Salary Information
Salary will start at £36,684 with opportunities to progress within the role up to the maximum of £40,352. Plus unsocial hours and on call allowances whilst in operational blocks / qualifying roles.
Background
The purpose of the Flood Forecasting Centre (FFC) Hydromet team is to bring together the two disciplines of meteorology and hydrology to ‘bridge the gap’ between weather and flood forecasting between the Met Office (MO) and Environment Agency (EA) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW). Our highly skilled team create and deliver a joined-up forecasting service for emergency responders. Staff have multiple specialisms and work routinely across the partnership and with customers.
The Hydrometeorologist job represents the entry level into the FFC’s team of technical specialists. New MO staff into the post are required to have experience and proven ability in previous general forecasting positions before undertaking a programme of flood forecasting, hydrology and incident management training.
Hydrometeorologists’ responsibilities include service improvements work and CPD. This provides opportunities to build project, customer and team-working skills and also to lead on small pieces of work. This role will build transferable skills and experience and should leave staff well-placed to apply for Senior Hydrometeorologist positions, as well as other roles in FSD, after approximately three to five years.
Job Purpose
Delivering high quality operational flood risk services along with liaising with customers and contributing to developments in flood forecasting capabilities. The job forms part of a 24/7 roster at FFC, Exeter and includes the opportunity for development work. Development work contributes to further improving our underpinning capabilities as well as our products and services and will become increasingly important as Hydromets mature and gain experience in the centre.
Job Responsibilities
Prepare and deliver a range of specialised hydrometeorological products and services to meet our customer (Category 1 and 2 Responders including EA and NRW Flood Forecasting and Incident Management teams) needs.
Identify severe weather events and hydrological conditions that are expected to increase the risk of flooding and issue associated forecasts and guidance to ensure EA and NRW are aware of the potential impact on their activities.
Monitor and interpret observations and models to ensure customers receive the best possible information and guidance.
Drive discussion of flood impact forecasting with MO Guidance Unit and Civil Contingency Advisors, and EA and NRW flood forecasting teams. Communicate with FFC strategic management around changing situations and forecasting decisions.
Undertake a broad programme of both formal and on-the-job training in hydrometeorology (including QCF L6: Flood Forecasting), business awareness, communication and project management skills. Apply learnt skills to build personal and team expertise and enhance operational capability.
Engage with the FFC development programme planning process, supporting theme leads and contributing to future plans, as well as working on projects to develop improved operational capabilities and services.
Represent the FFC within customer environments and always maintain a customer focused outlook.
Inform and educate forecasting teams in MO and EA/NRW in operational hydrometeorology, with particular emphasis on aiding learning and development of duty staff in EA regional flood forecasting teams.
Essential Qualifications, Skills & Abilities
1. A degree in meteorology, a physical science or mathematics (at 2:1 or higher) and EITHER successful completion of the MO Operational Meteorologist Foundation Training Programme or equivalent (a Basic Instruction Package in Meteorology (BIP-M) compliant Level 6 course), OR a good working knowledge of Flood Risk Management and Flood Forecasting. Also Chartered Status or a willingness to work towards Chartered Status through a relevant professional body (eg Royal Met Soc, CIWEM) and a commitment to complete advanced training in hydrometeorology.
2. Evidence of taking a role in the successful delivery of operational change.
3. Evidence of successful decision-making to solve complex operational issues under pressure.
4. Excellent communication and team-working skills. Able to demonstrate a strong customer and service focus including evidence of working in cross-functional teams that have achieved improvements in service delivery.
5. Evidence of successfully communicating complex, uncertain and timely meteorological, hydrological or impact information to both technical and non-technical audiences including customers and more senior staff.
6. An understanding of how the FFC fits into MO and EA/NRW business strategies.
Desirable Qualifications, Skills & Abilities
1. A working knowledge of the delivery of operational services through the MO IT infrastructure.
2. Previous experience of working in operational forecasting and a knowledge of current forecasting models.
3. Evidence of personal drive and continuous improvement and self-development.
Additional Supplementary Information
Shift pattern is currently 12 hour shifts 24/7 with lead and on-call. Development (day) work is a substantial part of the job.
For operational reasons this post will be based in Exeter.
Successful applicants without a meteorology background will be required to undertake and pass the Met Office’s Operational Meteorologist Foundation Course; an intensive 3 month period in the Met Office Exeter, followed by 3 months On the Job training. Annual leave is restricted during these periods.
To apply, please click on the link below and attach the most recent version of your CV, along with a cover letter which briefly (no more than two-pages) states your experience against each essential and desirable criteria.
Key Dates: Closing date 19/04/20 with interviews expected W/C 04/05/20. Please note that you will be notified if you are successful or unsuccessful.
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. If you require any reasonable adjustments during these exercises, please include this information in your application.
At present, all interviews will take place remotely via Skype.
Please note, when joining the Met Office all new employees will start on the salary band minimum.
This recruitment post is not offering UK Visa and Sponsorship and therefore requires all applicants to be eligible to work within the UK / EU without restriction. If you are a non–EU candidate, you will be required to provide and attach all relevant eligibility documentation to your application at the time of applying.
Please note that successful candidate/s will be required to satisfactorily undergo security clearance checks. This will generally require the candidate to have lived in the UK for at least three out of the last five years.
We recognise that Great Minds Don’t Think Alike. Consequently, the Met Office is committed to working towards being a more diverse and inclusive organisation and to valuing and utilising visible and invisible individual differences. This includes continually striving to create a positive and open environment in which to work, along with ensuring that there are no barriers implicit in our policies or procedures preventing people from performing to the best of their ability. We are a “Disability Confident” employer, Mindful Employer, and we hold an Athena Swan Bronze award for our work on gender equality. We are proud to have a variety of staff-led networks who constantly work with us to enable everyone to fulfil their full potential. We are taking measures throughout our Recruitment process to tackle unconscious bias, and we apply the Civil Service Code to ensure that everyone is recruited on merit, fairness and open competition.
