About the job

Job summary

Are you an experienced executive skilled at influencing industry and government?:

We are pleased to bring to the market the role of Executive Director - Government and Industry Relationships.

As our Executive Director - Government and Industry Relationships, you will be based in the South West, London, and remote around UK. You will be an integral part of our executive leadership team working to influence government and industry partners to ensure the Met Office meets its strategic aims.

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.

Job description

Your world of expertise:

We are seeking a permanent appointment into this position for an exceptional leader with experience in spending reviews, and with experience of working with relationships in government and industry. We also encourage applications from those wishing to join on loan/secondment from another organisation.

As a member of the Executive Board reporting to the CEO, you will oversee all customer contract negotiations, ranging from government departments to major future partners such as Microsoft and Amazon Web Services, you will set strategic direction for both the Met Office and the external partners themselves.

Working with our government sponsor, Department for Science Innovation and Technology, you will agree the direction of services associated with reaching every UK citizen at home and abroad. For example, working with government partners such as the independent chair of the Public Weather Service, you will be at the heart of agreeing service improvements which reach every UK citizen, along with supporting the Government emergency response processes for significant weather. Negotiating with bodies such as Department for Transport, MOD, Network Rail and RNLI, you will continue to enable the Met Office to keep people safe and thrive.

You will be directly accountable for Met Office trading performance including all sales revenues and cost of sale profit margins agreed with CEO and CFO, currently circa £300m per annum. You will lead the stakeholder relationships teams with circa 100 people.

Your key duties:

• Leading and delivering at executive level relationships and stakeholders activity in a complex and varied environment.
• Identify and develop new strategic market opportunities
• Leading transformation and change - successfully leading delivery of transformational change management programmes whilst ensuring delivery of services on time and to budget.
• Economic and non-economic awareness – extensive knowledge and understanding of stakeholder relations, marketing, customer and account management along with including international development.
• Business delivery focus - strong delivery focus, able to interpret data, undertake demand management horizon scanning and demand management to create and present evidence-based insight.
• A proven track record at executive level in change management and capable of balancing both strategic, tactical and operational priorities; able to deliver strategy at pace with resilience to sustain the strategy, often through high levels of ambiguity and organisational change.
• International relations

Person specification

Essential Criteria, skills and experience::

1. Significant stakeholder management at Department and Ministerial level in government organisations and equivalent level in medium/ large size commercial organisations. 
2. Business development - proven track record of developing new business from both existing and with new customers, especially within a Government context , or through partnership and collaboration revenue growth opportunities.
3. Proven track record of managing a significant budget (£23 million) within agreed limits and extensive knowledge of corporate budgeting and financial processes including delivery of cost reduction/ efficiency programmes. 
4. Holistic Demand horizon scanning/management experience and/or qualification with evidence of strategic account management. 
5. Experience of delivering in a high performing executive team

We would love to hear from you if you believe you meet the above criteria, but your skills and experience will be even better if you also possess:

• Cross sector experience – working with or across different sectors or organisations. 
• International experience. 
• Experience in a high-tech or scientific business
• Experience of comprehensive spending review process
• Commitment to professional development
• Realising benefit from data

Benefits

Why join us:

Our work is life-changing, often life-saving and always life-enhancing. 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.

As our Executive Director, Government and Industry Relationships your total reward package is potentially in the range of £126,000 – £136,000 annually, which includes:

• Executive level base pay
• An outstanding Civil Service pension
• A discretionary performance related bonus
• 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

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 a Cover Letter/Supporting Statement with evidence against each of the essential criteria. We recommend candidates use the CARL method (Context, Action, Result and Learning) for presenting evidence of experience and skills.

Closing date Sunday 14th April 2024 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from late April / Early May. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed.

We are also partnering with Moon Executive Search on this appointment.

How we can help:

If you are considering applying and need support 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 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.

A relocation package is available.

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 undergo a criminal record check. 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

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission. 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.