About the job

Job summary

We’re looking for an exceptional Lead Technical Architect to help us make a difference to our planet.

As our Lead Technical Architect, the job may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in the office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and the location advertised will be your contractual place of work.

Our opportunity is full time, 37 hours per week, but we would also consider applicants wishing to work a minimum of 30 hours per week and we will also try our best to consider those intending to work a job share.  Our people are at the heart of what we do and we'll do our best to agree a working pattern that works for everyone.

There are several positions under this opportunity. We would aim to consider preferences and skills alignment to the specific job at the interview. However more details of the specific opportunities are available on request.

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.

• 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

Job description

Your world of expertise

As a Technology leader, you'll be responsible for defining and collaborating on solutions that make a difference to lives and livelihoods. You'll be, working in an organisation with some of the most advanced technology both within and outside UK government and enabling the realisation of weather and climate science to services. We need great people to join us and help us exploit all of the technological benefits that the £1.2B investment in our supercomputer will bring.

Your key duties

• Defining, designing and supporting the implementation of solutions that meet customer needs
• Acting as a subject matter expert for your area with regard to the technologies employed and systems used.
• Acting as part of the senior leadership team in your area, making and driving decisions, managing change and taking part in wider Met Office initiatives that affect you and the teams around you.

Person specification

Essential Criteria, skills and experience:

1. Leadership and Governance - We're better together and therefore your ability to lead and mentor internal and external delivery teams with differing degrees of maturity working on concurrent deliveries is a key part of this role. 
2. Bridging the gap between the technical and non-technical - At the Met Office, we live and breathe technology, but not everyone is at the same level, so you will be able to translate technical concepts relating to software engineering, delivery management and service management so they are understood by all. 
3. Making and guiding decisions - We keep evolving and as part of that, you will need the ability to make and guide effective decisions, explaining clearly how the decision has been reached. You must have the ability to understand and resolve technical disputes across varying levels of complexity and risk
4. Turning business problems into solution designs -We're experts by nature and you can be part of this by showing us how you can work with business and technology stakeholders to translate business problems into secure technical designs. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £52,799, Met Office contributes £14,255 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 with your CV 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 Sunday 02/06/2024 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 17/06/2024. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed.

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.

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.