Director - Corporate Services

Job Introduction

Director – Corporate Services 

Location: Exeter (with hybrid working arrangements) 
Salary: £90k base pay + Competitive Senior Leadership Package 
Contract: Full Time - Fixed Term Appointment or Secondment (up to 24 months) with potential for permanency subject to organisational requirements 
Reports to: Managing Director, Enabling Domain 

Lead Transformation. Enable Delivery. Shape the Future. 

The Met Office is one of the world's most respected weather and climate organisations. Our science, technology and expertise help governments, businesses and communities make better decisions to stay safe and thrive. 

We are seeking an exceptional leader to join us as Director – Corporate Services, a pivotal role with responsibility for leading key corporate capabilities and enabling the successful delivery of the Met Office Strategy during a period of significant organisational transformation. 

This is a unique opportunity to lead critical professional functions, shape how the organisation delivers change, and influence strategic decision-making at the highest levels. 

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. 

The Role 

Reporting to the Managing Director -, Enabling Domain, the Director Corporate Services will lead a diverse and strategically important portfolio comprising: 

• Project Delivery Capability 
• Commercial and Procurement 
• Property 
• Governance 
• Legal 

As a member of the Enabling Domain Senior Leadership Team, Met Office Director Cohort and Senior Leadership Team, you will help shape organisational culture, influence strategic priorities and ensure the organisation has the governance, delivery capability and professional standards required to achieve its ambitions. 

You will lead approximately 210 colleagues through three Associate Directors and oversee a budget of approximately £46 million. 

Key Responsibilities 

Strategic Leadership 

• Be an active member of the Enabling Domain Senior Leadership Team. 
• Contribute to the strategic leadership of the Met Office as a member of the Director Cohort and Senior Leadership Team. 
• Support the successful delivery of the Met Office Strategy through effective planning, governance and transformation. 

Transformation and Delivery 

• Lead the delivery of programmes and projects across the organisation's three strategic portfolios. 
• Act as Senior Responsible Owner (SRO), Programme Director or Commercial Lead for complex transformation initiatives. 
• Drive continuous improvement and transformation across corporate services, including the effective adoption of automation and AI-enabled solutions. 

Corporate Services Leadership 

• Provide executive leadership for Commercial, Property, Governance, Legal, Internal Audit, Risk, and Project Delivery functions. 
• Ensure capabilities remain fit for current and future organisational needs. 
• Establish and maintain robust governance arrangements, controls and assurance frameworks. 
• Lead strategic actions, performance measures and organisational capability development. 

Portfolio Governance 

• Oversee governance of the Met Office Portfolio and its associated investment decisions. 

Government Standards and Assurance 

• Maintain compliance with relevant Government Functional Standards, including:
• Project Delivery 
• Commercial 
• Property 
• Risk
• Internal Audit 
• Counter Fraud 
• Grants
• Ensure appropriate governance, assurance and control frameworks are in place across the organisation. 

About You 

We are looking for an experienced strategic leader who can operate confidently in a complex environment and successfully lead large-scale transformation. 

Why Join Us? 

This role offers the opportunity to play a critical role in one of the UK's leading scientific organisations at a time of significant transformation. 

You will help shape how the Met Office delivers its strategic ambitions, modernises its corporate services and invests in the capabilities needed for the future. 

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.

In return, we offer:

• £90k base pay + Competitive Senior Leadership Package 
• An outstanding civil service pension
• 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
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements  
• Professional development opportunities  
• The opportunity to deliver national impact through world-leading science and technology  

You will bring:  

Essential Criteria, Skills & Experience:

1. A relevant professional qualification or equivalent senior leadership experience within one of the key professional disciplines led by the role. 

Desirable Criteria:

We encourage you to apply if you believe you meet our essential criteria, but we’re also keen to discover if you have:  

1. Experience working with and knowledge of HM Treasury, Cabinet Office or Government Functional Professions. 
2. Qualifications or experience within Commercial or Project Delivery disciplines.
3. Experience developing business cases and securing investment approval. 
4. Experience leading governance or property functions. 
5. Experience driving automation, digital transformation or AI-enabled service improvements. 
6. Experience operating at Director or Executive level within government or a public body. 

Success in this Role 

You will be successful if you can: 

• Build high-performing professional capabilities. 
• Deliver complex transformation programmes successfully. 
• Improve organisational effectiveness and efficiency. 
• Strengthen governance and assurance arrangements. 
• Improve staff engagement and organisational culture. 
• Enable delivery of the Met Office Strategy through effective planning, prioritisation and performance management. 

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 midnight on 14th August. 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