Lead Developer

As our Lead Developer, 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., Hazards & Resilience Technology is at the core of our purpose, keeping people and infrastructure safe. Our key customers include emergency responders and civil contingency planners. Our reach is extensive. As well as providing warnings and guidance to millions of people on Earth, our systems also support our Space Weather Operations Centre: one of only a few in the world. If you're mission-driven and seeking a highly impactful role, we'd love to hear from you. Your key duties: This role is in the Hazards & Resilience Technology area. The Lead Developer will work across multiple development teams. They will ensure the application of consistent standards, and identify improvements to CI/CD processes. They will also act as a pathfinder for innovation opportunities, prototyping ideas in the context of architectural and business constraints to ensure PoCs have a clear route to operational delivery. They will embed within teams as a consultant SME, with a particular focus on the application of AI to meet our users' needs, and training other team members in these new technologies. We operate an on-call roster in Technology to provide 24/7/365 support to respond to operational service requirements. This post may be part of an on-call roster and the postholder would be required to participate in an on-call roster where in operation., We welcome applications that use AI tools for support in drafting or refining, as long as they accurately reflect your own skills and experience. All hiring decisions at the Met Office are made by people, not AI. For more details, visit our approach to recruitment. How we can help If you have any questions or would like to discuss this opportunity further, please contact us at careers@metoffice.gov.uk. 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, 2 of these years must be immediately preceding the point of your application. 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.

1. Demonstrable expertise in designing, developing, and building complex software solutions using and setting modern development standards, with a thorough understanding of secure coding practices and information security principles (We're experts by nature) ( lead criteria)

2. Proven ability to lead the prototyping of innovative technical solutions, including the rapid development and iteration of Proof-of-Concept (PoC) systems, and clearly communicating the outcomes to both technical and non-technical stakeholders (We keep evolving)

3. Demonstrated commitment to understanding user needs and translating them into effective technical solutions, including experience working with user researchers and product owners to gather feedback and iteratively improve products

4. Track record of effective collaboration within multidisciplinary teams, including providing technical leadership, mentoring, and coaching to support the development of others and foster a culture of continuous learning (We're better together) Desirable Criteria: We encourage you to apply if you believe you meet our essential criteria, but we're also keen to discover if you have:

5. Hands-on experience in delivering Generative AI (GenAI) and/or Machine Learning-based products and services, including the end-to-end development, deployment, and optimisation of such solutions to meet business and user needs. The panel may perform a preliminary sift of the lead criteria as indicated above.

Our opportunity is full time, 37 hours per week. 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. 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, Alongside your salary of £54,515, Met Office contributes £15,792 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. 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 Lead Developer, your total reward package will be up to £79,657 annually, which includes:

• £54,515 base pay

• An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 28.97%

• Recruitment Retention Allowance (RRA) you will be paid £3,800 per annum as a market supplement to reflect the demand for your skills. Whilst in post, you will be paid this market driven allowance from April 2024 until March 2026 in your monthly pay

• 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