Associate Director, Customer Relationships

Met Office; Exeter; On-site; GBP 74,000 - 104,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent climate organization is seeking an Associate Director of Customer Relationships to lead strategic initiatives and manage high-level customer relationships. This role demands demonstrated people leadership and networking skills to enhance the value delivered to customers in a positive work environment. Based in Exeter or Reading, the total reward package offers a competitive salary and additional benefits such as a discretionary bonus and relocation support. Strong communication and collaboration across teams are essential for success.

Benefits

Base pay of £74,856

Discretionary performance-related bonus

Annual leave starting at 27.5 days

Relocation package availability

Qualifications

• Proven ability to inspire confidence and build successful relationships.
• Demonstrated people leadership with a multi-disciplinary team.
• Strong negotiation skills at Executive level.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for Products and Services.
• Lead high-level relationships with key customers.
• Drive transformational change in the business.

Skills

Networking skills

People leadership

Compelling communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Associate Director, Customer Relationships

We are pleased to bring to the market the role of Associate Director, Customer Relationships.

As our Associate Director of Customer Relationships, you will provide strategic leadership to our Products and Services across Met Office, helping us deliver more impact, innovation and value to our customers. Your leadership will enable our people to feel empowered to innovate, deliver and thrive within a positive environment.

Based in Exeter or Reading, your work will ensure the Met Office can realise its business strategy to ensure citizens, communities and businesses are served with trusted services which deliver growth and value.

World changing work

As one of the world’s leading weather and climate organisations, the Met Office is a world leading scientific institution with a global reputation for excellence in weather and climate science and services. Our work supports everything from daily life and travel, to defence, agriculture, energy and emergency response.

Your world of expertise

Reporting to the Chief Customer Officer, you will be an expert in leading high‑level relationships with key customer contacts across government and industry, and will own the Met Office approach to strategic customer relationship. Being our most senior point of contact for most customer contracts, you will ensure that our partners and customers across government and industry get full value from our weather and climate intelligence.

You will lead, inspire and develop your team to ensure the sustained achievement of Met Office objectives and an environment of trust and inclusion.

• Role model leadership behaviours so that our employees feel empowered to innovate, deliver and thrive within a positive environment.
• You will lead the customer lifecycle, from the onboarding of key customers, ensuring their needs are met when engaging us.
• Lead our Market Postures work to identify market sectors in which we will focus.
• You will be Deputy to Chief Customer Officer assuming full Director delegations internally and externally, deputising at Executive and Main Board meetings.
• Effectively communicate and deliver transformational change across the business.

Our work is life‑changing, often life‑saving and always life‑enhancing. The Met Office is accredited as a 'Great Place to Work UK’ and in addition has achieved a place on both the UK's 'Best Workplaces in Tech' and 'Best Workplaces for Women' lists.

As our Associate Director your total reward package is potentially worth in the range of £103,515 annually, which includes:

• Base pay of £74,856
• 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
• A relocation package is available.

Essential Criteria, skills and experience:

We are seeking a permanent appointment for an exceptional leader whose experience aligns with our criteria:

• Able to inspire confidence with senior external stakeholders, with a track record of networking skills; gaining trust, credibility and building successful relationships.
• Demonstrable people leadership skills, with the ability to manage, support and inspire a multi‑disciplinary senior team.
• Excellent skills in clear, confident, compelling communication to enable you to regularly negotiate and influence at Executive level to reach an agreed position in the best interest of the Met Office.
• Demonstrable and high level understanding of the end‑to‑end value chain of the organisation and how this influences and impacts products and services delivery to customers.
• Evidence of strong cross‑functional working, with demonstrable evidence of building trusted, productive working relationships with senior colleagues across the organisation and operating collaboratively to deliver shared objectives.

Some UK and international travel will be required.

Our selection process

To apply, follow the steps below which will include a Cover Letter/Supporting Statement for you to evidence your experience and skills against each of the essential criteria.

Closing date Wednesday 4th February 23:59. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a first stage interview which will take place from March 2026.

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 Wednesday 4th February 23:59.

How we can help

If you are considering applying and need support to do so, please contact us via [e-mail]. 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.