Foundation scientist – GHG emission modeller

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Location:  Met Office, Exeter HQ

Contract type: Permanent

Salary range: 24146  – 26641  GBP per year

Opening date: 09-05-2023

Closing date: 21-05-2023

Link to the original page

Our reward package

We’re looking for an exceptional Foundation Scientist – Greenhouse Gas Emission Modeller to help us make an impact in the science of climate change and our path to net-zero emissions. 

Our Foundation Scientist will work a hybrid pattern of homeworking and from our Exeter HQ. We are also happy to consider Part-time, Term-Time Only and Compressed Working patterns. 

Why join us? 

We provide critical weather services and world-leading climate science to deliver extraordinary impact and benefit across the globe. Our work helps people make better decisions to stay safe and thrive.  

As our Foundation Scientist, the starting salary will be £24,146 with opportunities to progress to £26,641 over time. New joiners to the Met Office will start on the salary band minima. 

Your total reward package is potentially worth up to £34,000 annually, which includes basic salary, potential personal and corporate bonus and employer pension contributions. 

Your package includes: 
– Outstanding Civil Service Pension 
– Flexible hours and homeworking 
– 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 
– Cycle to work scheme for the purchase of a bicycle and equipment for healthy, low carbon travel 
– Access to discounted shopping on a range of retail, leisure and lifestyle categories

Who we are

We provide critical weather services and world-leading climate science, to help people make better decisions to stay safe and thrive.

Together:

  • 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

Find out more about our values – https://bit.ly/3fokaRD

The Earth System and its interactions with human activities is one of the key areas of Met Office scientific work. The Hadley Centre’s Earth System and Mitigation Science (ESMS) team within the Met Office has a world-leading track record in the field of atmospheric chemistry, inverse modelling, atmospheric aerosols, and the terrestrial carbon cycle. It delivers policy relevant research to the UK government, universities and commercial customers as well as performing underpinning research on emissions and gas-phase chemistry and their interactions with climate, aerosols and ecosystems.

The Greenhouse Gas Inversion group within ESMS delivers world-leading science in the cutting-edge area of atmospheric inverse modelling to estimate national and regional greenhouse gas emissions. The Nationally and Internationally recognised work is focused on policy relevant science with a direct pull through to the requirements of the UK government. Inverse modelling is a key area for the UK government in their inventory verification work supporting the UK Climate Change Bill, the UK’s international greenhouse gas reporting and the UK’s Roadmap to Net-Zero.

Job Purpose

To deliver excellent scientific research in the field of atmospheric inversion modelling, to actively collaborate with a wide range of national and international organisations and to deliver relevant and timely information to our customers.

The focus of the work is to use and develop the Met Office inversion modelling system to estimate emissions of greenhouse gases from atmospheric observations over the UK and NW Europe in support of on-going contract work for the UK government and the new Hadley Centre Climate Programme project on carbon dioxide flux modelling. Each year our group creates a verification chapter in the UK’s submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change detailing the UK’s greenhouse emissions. The core aim of the group is to help the UK government understand what and where greenhouse gases are actually emitted in the UK so that they can accurately report UK greenhouse emissions and thereby know where to focus efforts on reducing those emissions.

We regularly publish, please see some of our recent work for a flavour of what we do:

Nature, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03277-w, 2021

Atmos. Chem. Phys., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2021-261, 2021.

Greenhouse gas emission estimation is gaining national and international importance following on from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. By joining the team you will be at the forefront of this exciting and new area of science that is now having a real impact within the UK and internationally. Pin-pointing emissions and seeing action to curb those emissions is at the heart of what we strive to do.

Essential Qualifications, Skills & Abilities
  1. A degree in mathematics, physics or related discipline (Experts by nature)
  2. Proven ability in effective high-level computer programming.
  3. Evidence of ability to communicate your own work both orally and in writing.
  4. Evidence of ability to work effectively as part of a small team and be able to demonstrate strong positive inter-personal skills (Better together)
Desirable Qualifications, Skills & Abilities
  1. Evidence of ability to work innovatively and independently on scientific projects.
  2. Experience of atmospheric dispersion and / or inverse modelling.
  3. Experience of analysing data using complex mathematical models.
How to apply

To apply, please click on the link below and attach the most recent version of your CV, along with a cover letter which briefly states your experience against each essential and desirable criteria.

Closing date 21/05/2023 with interviews commencing from 05/06/2023 We update all applicants once the vacancy has closed and applications have been reviewed.

At present, all interviews are taking place remotely via Microsoft Teams.

We are an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from those with all protected characteristics.

We recognise that Great Minds Don’t Think Alike and are committed to being a more diverse and inclusive organisation. We are a Disability Confident, Mindful Employer and we hold an Athena Swan Bronze award for our work on gender equality. We apply the Civil Service Code to ensure that everyone is recruited on merit, fairness, and open competition.

If you are considering applying and need assistance to do so, please contact us via askHR@metoffice.gov.uk. You can request adjustments either within our application form or via email.

We offer disabled applicants the option of requesting their application is considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme. To be invited to interview/assessment under this scheme, your application must meet the minimum criteria for the role. 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.

We can only accept applications from those eligible to live and work in the UK – please refer to GOV.UK for information. Our roles sometimes require higher level Security Clearance, which generally requires living in the UK for at least three out of the last five years, but applicants not meeting this criteria may be considered.

Both myself (alistair.manning@metoffice.gov.uk) and my colleague (alison.redington@metoffice.gov.uk) would be delighted to informally discuss any aspects of the position.