Exploiting K-Scale data for machine learning development Industrial Placement 2026
The Met Office is delighted to open our advertising for Industrial Placements 2026.
This is an exciting opportunity to join the Met Office on a 12‑month Year in Industry placement, commencing at the start of July 2026, developing your skills and knowledge and ensuring you gain the most value possible from your experience with us.
You will have the opportunity to network with our cohort of Industrial Placements all over the Met Office and understand what career opportunities are on offer at the Met Office after you graduate.
We’re looking for an Exploiting K-Scale Data for Machine Learning Development Industrial Placement 2026 to help us make a difference to our planet.
As our Exploiting K-Scale Data for Machine Learning Development Industrial Placement 2026, 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. As an Industrial Placement, we would expect you to attend the office once a week as a minimum.
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 partnership and inclusivity make us greater
- We keep evolving – pushing boundaries to make tomorrow better for our customers
Your world of expertise
Our Industrial Placement scheme offers ambitious and capable undergraduates the opportunity to gain valuable experience working alongside diverse and highly skilled experts in their field. You’ll be working on projects that really matter and will make a difference.
The Met Office has cutting‑edge, high‑resolution, physics‑based models that can resolve local‑scale weather phenomena. This industrial placement will involve investigating unique, high‑resolution global and regional model outputs and preparing these data sets for machine learning applications. Working alongside a team of experienced colleagues, your work will further our understanding of the potential value of these large datasets for machine learning modelling applications.
You will join a team of experts in the field of regional model evaluation and development (RMED) and you will work closely with colleagues across Science to understand the added value of high‑resolution training data sets to machine learning models.
- Manipulate large datasets and prepare them for machine learning applications
- Work as part of a team to support delivery of unique datasets and help to design experiments to assess sensitivity of machine learning models to input training data sets
- Identify and apply appropriate techniques to evaluate the performance of experiment choices
- Write scientific code and collaborate with others to analyse output data sets
- Share and present key findings from your work to the wider team and/or stakeholders
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 and 2024 lists, as well as their ’54 Best Workplaces for Women’ 2023 list.
Your package includes
- Your salary will be £27,170
- Annual Leave starting at 27.5 days
- Access to discounted shopping, inclusive of retail, leisure and lifestyle brands
Whilst this is a temporary position until July 2027, there may be an opportunity to apply for our Graduate Development scheme upon completion of your university studies. However, this is not guaranteed and would be subject to programme availability and a successful application.
Essential Criteria, skills and experience
- Lead Criteria – You have some experience of programming and data analysis, and you are keen to develop your skills in Python, GitHub and machine learning techniques.
- You are able to work successfully as part of a team, communicating clearly with others and pro‑actively seeking advice when needed.
- Strong organisational skills with demonstrated ability to work to deadlines either individually or as part of a team.
- Demonstrate self‑motivation and enthusiasm to use cutting‑edge science for positive societal impact.
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. Please also look at the Early Careers Programmes Application Guidance at the bottom of this advert.
Closing date: 23:59 7th December 2025. Please note we often receive a high volume of applications, but we will contact everyone who applies once the closing date has past.
Interviews will be completed by February 2026.
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 .
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.
Our rewards and benefits are as varied as our customers and our people, depending on your role, and which part of the business you join. The one thing they have in common is that they’re designed to recognise your contribution to our success.
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 pro‑actively 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.
Ready to apply?
Exploiting K-Scale data for machine learning development Industrial Placement 2026
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Our typical recruitment process
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
