Scientist - Defence Applications

We're looking for an exceptional Scientist - Deference Applications to help us make a difference to our planet. As our Scientist, 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, but we would also consider applicants wishing to work a minimum of 25 hours per week and we will also try our best to consider those intending to work a job share.

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

Your world of expertise This is an exciting opportunity to join a team which translates Met Office weather and climate science and modelling expertise into information and intelligence which directly supports decision-making across defence and security stakeholders. Our work includes exploring the effects of the climate, and how it is changing, on defence planning and operations, and the development of methods to model environmental impacts on defence systems and tactical decisions. You will work closely with our customers and other teams across the Met Office to create real world impact.

Your key duties :

• Develop and apply suitable analysis / data science techniques on environmental, weather and climate data to assess impacts and risks to customer interests.
• Contribute to the scientific production and delivery of high-quality project reports and other outputs for customers.
• Act as a collaborative and supportive team member, sharing knowledge to develop the team's scientific and technical capabilities, and working together to achieve successful outcomes.
• Work with wider Met Office teams and partners across government to understand Met Office capabilities and how they can be used to address stakeholder requirements.
• Represent the Met Office at customer meetings, workshops, scientific conferences etc. where the application of science needs to be presented and discussed.

Developed Vetting (DV) security clearance, or a willingness to undergo the process on appointment, although is not a essential requirement for the role. Please see UKSV guidance and the Met Office security manual for details on nationality requirements.

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, 2024 and 2025 lists, as well as their '54 Best Workplaces for Women' 2023 list. As our Scientist, your total reward package will be up to £49,448 annually, which includes:

• £35,145 base pay
• 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

Essential Criteria, skills and experience:

• Expert by nature - experience and knowledge in a physical or environmental science, mathematics, statistics and/or data science, gained through a relevant degree or subsequent professional experience and/or postgraduate qualification. ( Lead criteria )
• Effective oral and written communication skills, with demonstrated ability to convey complex scientific and technical information clearly and with impact to a range of audiences.
• Better together - good organisational skills, with an ability to plan your own work and collaborate with others to deliver significant contributions to high quality scientific outputs while meeting tight deadlines.
• Live and breathe it - an ability to discuss diverse user needs and propose appropriate solutions, and to apply your scientific and analytical skills to generate user-relevant insights.
• Expert by nature - strong scientific computing skills, with experience of coding (especially in Python) and/or using advanced tools for data analysis and visualisation. Experience of applying recognised approaches to software quality assurance.

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

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 19/04/2026 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 11/05/2026. 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 . 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: If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: