Software Developer

Job summary

We’re looking for an exceptional Software Developer to help us make a difference to our planet.

As our Software 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.

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

Job description

Your world of expertise

We’re looking for an exceptional Software Developer who shares our amazing values to help us make a difference to our planet by using cutting edge technologies to provide world-leading meteorological information to our customers around the world.

Your key duties:

Join the Met Office’s Data Services team - an innovative, friendly group at the forefront of developing scalable cloud-based solutions.

We’re responsible for the systems that deliver critical weather and climate data to users across the UK and beyond. Through scalable APIs and cloud-native services, our team ensures fast, reliable access to forecast and observation data, supporting everyone from emergency responders and government to businesses and the public.

As a Developer in Data Services, you’ll be working with a highly collaborative set of squads and engineering solutions using Python and AWS Cloud Computing to bridge the gap between advanced scientific modelling and the platforms our users rely on every day. You’ll be getting hands on with the output of our cutting-edge supercomputing capabilities, handling terabytes of data daily, and have opportunities to learn and understand weather data. You will be supporting and releasing into our live systems and making system performance, scalability, and reliability essential elements of your work.

This is your opportunity to be part of something bigger - developing modern, cloud-based solutions that have a wide-reaching and positive impact, helping millions of people to stay safe and thrive.

This developer role is aligned to Software developer - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework on the GOV.UK website.

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.

Person specification

Essential Criteria, skills and experience:

1. (Expert by nature) Programming and build (software engineering): collaborate with others when necessary to review specifications, use the agreed specifications to design, code, test and document programs or scripts of medium-to-high complexity, using the right standards and tools. (Lead Criteria)
2. (Keep evolving) Development process optimisation: explain the importance of developing process efficiency and the common ways in which processes are optimised. Support specific activities to improve development processes. Spot or identify obvious deficiencies.
3. (Better together) Service support: Help fix faults following agreed procedures. Carry out agreed maintenance tasks on infrastructure.
4. Systems Design: Translate logical designs into physical designs. Produce detailed designs. Effectively document all work using required standards, methods and tools, including prototyping tools where appropriate. Design systems characterised by managed levels of risk, manageable business and technical complexity, and meaningful impact. Work with well understood technology and identify appropriate patterns.
5. Systems integration: Build and test simple interfaces between systems. Work on more complex integration as part of a wider team

The panel may perform a preliminary sift of the lead criteria as indicated above.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,145, Met Office contributes £10,181 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

We invest in our people to unlock their full potential. As a Software Developer, we will support you to develop and thrive to be the best you can be. You will be given up to half a day per week to improve your skills through non-project learning. We champion positive physical and mental health in the workplace and are committed to being an inclusive organisation, providing a working culture that actively values an equal and diverse workforce.

Our work is life-changing, often lifesaving 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, 2024 and 2025 lists, as well as their ’54 Best Workplaces for Women’ 2023 list.

As our Software Developer, your total reward package will be up to £51,648 annually, which includes:

• £35,145 base pay
• An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
• Recruitment Retention Allowance (RRA) you will be paid £2,200 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

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

How to apply

If you share our values, we’d love to hear from you! Click apply to begin your application. Please upload your CV and submit a supporting statement with evidence against the essential criteria (approx. 500 words)

If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to complete a technical challenge, which focuses on essential criteria 2. If you pass the technical challenge, you will then be invited to attend an interview.

Closing date 08/02/2026 at 23:59 with the pre-interview stage (technical challenge) will commence from 01/03/2026 and with interviews commencing from 18/03/2026. 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 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.

If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact us at: careers@metoffice.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: info@csc.gov.uk

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.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Resourcing Team
• Email : careers@metoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : careers@metoffice.gov.uk