recognition scheme with the potential for you to receive vouchers for when you have gone the extra mile to demonstrate our Met Office Values.

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Employee wellbeing

Across our offices we have an array of different options to support your wellbeing including 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) with phone and app provisions, lots of EDI initiatives to empower our diverse workforce and a dedicated wellbeing network with regular events to help you thrive!

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Commitment to our environment and biodiversity

Our force for good value aligns perfectly with our support for environmental impact improvements. We were the first public sector body to be awarded the prestigious Wildlife Trusts’ Biodiversity Benchmark Award and have different initiatives across our sites from our beautiful biodiversity butterfly garden, toilet water provided from the cooling of our epic supercomputer, car share schemes, team beach clean events and extensive recycling facilities for our everyday use.

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It’s good to talk

We have a fantastic group of employee volunteers who form our Mental Health First Aiders as well as Dignity & Respect at Work groups. Alongside our EAP they are in the office or a remote call away to support with a listening ear and can signpost you to helpful resources and support.

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ED&I staff networks

We recognise the benefits that networks can offer to our employees not only in terms of better together peer support but also in raising awareness of the challenges some of our employees may experience, and we know that people perform better when they can be themselves.

Investing in your development

The world around us is constantly changing. New technologies, shifting climate patterns, artificial intelligence. These factors and more shape the need for us to develop our skills and knowledge as a business and as individuals. Our investment in learning and development is testament to this and we have partnered with external bodies in each profession to help shape the way we develop the incredible talent right across the Met Office. We help everyone to understand their strengths and opportunities and tailor learning programmes that match their career. For us, this is world-leading learning and development.

More about what we can offer you
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Meet some of the team

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Luke Carr

Software Developer

I’m afforded ample opportunities to explore new technological avenues. Being trusted in this way has enabled me to develop while contributing to my team’s output. Before joining the Met Office, I couldn’t have imagined this approach being viable in a software delivery team. And now it’s this forward-thinking spirit that keeps me excited and motivated. Read my story

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Beth Harper

DevOps Engineer

I love my role because every day is different. I like how varied it is and the fact that every day there are different customers to talk to, different problems to solve, and different solutions to work on. Read my story

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Selma Cabo

Senior Developer Management Tech Lead

Working with the Met Office gives me a sense of purpose, and I find it motivating to have a positive impact on many people, helping them to make better decisions to stay safe and thrive. The talented people, sense of community, and the respectful and supportive environment together make the Met Office a great place to work.

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Mathew Gard

Lead Tech Architect

We're an expert voice representing technology and its possibilities working together with other talented people working in data, user design and products. Together, my colleagues and I, drive innovation in new technologies and ensure crucial data is made available for our customers to make decisions that affect their daily lives. The Met Office is a fantastic place to work and grow your career, with a well-defined corporate strategy and values that are embedded into our ways of working.

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Tom Dufall

Software Developer

I particularly enjoy having a significant amount of autonomy and being able to see the impacts of my work. I've found the Met Office to be a great place to kick-off my career. I've had a lot of opportunities to do on-the-job training, and one of the best things is that from day one I've felt like a valued member of my team.

Our typical recruitment process

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1. Eligibility

For those living outside of the UK, there are some roles where we can sponsor Skilled Worker visas. However, you will still need to pass security clearance which requires you to have resided in the UK for 30 months in the last three years.

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2. Application

Apply through our careers website. Each application will be assessed against the essential criteria detailed in the job advert. We recommend that you use the CARL or STAR method to answer the key questions. Evidence your answers and reference our values to bring your application to life.

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3. Screening

The sift panel will assess all applications against our essential criteria. Our screening process usually takes one to two weeks following the closing date of the advert. After which, we'll be in touch to let you know whether your application has progressed to the next stage.

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4. Interview

Most recruitment processes will include a single-stage interview, some of which are virtual interviews and some may be in-person. Our interviews tend to blend competency questions, which focus on the essential criteria, with values-based questions.

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5. Assessment

Some roles may require you to attend an assessment day. Any job-specific assessments will be outlined in the job advert and more details will be provided at the interview stage.

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6. Offer

If you are successful following the interview, the hiring manager will contact you to offer the role. The Resourcing Team will then follow up with an offer letter and start your onboarding.

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7. Onboarding

Before we can confirm a start date, we will first need to complete security clearance and reference checks. These usually take between eight to ten weeks to complete. We'll also discuss any workplace adjustments that you may need. So they are in place on your first day.

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8. Your first day

On your first day your new manager will introduce you to the team and you’ll start our online corporate induction. You’ll also be asked to update your details in our People Hub system including bank details ready for your first pay day.

Ready to apply?

Lead Developer - Management

Location: Exeter HQ Met Office

Reference number: 575

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