Associate Director

**Our reward package**:
We’re looking for an exceptional Associate Director - Weather Science to help us make a difference to our planet.

Our Associate Director - Weather Science will work a hybrid pattern of homeworking and in our Exeter HQ - Hybrid working arrangements to be agreed around business need.

Why join us?

We invest in our people to unlock their full potential. We champion positive physical and mental health in the workplace and are committed to being an inclusive organisation, providing a working culture that actively values an equal and diverse workforce.

As our Associate Director - Weather Science your starting salary will be £64000.00 and you will have opportunities to progress to £77000.00 over time. New joiners to the Met Office will start on the salary band mínima.

Your total reward package is potentially worth up to £86,263 annually, which includes basic salary, potential corporate bonus and employer pension contributions.
- Your package includes:

- Outstanding Civil Service Pension
- Flexible hours and homeworking
- 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
- Cycle to work scheme for the purchase of a bicycle and equipment to support healthy, low carbon travel
- Access to discounted shopping, inclusive of retail, leisure and lifestyle brands

**Who we are**:
Weather Science at the Met Office is responsible for advancing our world-leading numerical weather prediction (NWP), ocean forecasting, air quality modelling, atmospheric dispersion prediction and weather-impacts forecasting. These scientific capabilities are a crucial component of our National Capability in weather prediction, underpinning Met Office products and services. Weather Science comprises of some 200 scientists and scientific software engineers.

The Met Office has recently attracted significant new investment for future supercomputing, providing exciting opportunities to enhance our predictive capability and deliver new and improved advice and services, supporting our purpose of helping people make better decisions to stay safe and thrive.

Together:

- **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

Find out more about our values on our Met Office website.

**Job Purpose**:
As Associate Director of Weather Science you will report to the Executive Director of Science and have full delegated authority to act on their behalf in key areas to ensure effective delivery of objectives. As Associate Director, you will develop and lead the strategy to advance the Met Office Weather Science capability, helping the Met Office to realise its vision to be recognised as global leaders in weather and climate science and services in our changing world.

As our Associate Director - Weather Science, your key responsibilities are:

- Be accountable for the delivery of our Weather Science research, and for the implementation of this research to transform our numerical weather prediction, ocean, air quality and atmospheric dispersion capabilities.
- Operate strategically, leading, developing and implementing the scientific and management strategies necessary to deliver an effective and efficient Met Office Weather Science capability which meets Met Office and sponsor objectives.
- Ensure the Met Office delivers Weather Science research of the highest international standard to maintain its standing as a world-class centre for weather and climate science and prediction.
- Inspire, direct and develop the teams comprising Weather Science, developing the workforce strategy and implementation plans to deliver effective and efficient scientific capabilities.
- Lead relationships with partners and stakeholders in the UK and internationally, promoting the capabilities and achievements of the Met Office and ensuring collaboration is beneficial for all partners.

You will be expected to align to our values: Our values - Met Office

We Keep Evolving - you will be an active member of the Extended Leadership Team, supporting the delivery of strategy for the whole Met Office, and the Science and Technology Senior Leadership Team, supporting the delivery of the Met Office Research and Innovation Strategy.

**Essential Qualifications, Skills & Abilities**:

- A recognised world-class scientist with an international reputation in leading research in numerical weather prediction or a closely related scientific field. (Experts by Nature)
- A demonstrable track record in people leadership and managing team performance with a focus on delivering to ti