We're looking for Operational Meteorologists to join our Defence teams and the Mobile Met Unit (MMU) to help us make a positive difference to our planet.
As our Operational Meteorologists, 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.
We have opportunities for already qualified Meteorologists at Royal Air Force and Army Air Corps stations throughout the UK delivering on-site services to our defence customers. When deployed to Mobile Met Unit as a Senior Operational Meteorologist - MMU you will provide services to military customers on exercises and operations around the world.
Our opportunity is full time, 37 hours per week, but we would also consider applicants wishing to work a minimum of 22 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.
Your world of expertise
Your role as an Operational Meteorologist within the Met Office involves interpreting real-time weather information and delivering meteorological and environmental services and advice to support decision makers. Services are delivered both face-to-face and remotely, depending on the customer requirements and location. You will work mainly onsite to deliver services to our customers, with occasional opportunities for home-working.
You will provide accurate and timely forecasting services to customers in order to meet service agreements as a member of a shift-working roster. Using your meteorological knowledge, you’ll be able to advise customers on the impact weather may have on their business, meaning that you should be as confident interacting with and influencing customers as you are forecasting.
Joining our Mobile Met Unit (MMU) as an Operational Meteorologist, you will specialise in Defence Meteorology, helping the UK’s armed forces make critical decisions in operational theatres and exercises across the world, and at home in the UK. You will split your time between working primarily as an Operational Meteorologist and then working typically a few weeks per year as a Senior Operational Meteorologist on deployments with the MMU.
Your role as a Senior Operational Meteorologist within the MMU is in addition to your civilian Operational Meteorologist role – you will be joining a Sponsored Reserve unit of the Royal Air Force. You will undergo military training and once qualified, hold the rank of Flying Officer. You will then spend typically a few weeks a year deployed on exercises and operations worldwide, providing similar services to the above but for a more diverse range of defence activities. This is an exciting opportunity to develop your meteorology and core skills further, in challenging situations around the world.
Locations
We have vacancies for already qualified Meteorologists at Royal Air Force and Army Air Corps stations throughout the UK. Further opportunities may also arise in our Services Operations Centres in Exeter, Aberdeen and onsite with the team who work at Heathrow Airport.
In your role as an Operational Meteorologist, you’ll also have the opportunity to work flexibly with our Overseas and Deployed teams in locations including Cyprus and Gibraltar and as far away as the Antarctic and South Atlantic. These provide excellent opportunities to work alongside our customers as part of their teams in remote locations.
Your key duties
As an Operational Meteorologist your key duties are:
When deployed as a Senior Operational Meteorologist your key duties are:
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 Operational Meteorologist, your total reward package will be up to £46,974 annually. As an MMU Operational Meteorologist you may be eligible for additional allowances which will increase upon deployment and includes:
Essential Criteria, skills and experience:
Desirable Criteria:
We encourage you to apply if you believe you meet our essential criteria, but we’re also keen to discover if you have:
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 28/02/2025 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 10/03/2025. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed.
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.
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 youOperational Meteorologist - Mobile Meteorological Unit
Location: Various
Reference number: 601
If you can't see a job that interests you, why not register for our job alerts by email service? And we’ll email you when a job that matches what you're looking for is uploaded onto the site.
Register for job alerts