Met Office Manager - British Forces South Atlantic Islands

Met Office; Haywards Heath; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dedicated Met Office Manager to lead teams in the South Atlantic. This full-time role offers the chance to make a significant impact in a challenging operational environment, supporting military operations and providing vital weather services. You'll be responsible for team welfare and strategic decision-making, ensuring high-quality service delivery. With opportunities for personal and professional growth, this role is perfect for someone passionate about meteorology and team leadership. Join a workplace recognized for its commitment to social impact and continuous improvement, and contribute to life-changing work in a unique location.

Benefits

Civil Service Pension

Unsocial Hours Shift Allowance

Difficult Environment Allowance

Cost of Living Allowance

Annual Leave starting at 27.5 days

Paid Return to the UK every 6 months

Qualifications

• Proven ability to lead operational teams in a customer-focused environment.
• Expertise in meteorology and its impacts on military operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire teams in delivering expert weather services.
• Manage performance and welfare of South Atlantic teams.

Skills

Team Leadership

Customer Service

Stakeholder Management

Change Management

Resilience

Meteorology Knowledge

Education

Degree in Physical Science or Engineering

Job description

We're looking for a Met Office Manager (British Forces South Atlantic Islands) to be based at Mount Pleasant Complex, Falkland Islands to help us make a difference to our planet.

Our opportunity is full time, 37 hours per week, based in the Falkland Islands with the opportunity to travel to Ascension Island in support of the operational meteorological team based there and potentially further to South Georgia if operational opportunities arise.

The Met Office Manager (BFSAI) tour is an 18-month temporary position, with the option to extend up to 2 years, if suitable. This role is accompanied with MOD providing schooling services for primary aged children. We're currently recruiting for the tour with a start date of October 2025, with onboarding into the organisation and pre-deployment skills training prior to deployment. Timescales dependent on the successful candidate.

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

Your world of expertise

You will lead, manage and inspire the teams at both Mount Pleasant Complex (MPC) and RAF Ascension in the delivery of impact-based advice and services across a diverse range of customers throughout the South Atlantic. You'll be responsible for the welfare and duty of care to both teams, supported by the onsite Senior Met Officer (SEO) and the wider overseas leadership team, as well as being an integral member of the MPC Command Team.

The Falkland Archipelago is a fascinating wildlife destination that offers unrivalled outdoor activities and opportunities to see a range of incredible wildlife. However, the Met Office operates in a challenging operational environment supporting the military in the conduct of their operations, enabling the critical airbridge with the UK and supporting the Falkland Islanders with a Public Weather Service. Therefore, you will act to maintain and if opportunities arise, build relationships with the on-island stakeholders.

Our teams can be asked to operate in high pressure situations, in at times demanding weather, supporting fast-paced military and lifesaving situations. Ensuring staff welfare is therefore paramount. The weather can at times be severe and can exacerbate the operational risk, particularly to the vital airbridge. Your role will be to provide a safe, positive and encouraging working environment, where the team are inspired to continuously improve their ways of working and service delivery and come back to the UK wanting to return.

Your key duties:

• Lead, manage and inspire the South Atlantic team (Falklands and Ascension Islands) in the delivery of expert weather services to support MoD activity, ensuring they are in accordance with both the Defence customer and Falkland Governments specifications and standards.
• Work as part of the Weather Impacts and Advice (WIA) Extended Leadership Team to provide operationally focused but strategically aware advice into Senior Leadership Teams.
• Collaborate with other operational leadership teams, in particular the Met Office Manager Mediterranean, in leading and the coordination of resourcing in the South Atlantic, including having an awareness of budgets and financial targets.
• Day-to-day line management of South Atlantic teams including performance management, career development and employee welfare.
• Act as a focal point for key defence customer personnel in the South Atlantic to enable strategic decision making with respect to the weather.
• Work with our Markets Stakeholder Relationship teams to ensure the de-confliction of interests and requirements between the two customer groups on Island (BFSAI and the Falkland Island Government).
• Collaborate with the WIA Overseas and Deployed Squad Lead to lead the service delivery strategy for BFSAI, striving for continuous improvement.
• Support the forecasting team during periods of high operational cadence by achieving your Aeronautical Meteorological Observers (AMO) certification prior to deployment.

Why join us

Our work is life-changing, often life-saving and always life-enhancing. The Met Office is Great Place to Work UK certified. We are also featured on their 'Best Workplaces in Tech' 2023 and 2024 lists, as well as their '54 Best Workplaces for Women' 2023 list.

As our Met Office Manager (BFSAI), your total reward package will be up to £73,518 annually, which includes:

• £52,799 base pay.
• An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 28.97%.
• Various allowances applicable to location and working patterns (rates accurate as of 1 April 2025):
  • £4,200 pa as an Unsocial Hours Shift Allowance (for supporting the team when needed out of normal business hours).
  • £4,250 pa as a Difficult Environment/Location Allowance.
  • Cost of Living Allowance - depending on personal situation, but up to a maximum of £22,010 pa.
  • Difficult Posting Allowance - depending on personal situation, but up to £1,140 pa.
  • Relocation Assistance may be available. A Transfer Grant is available to help meet the extra costs incurred as part of the relocation process - up to £2,258, depending on personal situation. An additional grant equal to 50% of the initial grant is also available on return to the UK.
  • Due to the operational nature of the role, an amount of overtime (plain rate) is also likely pcm.
• 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.
• A fully paid return to the UK (via the airbridge or via LATAM) provided for every 6 months deployed.

Essential Criteria, skills and experience:

1. Demonstrate the ability to lead an operationally focused team in a customer service environment, to meet customer targets including the co-ordination and prioritisation of activity.
2. Evidence that you keep evolving by leading change and supporting continuous service improvement.
3. As part of a wider team and working better together, demonstrate the ability to maintain successful relationships with key stakeholders, whilst acting as an ambassador for the organisation.
4. An expert by nature holding a degree in a physical science, mathematics or engineering (or equivalent experience) with a willingness to learn about the weather impacts on military operations, our Falkland Island customers and the basics of the underpinning meteorology OR be able to provide evidence of credibility in this field.
5. You live and breathe it with strong personal resilience, with evidence of overcoming and learning from challenges effectively.
6. Ability to travel for work (including a valid driving licence) and be willing to undertake medical screening (as local medical support is different to medical support available in the UK).

How to apply

If you share our values, we'd love to hear from you! Click apply to begin your application. Please complete your career history 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 22/04/2025 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 06th May 2025. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed.

How we can help

There is further information available in the attached brochure and guide, however if you have any questions or would like to discuss this opportunity further, please contact us at .

If you're considering applying and need support to do so, please get in touch. 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.