Job Description
Exeter, South West England, EX1 3PB
Job Summary
We’re looking for an exceptional HPC Optimisation Senior Scientific Software Engineer to help us make a difference to our planet.
Job Description
As our HPC Optimisation Senior Scientific Software Engineer, 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. 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 contribute to the development, support, and optimisation of large-scale parallel climate and weather applications on Met Office HPC systems.
The Senior Scientific Software Engineer (SSE) role is a varied one, with many opportunities for development, progression and finding new challenges both within the SSE career family and beyond.
Your Key Duties:
• We are currently in a major push to develop our Next Generation Modelling Systems, to help exploit our new world-leading supercomputer capability and to support our adoption of data science (specifically artificial intelligence and machine learning) across our national capability, and you will be working towards these objectives in some form.
Next Generation Modelling Systems
Met Office Supercomputer
Met Office Data Science Framework
• Being an SSE is about far more than just technical skills – you will need to be able to work alongside colleagues in a range of areas, both technical and scientific. We frequently require our SSEs to collaborate internally and internationally.
• We encourage all our SSEs to develop their skills – we provide training and development opportunities across technical, project and soft skills.
As our HPC Optimisation Senior Scientific Software Engineer, 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. 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 contribute to the development, support, and optimisation of large-scale parallel climate and weather applications on Met Office HPC systems.
The Senior Scientific Software Engineer (SSE) role is a varied one, with many opportunities for development, progression and finding new challenges both within the SSE career family and beyond.
Your Key Duties:
• We are currently in a major push to develop our Next Generation Modelling Systems, to help exploit our new world-leading supercomputer capability and to support our adoption of data science (specifically artificial intelligence and machine learning) across our national capability, and you will be working towards these objectives in some form.
Next Generation Modelling Systems
Met Office Supercomputer
Met Office Data Science Framework
• Being an SSE is about far more than just technical skills – you will need to be able to work alongside colleagues in a range of areas, both technical and scientific. We frequently require our SSEs to collaborate internally and internationally.
• We encourage all our SSEs to develop their skills – we provide training and development opportunities across technical, project and soft skills.
Person specification
• Demonstrate insight in High Performance Computing Code Optimisation through improvements in computational performance of large-scale scientific applications and systematic use of code performance analysis tools.
• Engage with internal and external people to understand the requirements for your work and its wider context, and significantly contribute to the development of plans to meet these requirements, informing wider strategic planning
• Promote good Quality Assurance processes, best practice, standards and/or regulations in your work and that of other
• Communicate knowledge accurately and concisely in written documents and discussions in large groups, tailoring communication for diverse audiences and building trust / credibility whilst enhancing the organisation’s reputation
• Proactively develop your technical skills and support others in developing their technical skills, leading to improved output and the career development of others
Alongside your salary of £41,725, Met Office contributes £12,087 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
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’ 2026 and 2026 lists, as well as their ’54 Best Workplaces for Women’ 2026 list.
As our HPC Optimisation Senior Scientific Software Engineer, your total reward package will be up to £61,11+ annually, which includes:
• £41,725 base pay
• An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 28.+7%
• Recruitment Retention Allowance (RRA) you will be paid £2,700 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 2026 until September 2026 in your monthly pay
• 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
Selection process details
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 16/03/2026 at 23:5+ with first stage interviews commencing from 24/03/2026. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed.
How We Can Help
If you have any questions or would like to discuss this opportunity further, please contact us at [email protected].
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. You will need to achieve full security clearance within your first 6 months with us.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Medical
Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.
Nationality requirements
This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups:
• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job Contact :
• Name : Resourcing Team
• Email : [email protected]
Recruitment team
• Email : [email protected]
Job Summary
We’re looking for an exceptional HPC Optimisation Senior Scientific Software Engineer to help us make a difference to our planet.
Job Description
As our HPC Optimisation Senior Scientific Software Engineer, 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. 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 contribute to the development, support, and optimisation of large-scale parallel climate and weather applications on Met Office HPC systems.
The Senior Scientific Software Engineer (SSE) role is a varied one, with many opportunities for development, progression and finding new challenges both within the SSE career family and beyond.
Your Key Duties:
• We are currently in a major push to develop our Next Generation Modelling Systems, to help exploit our new world-leading supercomputer capability and to support our adoption of data science (specifically artificial intelligence and machine learning) across our national capability, and you will be working towards these objectives in some form.
Next Generation Modelling Systems
Met Office Supercomputer
Met Office Data Science Framework
• Being an SSE is about far more than just technical skills – you will need to be able to work alongside colleagues in a range of areas, both technical and scientific. We frequently require our SSEs to collaborate internally and internationally.
• We encourage all our SSEs to develop their skills – we provide training and development opportunities across technical, project and soft skills.
As our HPC Optimisation Senior Scientific Software Engineer, 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. 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 contribute to the development, support, and optimisation of large-scale parallel climate and weather applications on Met Office HPC systems.
The Senior Scientific Software Engineer (SSE) role is a varied one, with many opportunities for development, progression and finding new challenges both within the SSE career family and beyond.
Your Key Duties:
• We are currently in a major push to develop our Next Generation Modelling Systems, to help exploit our new world-leading supercomputer capability and to support our adoption of data science (specifically artificial intelligence and machine learning) across our national capability, and you will be working towards these objectives in some form.
Next Generation Modelling Systems
Met Office Supercomputer
Met Office Data Science Framework
• Being an SSE is about far more than just technical skills – you will need to be able to work alongside colleagues in a range of areas, both technical and scientific. We frequently require our SSEs to collaborate internally and internationally.
• We encourage all our SSEs to develop their skills – we provide training and development opportunities across technical, project and soft skills.
Person specification
• Demonstrate insight in High Performance Computing Code Optimisation through improvements in computational performance of large-scale scientific applications and systematic use of code performance analysis tools.
• Engage with internal and external people to understand the requirements for your work and its wider context, and significantly contribute to the development of plans to meet these requirements, informing wider strategic planning
• Promote good Quality Assurance processes, best practice, standards and/or regulations in your work and that of other
• Communicate knowledge accurately and concisely in written documents and discussions in large groups, tailoring communication for diverse audiences and building trust / credibility whilst enhancing the organisation’s reputation
• Proactively develop your technical skills and support others in developing their technical skills, leading to improved output and the career development of others
Alongside your salary of £41,725, Met Office contributes £12,087 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
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’ 2026 and 2026 lists, as well as their ’54 Best Workplaces for Women’ 2026 list.
As our HPC Optimisation Senior Scientific Software Engineer, your total reward package will be up to £61,11+ annually, which includes:
• £41,725 base pay
• An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 28.+7%
• Recruitment Retention Allowance (RRA) you will be paid £2,700 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 2026 until September 2026 in your monthly pay
• 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
Selection process details
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 16/03/2026 at 23:5+ with first stage interviews commencing from 24/03/2026. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed.
How We Can Help
If you have any questions or would like to discuss this opportunity further, please contact us at [email protected].
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. You will need to achieve full security clearance within your first 6 months with us.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Medical
Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.
Nationality requirements
This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups:
• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job Contact :
• Name : Resourcing Team
• Email : [email protected]
Recruitment team
• Email : [email protected]
💡 Quick Summary
Seeking a career-building opportunity? The Senior Scientific Software Engineer - HPC Optimisation position is now open for candidates interested in the Software Developer Jobs sector. This role in Exeter offers a professional environment and growth potential.
Requirement Snapshot: Candidates should possess basic communication skills, a proactive attitude, and the ability to work in a team. Experience in Software Developer Jobs is a plus.
