Senior Scientist Data Science for Simulation

Met Office; Exeter; Hybrid; Full time

Job summary

A leading environmental organization in Exeter is seeking a Senior Scientist specializing in Data Science for Simulation. You will lead research into machine learning for weather prediction, working in a multidisciplinary team to drive innovation in climate applications. Your expertise in atmospheric sciences and leadership capabilities are essential to guiding projects and mentoring junior scientists. This full-time position offers hybrid working options and excellent professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Civil Service pension with 28.97% employer contribution

Annual leave starting at 27.5 days

Qualifications

• PhD in atmospheric sciences or a related field preferred.
• Experience in leading research projects and mentoring junior scientists.
• Strong organizational skills for collaborative work.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of machine learning solutions for weather forecasting.
• Apply software engineering practices to improve replicable scientific code.
• Communicate findings through publications and presentations.

Skills

Experience in developing machine learning solutions in atmospheric sciences

Ability to provide scientific leadership

Proficiency in software engineering

Excellent interpersonal skills

Education

PhD in atmospheric sciences or related field

Tools

Python

R

Job description

Senior Scientist – Data Science for Simulation

We’re looking for an exceptional Senior Scientist – Data Science for Simulation to help us make a difference to our planet.

As our Senior Scientist – Data Science for Simulation, the role may be suitable for hybrid working, 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 willing to work a minimum of 30 hours per week, and we will also try our best to consider those intending to work a jobshare.

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 contribute to research and development in artificial intelligence and machine learning for weather and climate modelling, with an initial focus on advancing the FastNet Machine Learning Weather Prediction model. This work is part of the Artificial Intelligence for Numerical Weather Prediction (AI4NWP) project, a flagship Met Office initiative applying advanced machine learning to weather prediction challenges.

You will operate within a multidisciplinary team of data scientists, engineers and domain experts, collaborating closely with internal and external partners—including other National Meteorological Services, research institutions and commercial organisations. This role offers the opportunity to build expertise in machine learning and data science while developing innovative solutions for weather and climate applications.

• Lead the scientific development and implementation of machine learning solutions for Earth system applications, with a focus on weather forecasting.
• Apply software engineering best practices to ensure scientific code is reproducible, scalable and maintainable; design robust data workflows and optimise advanced machine learning methods for weather and climate data.
• Communicate research findings through peer‑reviewed publications and presentations at conferences and seminars.
• Collaborate with internal and external domain experts, sharing expertise within the broader scientific and research software engineering community.
• Mentor junior scientists and help shape the strategic direction of the team.

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

Essential Criteria, skills and experience

• Experience in developing machine learning solutions in the atmospheric sciences or related domains.
• Ability to provide scientific leadership, generate innovative solutions to complex challenges and contribute to strategic planning, including leading the delivery of complex research projects and leading the work of others.
• Proficiency in software engineering and knowledge of quality assurance practices.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with proven ability to listen actively, discuss complex scientific and/or technical information clearly and effectively with a range of audiences. Experience of working in collaborative, cross‑disciplinary research environments.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to work both independently and collaboratively to deliver work on time and aligned with agreed project and organisational objectives.
• Commitment to ongoing personal professional development and to supporting others in developing theirs, leading to improved outputs and the career development of others.

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 27/01/2026 at 23:59 with interviews commencing from 02/02/2026. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed.

Using AI in your application

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 [e-mail].

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; 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.

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; 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.

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; 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.

Rewards and benefits

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

Our typical recruitment process

1. Application – Apply through our careers website. Each application will be assessed against the essential criteria detailed in the job advert. We recommend that you use the CARL or STAR method to answer the key questions.

2. Screening – The sift panel will assess all applications against our essential criteria. Our screening process usually takes one to two weeks following the closing date of the advert.

3. Interview – Most recruitment processes will include a single‑stage interview, some of which are virtual interviews and some may be in‑person. Our interviews tend to blend competency questions, which focus on the essential criteria, with values‑based questions.

4. Assessment – Some roles may require you to attend an assessment day. Any job‑specific assessments will be outlined in the job advert and more details will be provided at the interview stage.

5. Offer – If you are successful following the interview, the hiring manager will contact you to offer the role. The Resourcing Team will then follow up with an offer letter and start your onboarding.

6. Onboarding – Before we can confirm a start date, we will first need to complete security clearance and reference checks. These usually take between eight to ten weeks to complete. We’ll also discuss any workplace adjustments that you may need. They will be in place on your first day. On your first day your new manager will introduce you to the team and you’ll start our online corporate induction. You’ll also be asked to update your details in our People Hub system including bank details ready for your first pay day. For those living outside of the UK, there are some roles where we can sponsor Skilled Worker visas. However, you will still need to pass security clearance which requires you to have resided in the UK for 30 months in the last three years.

Ready to apply?

Senior Scientist – Data Science for Simulation

If you can’t see a job that interests you, why not register for our job alerts by email service? And we’ll email you when a job that matches what you’re looking for is uploaded onto the site.