We’re looking for an exceptional Data Governance Manager to help us make a difference to our planet.
As our Data Governance Manager, 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
The primary purpose is to use our Data Governance Framework to implement and manage a structured approach to the governance of environmental data assets. This will include data ingestion, data creation and processing through to data service access and provision to our external users balancing compliance to policies and standards with opportunities to support strategic objectives and corporate decision making.
- Working closely with the Lead Data Governance Manager, you will manage the Data Governance Framework and associated principles, policies and guidance, responding to business challenges, identifying opportunities and making recommendations for improvements in compliance with HMG and other policies and best practice.
- Develop and manage measures to monitor and raise maturity in organisational data governance practices, identify gaps and propose improvement plans to support staff, embed sustainable ways of working and address business needs.
- Champion an inclusive and accountable approach to data governance, developing work packages to build a culture of openness and transparency in colleagues and teams across the Met Office, so that insights, intelligence, experience and lessons learned inform decisions, direct work priorities and enable staff to collaborate on governance issues.
- Conduct regular data governance assurance reviews to validate compliance with policies, assess data quality, monitor adherence to standards, and identify risks or gaps, ensuring continuous improvement and regulatory alignment where required.
- Provide clear and timely advice to key stakeholders to identify risks, issues and even opportunities associated with data governance and compliance, sharing knowledge, escalating issues and making recommendations and promoting good practice through a wide range of engagement activities resulting in an improved data fluency and a consistent enterprise‑wide approach to data governance and data management to optimise the value of our environmental data and support organisational need.
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.
Reward package
Your total reward package will be up to £60,268 annually, which includes:
- An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
- 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
- Data Governance Expertise – demonstrates up‑to‑date knowledge of data governance theory, standard methodologies, and practical considerations, with the ability to work effectively with technical teams and stakeholders to implement governance frameworks and ensure compliance.
- Analytical & Assurance Skills – strong analytical and problem‑solving capability to identify gaps, assess risks, and propose improvement plans, combined with the ability to conduct assurance reviews, validate adherence to policies and standards, and assess data quality for continuous improvement.
- Stakeholder Engagement & Technical Collaboration – excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills, capable of influencing, advising, and promoting data literacy and best practices across diverse teams, with a strong technical understanding and ability to review and discuss topics with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
- Compliance & Risk Management – skilled in embedding compliance across data lifecycle processes, defining and monitoring assurance metrics, and ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements, organisational standards, and security controls.
We encourage you to apply if you believe you meet our essential criteria, but we’re also keen to discover if you have:
- Experience working with environmental data and geospatial data
- Experience with supporting a Data Strategy and implementing the necessary governance required for effective design and delivery of products and services with a focus on AI
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 19/01/2026 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 02/02/2026. 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 .
Our rewards and benefits
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.
Starting at 27.5 days and rising to 32.5 days after five years of service (both figures exclude bank holidays). As well as the flexibility to buy or sell annual leave annually.
You’ll automatically qualify to join our alpha pension scheme, part of the Civil Service Pension arrangements. The scheme is recognised as one of the most generous occupational pensions.
Lifestyle support
Whether you wish to utilise our excellent family‑friendly schemes, be paid up to 3 days for volunteering with your chosen organisation, have the reassurance of a generous sickness pay scheme or be part of an organisation that is happy to proactively talk about flexible working the Met Office wants you to have a great work and lifestyle balance.
Established hybrid working
We have bases all over the UK and some roles allow for you to work abroad so there is the option to travel for work also, we have established amazing hybrid working practices across all of our offices and have enhanced technology to enable office and home‑based meetings. We work with employees to agree on a suitable working pattern that works for us both and have various working patterns in place.
Investing in your development
The world around us is constantly changing. New technologies, shifting climate patterns, artificial intelligence. These factors and more shape the need for us to develop our skills and knowledge as a business and as individuals. Our investment in learning and development is testament to this and we have partnered with external bodies in each profession to help shape the way we develop the incredible talent right across the Met Office. We help everyone to understand their strengths and opportunities and tailor learning programmes that match their career. For us, this is world‑leading learning and development.
Our typical recruitment process
5. Assessment
Some roles may require you to attend an assessment day. Any job‑specific assessments will be outlined in the job advert and more details will be provided at the interview stage.
6. Offer
If you are successful following the interview, the hiring manager will contact you to offer the role. The Resourcing Team will then follow up with an offer letter and start your onboarding.
7. Onboarding
Before we can confirm a start date, we will first need to complete security clearance and reference checks. These usually take between eight to ten weeks to complete. We’ll also discuss any workplace adjustments that you may need. So they are in place on your first day.
On your first day your new manager will introduce you to the team and you’ll start our online corporate induction. You’ll also be asked to update your details in our People Hub system including bank details ready for your first pay day.
For those living outside of the UK, there are some roles where we can sponsor Skilled Worker visas. However, you will still need to pass security clearance which requires you to have resided in the UK for 30 months in the last three years.
2. Application
Apply through our careers website. Each application will be assessed against the essential criteria detailed in the job advert. We recommend that you use the CARL or STAR method to answer the key questions. Evidence your answers and reference our values to bring your application to life.
3. Screening
The sift panel will assess all applications against our essential criteria. Our screening process usually takes one to two weeks following the closing date of the advert. After which, we’ll be in touch to let you know whether your application has progressed to the next stage.
4. Interview
Most recruitment processes will include a single‑stage interview, some of which are virtual interviews and some may be in‑person. Our interviews tend to blend competency questions, which focus on the essential criteria, with values‑based questions.
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