Director - Corporate Services

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
• Internal Audit
• Strategy

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 four 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) or Programme Director for complex transformation initiatives.
• Develop and maintain the Met Office Integrated Plan, ensuring dependencies are understood, managed and aligned to strategic priorities.
• 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, Strategy, Plans and Performance, 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.
• Ensure effective prioritisation and resource allocation across competing programmes and strategic objectives.
• Support executive decision-making through evidence-based planning, risk management and performance analysis.

Government Standards and Assurance

• Maintain compliance with relevant Government Functional Standards, including:

• Project Delivery
• Commercial
• Property
• 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.

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.
2. Significant senior leadership experience within a large and complex organisation.
3. Experience leading organisational transformation or major change programmes.
4. Experience leading multidisciplinary professional functions and teams and
5. proven ability to deliver strategic programmes and complex portfolios of change.
6. Strong understanding of governance, assurance and corporate services operations.
7. Experience influencing and engaging senior stakeholders across organisational boundaries at director level.
8. Excellent judgement, strategic thinking and decision-making capabilities.

Desirable Criteria:

We encourage you to apply if you believe you meet our essential criteria, but were 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 commercial, procurement 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.