About the job

Job summary

We’re looking for an exceptional Data Governance Manager to help us use our vast volumes of weather and climate data to make a difference to our planet.

Our Data Governance Manager will work a hybrid pattern of homeworking and at least 2 days per month in Exeter HQ .

Why join us?

The Met Office is accredited as a 'Great Place to Work UK 2023' and in addition has achieved a place on both the UK's 'Best Workplaces in Tech' and 'Best Workplaces for Women' lists.

We invest in our people to unlock their full potential. As our Data Governance Manager we will support you to develop and thrive to be the best you can be.  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. 

Who we are:

We provide critical weather services and world-leading climate science, to help 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 - https://bit.ly/3fokaRD

Weather and climate data are at the heart of what we do at the Met Office. Our 24x7 activities handle vast volumes of data; gathering weather observations and generating forecasts, warnings and advice that are used globally by researchers, the public, governments and industry. The UK Government has invested in a new supercomputer that will help us to increase our forecasting capability. To help us make the most of this investment and the data it will generate, we are growing our Data Management Team with a dedicated Data Governance Manager, to enable the Supercomputing Exploitation Programme and provide enterprise-wide management control of our environmental data.

Job description

The primary purpose is to use our Data Governance Framework to implement and manage a structured approach to the governance of environmental data assets. This will include data ingestion, data creation and processing through to data service access and provision to our external users balancing compliance to policies and standards with opportunities to support strategic objectives and corporate decision making.

• Working closely with the Lead Data Governance Manager, you will manage the Data Governance Framework and associated principles, polices and guidance, responding to business challenges, identifying opportunities and making recommendations for improvements in compliance with HMG and other policies and best practice.
• Develop and manage measures to monitor and raise maturity in organisational data governance practices, identify gaps and propose improvement plans to support staff, embed sustainable ways of working and address business needs.
• Champion an inclusive and accountable approach to data governance, developing work packages to build a culture of openness and transparency in colleagues and teams across the Met Office, so that insights, intelligence, experience and lessons learned inform decisions, direct work priorities and enable staff to collaborate on governance issues.
• Provide clear and timely advice to key stakeholders to identify risks, issues and even opportunities associated with data governance and compliance, sharing knowledge, escalating issues and making recommendations and promoting good practice through a wide range of engagement activities resulting in an improved data fluency and a consistent enterprise-wide approach to data governance and data management to optimise the value of our environmental data and support organisational need.

Person specification

Essential Qualifications, Skills & Abilities:

1.  You understand data governance and how it works in relation to other organisational governance structures, data maturity assessments and in providing assurance of services. (Live and Breathe it)
   
   
2. You have experience of translating principles, policies and standards into implementation and monitoring plans and can identify practical considerations in implementing an end-to-end data governance framework and make recommendations to ensure compliance and achieve measurable improvements in the quality of our weather and climate data. (Expert by Nature)
   
   
3. You have evidence of strong attention to detail and can identify which priority issues (such as data ethics) and relevant standards within a Met Office context.
   
   
4. You can communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders to motivate colleagues and deliver influence across organisational boundaries up to senior management level, making recommendations and responding to challenge. You can advocate and promote the business benefit of data governance. (Better Together)
   
   
5. Results-driven: You will be able to deliver results working alone, as part of multi-disciplinary teams and managing the work of colleagues.

Desirable Qualifications, Skills & Abilities:

We encourage you to apply if you believe you meet our essential criteria, but your application will be even stronger if you have:

1. Awareness of data management frameworks such as DAMA UK and their application.
   2. Awareness of change management techniques
   3. Awareness of relevant guidance, standards and regulatory obligations in connection with environmental data handling eg RoPSI and UK National Data Strategy.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £38,838, Met Office contributes £10,486 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

How to apply:

If you share our values, we’d love to hear from you. Apply below using your CV and Cover Letter/Supporting Statement (which must bullet point how you meet each of the essential criteria).

Closing date 22/12/2023 at 23:59 with interviews commencing from 15/01/2024 . You will hear from us once the closing date has passed. Our interviews are taking place remotely via Microsoft Teams.

If successful, please note we are unable to offer expenses for travel to your normal place of work. Please ask at interview if you would like extra clarity on how often this requirement is likely to be.

How we can help:

If you are considering applying and need assistance to do so, please contact us via Careers@metoffice.gov.uk. 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 (Guaranteed Interview) Scheme. To be invited to interview/assessment under this scheme, your application must meet the essential criteria for the role.

We are an equal opportunities employer, welcoming 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.

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.