Hydrometeorologist x6

The Environment Agency are fully committed to having an inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We don’t just talk about diversity; we seek it, embrace it, and live it, for the benefit of our staff, our communities, and our environment.

As a Hydrometeorologist, you will combine disciplines of weather forecasting and flood forecasting to deliver critical products and services. You will support the responder community, aiding decision-making and timely action to reduce flood impacts. Undertaking service improvement projects, you’ll apply new science and approaches to enhance user experience.

You should be an experienced hydrologist or meteorologist, with operational experience, and a passion for flood science. Scientific capability, coupled with professional communication skills are essential for this role due to the nature of incident response and engagement with national partners. Previous meteorology experience would be beneficial.

This role will require you to be part of a 24/7 roster (issued roughly 3 months in advance) which will include on-call, nightshift, weekend and bank holiday working. This will attract a 20% shift allowance.

We are open to discussing flexible working arrangements, including full-time, part-time, job-share and compressed hours options.

All Environment Agency staff undergo baseline personnel and security standard checks before they start work. This role requires a more extensive security check. The successful candidate will need to be able to pass and maintain suitable security clearance (minimum SC), within the first 6 months, a requirement of which is to have been resident in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. You can find further information by visiting the introduction to national security vetting page on the gov.uk website.

The Flood Forecasting Centre (FFC) website and recruitment video explains more about the team and role.

The team:

You’ll join the Flood Forecasting Centre’s team (see video). We lead on providing 24/7 operational services and trusted guidance enabling Category 1 and 2 responders in England and Wales to plan and respond to flood incidents. We are at the forefront of national resilience, working to improve capability in flood forecasting.

We’re based in the Met Office (MO) headquarters in Exeter. The Flood Forecasting Centre is a working partnership between the EA and the MO.

Experience/skills required:

We are seeking a proactive person, with great initiative, skilled in analysing, interpreting and presenting data to diverse audiences. An outstanding communicator, you will quickly build relationships with stakeholders across Government, emergency responders and partner organisations.

Essential:

• Expertise in hydrology or meteorology with demonstrable capability in areas such as hydrological modelling, flood risk management or flood forecasting.
• Degree in geography, environmental science, a physical science, meteorology or mathematics (at 2:2 or higher), or relevant technical experience.
• A-levels in mathematics and physics, or direct equivalent (e.g. Scottish Highers), or alternative ways of demonstrating the required standard.

As part of this role, you are required to complete the Met Office’s Operational Meteorologist Foundation Course and pass the operational assessments. You will need to be available for up to 10 weeks for initial training and induction which will be based in Exeter. Scientific capability to pass this course will be assessed at interview.

Contact and additional information:

Exeter is the preferred base location, but we welcome applications based at an EA Forecasting hub (Leeds, Peterborough, Warrington, Birmingham, Reading, Exeter, Worthing). You will be expected to meet with your team regularly at the Met Office Headquarters in Exeter. We use smart tools to stay connected and reduce travel, some travel and overnights may be required.

This role is not suitable for candidates who will require a certificate of sponsorship for a skilled worker visa. You must be eligible to live and work in the UK to apply for this role, please refer to the gov.uk website for further information.