Exeter, South West England, EX1 3PB
Job Summary
We’re looking for a Met Office Manager (British Forces South Atlantic Islands) to be based at Mount Pleasant Complex, Falkland Islands to help us make a difference to our planet.
Job Description
Our opportunity is full time, 37 hours per week, based in the Falkland Islands with the opportunity to travel to Ascension Island in support of the operational meteorological team based there and potentially further to South Georgia if operational opportunities arise.
The Met Office Manager (BFSAI) tour is an 18-month temporary position, with the option to extend up to 2 years, if suitable. This role is accompanied with MOD providing schooling services for primary aged children. We're currently recruiting for the tour with a start date of October 2025, with onboarding into the organisation and pre-deployment skills training prior to deployment. Timescales dependent on the successful candidate.
Your Key Duties
* Lead, manage and inspire the South Atlantic team (Falklands and Ascension Islands) in the delivery of expert weather services to support MoD activity, ensuring they are in accordance with both the Defence customer and Falkland Governments specifications and standards.
* Work as part of the Weather Impacts and Advice (WIA) Extended Leadership Team to provide operationally focused but strategically aware advice into Senior Leadership Teams.
* Collaborate with other operational leadership teams, in particular the Met Office Manager Mediterranean, in leading and the coordination of resourcing in the South Atlantic, including having an awareness of budgets and financial targets.
* Day-to-day line management of South Atlantic teams including performance management, career development and employee welfare.
* Act as a focal point for key defence customer personnel in the South Atlantic to enable strategic decision making with respect to the weather.
* Work with our Markets Stakeholder Relationship teams to ensure the de-confliction of interests and requirements between the two customer groups on Island (BFSAI and the Falkland Island Government).
* Collaborate with the WIA Overseas and Deployed Squad Lead to lead the service delivery strategy for BFSAI, striving for continuous improvement.
* Support the forecasting team during periods of high operational cadence by achieving your Aeronautical Meteorological Observers (AMO) certification prior to deployment.
Person Specification
* Demonstrate the ability to lead an operationally focused team in a customer service environment, to meet customer targets including the co-ordination and prioritisation of activity.
* Evidence that you keep evolving by leading change and supporting continuous service improvement.
* As part of a wider team and working better together, demonstrate the ability to maintain successful relationships with key stakeholders, whilst acting as an ambassador for the organisation.
* An expert by nature holding a degree in a physical science, mathematics or engineering (or equivalent experience) with a willingness to learn about the weather impacts on military operations, our Falkland Island customers and the basics of the underpinning meteorology OR be able to provide evidence of credibility in this field.
* You live and breathe it with strong personal resilience, with evidence of overcoming and learning from challenges effectively.
* Ability to travel for work (including a valid driving licence) and be willing to undertake medical screening (as local medical support is different to medical support available in the UK).
Alongside your salary of £52,799, Met Office contributes £15,295 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
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 Met Office Manager (BFSAI), your total reward package will be up to £73,518 annually, which includes:
* £52,799 base pay.
* An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 28.97%.
* Various allowances applicable to location and working patterns (rates accurate as of 1 April 2025):
o £4,200 pa as an Unsocial Hours Shift Allowance (for supporting the team when needed out of normal business hours).
o £4,250 pa as a Difficult Environment/Location Allowance.
o Cost of Living Allowance - depending on personal situation, but up to a maximum of £22,010 pa.
o Difficult Posting Allowance - depending on personal situation, but up to £1,140 pa.
o Relocation Assistance may be available. A Transfer Grant is available to help meet the extra costs incurred as part of the relocation process - up to £2,258, depending on personal situation. An additional grant equal to 50% of the initial grant is also available on return to the UK.
o Due to the operational nature of the role, an amount of overtime (plain rate) is also likely pcm.
* 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.
* A fully paid return to the UK (via the airbridge or via LATAM) provided for every 6 months deployed.
Selection process details
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 22/04/2025 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 06th May 2025. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed.
How We Can Help
There is further information available in the attached brochure and guide, however 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.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window). See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Medical
Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.
Nationality requirements
This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups:
* UK nationals
* nationals of the Republic of Ireland
* nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
* nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
* nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
* individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
* Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. #J-18808-Ljbffr