Field Service Technician Engineer - Lossiemouth

We’re looking for an exceptional Field Service Technician Engineer to help us make a difference to our planet.

As our Field Service Technician Engineer, the job may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in the office, or on location, 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, based in Lossiemouth. 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

You will join the Met Office Field Service Engineering Team (FSE) to install, maintain and service UK-wide, (and occasionally overseas) observing networks. Observations are fundamental to almost all the services the Met Office provides; direct data and products, models, verification of forecasts, and for providing evidence of climate change. 

Our engineers use their electronic, electrical, and mechanical skills to install, maintain and provide field support of observing systems. You will be joining a team who have responsibility for ensuring our systems continue to supply the high-quality data required to produce our products and services.

You will have the opportunity to work on a 24/7 on-call roster, which attracts additional allowances. This will be a 'one week in three' rotation but may vary across the year to account for annual leave and to ensure the number of days is balanced across the team.

On joining FSE you will be given all the training required to work on new and existing systems as well as having the opportunity to use and develop your existing skills and knowledge.

Your key duties

• Support the development of work plans, including identification of improvements to systems, capabilities and/or processes.
• Use existing and emerging engineering practice to support the delivery of the work plans which repair, maintain, or improve Met Office observing systems and products and provide advice and services for the benefit of customers.
• Contribute to the generation and presentation of documentation and reports internally and externally to meet the needs of the customer and Met Office including, maintaining capability, integrity, standards, communicating advice and knowledge, and/or promoting reputation.
• Work collaboratively with other team members to improve the effectiveness of the team.
• Carry out continuing professional development in line with current and future needs of the Met Office. 

Why join us

Our work is life-changing, often life-saving and always life-enhancing. The Met Office is accredited as a 'Great Place to Work UK 2023' and in addition has achieved a place on both the UK's 'Best Workplaces in Tech' and 'Best Workplaces for Women' lists.

As our Field Service Technician Engineer, your total reward package will be up to £37,776 annually, which includes:

• £26,954 base pay.
• Recruitment Retention Allowance (RRA): you will be paid £1,500 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 September 2025 in your monthly pay.
• Unsocial Hours On-Call Allowance for working as part of an On-Call Rota paid at £25 per day On Call. 
• An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 27%
• 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:

1. Expert by nature: NVQ Level 4 or higher in Engineering, Electrical or Electronic Environment or equivalent qualification and/or experience. A commitment to keep evolving with continual professional development (CPD).
2. Possess a valid UK driving licence and be prepared to drive officially provided pool vehicles; Colour Perception CP2 or better is required to drive vehicles on airports or ports.
3. Demonstrate theoretical and practical knowledge of all aspects of the maintenance and repair of electronic and/or electrical instrumentation.
4. Evidence of a flexible approach to meeting work requirements with the ability to work on own initiative and better together as part of a team, including being prepared to work away from home as required to meet business requirement.
5. Evidence of sound oral and written communication skills that allow effective communication of engineering concepts to people with technical and non-technical backgrounds.
6. Be prepared to work at heights of up to 25m (working at height training will be provided) and demonstrate a working knowledge of Health & Safety legislation.
7. Evidence of mechanical engineering skills.

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. Membership of a Professional Engineering body such as the IET or willing to work towards gaining professional recognition.
2. An awareness of the 18th Edition Electrical Regulations requirement for In Service Electrical Testing.
3. Working knowledge of test and inspection software.

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 21/07/2024 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 06/08/2024. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed.

How we can help

If you are considering applying and need support to do so, please contact us via careers@metoffice.gov.uk. 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. You will need to achieve full security clearance within your first 6 months with us.