Shape the Future of ECWMF - Executive Leadership Opportunity

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is seeking an outstanding leader to fill its Director of Science & Innovation vacancy. This role offers the opportunity to serve and collaborate with ECMWF’s 35 Member and Co-operating States, drive innovation and operational excellence, and play a central part in ECMWF’s agile, empowered structure.

Why this role stands out:

• Lead and Inspire: As Director, you will set the vision and strategy for the Research department, guiding teams to translate earth system science into operational prediction systems and to deliver world-class operational numerical weather predictions, environmental, and climate services to and with our Member and Co-operating States. You will also work in close partnership with the international scientific/technical community, the European Commission, ESA, EUMETSAT and WMO and other key stakeholders.
• Strategic Influence: You will also hold the responsibilities of Deputy Director-General (DDG), supporting the Director-General in implementing Council policies, coordinating cross-cutting initiatives, and ensuring ECMWF’s strategic direction is realised through collaboration and partnership.
• Empowered Structure: All Directors report directly to the Director-General, ensuring your leadership is empowered and your contributions shape ECMWF’s strategic direction and ensure flawless operational delivery. Impact is achieved through deep collaboration with our Member and Co-operating States.
• Agility and Impact: You will be part of a lean, modern organisation, benchmarked against international best practice, where collaboration, rapid decision-making, and innovation are valued.

Key responsibilities:

As Director of Science & Innovation, you will provide strategic leadership across ECMWF’s scientific activities, including Earth system modelling, data assimilation, atmospheric composition, integrated prediction systems, and AI/ML enabled innovation. You will coordinate and accelerate innovation across ECMWF programmes, ensuring coherence between core research, Copernicus, and Destination Earth activities. You will be deeply committed to and drive actions to strengthen ECMWF’s scientific authority through high impact partnerships with Member States, academia, international organisations, and the broader research ecosystem. You will lead and empower multidisciplinary scientific teams, fostering an agile, collaborative, and innovative culture.

You will also act as Deputy Director General and will be responsible for the Innovation & Science portfolio. As such, you will support the Director General in implementing Council policies, advancing ECMWF’s innovation agenda, coordinating cross-cutting scientific initiatives, and ensuring that research, partnerships, and long term capability development align with ECMWF’s strategic vision.

What we are looking for:

Experience & Skills

• Proven scientific leadership in areas central to ECMWF’s mission (s.a. earth system science, numerical modelling, data assimilation, atmospheric composition, or AI/ML for prediction etc).
• Demonstrated ability to shape scientific strategy, lead large and diverse teams, and deliver high impact research through international partnerships.
• Demonstrated ability to translate scientific achievements into operational excellence and better forecasts.

Leadership

• Ability to serve ECMWF’s Member and Co operating States with integrity, responsiveness, and strong stakeholder engagement.
• Track record of empowering teams, fostering an inclusive organisational culture, and driving multi-site, multi-programme collaboration.
• Visionary, agile, and inclusive leadership style, with the ability to translate long-term strategy into impactful results.
• Experience managing significant budgets, programmes, and international partnerships.
• Visionary, inclusive, transformative and proactive leadership style, with a track record of motivating high performance and delivering high impact results.

Candidates must be able to work effectively in English. A good knowledge of one of the Centre’s other working languages (French or German) or one of our Member State or Coorperating state languages is an advantage.

About ECMWF:

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is a world leader in Numerical Weather Predictions providing high-quality data for weather forecasts and environmental monitoring. As an intergovernmental organisation, we collaborate internationally to serve our members and the wider community with global weather predictions, data and training activities that are critical to contribute to safe and thriving societies.

The success of our activities depends on the funding and partnerships of the 35 Member and Co-operating States who provide the support and direction of our work. Our talented staff together with the international scientific community, and our powerful supercomputing capabilities, are the core of a 24/7 research and operational centre with a focus on medium and long-range predictions. We also hold one of the largest meteorological data archives in the world.

ECMWF has also developed a strong partnership with the European Union and has been entrusted with the implementation and operation of the Destination Earth Initiative and the Climate Change and Atmosphere Monitoring Services of the Copernicus Programme and the Strengthening Early Warning in Africa (SEWA) Programme. Other areas of work include High Performance Computing and the development of digital tools that enable ECMWF to extend provision of data and products covering weather, climate, air quality, fire and flood prediction and monitoring.

Our vision: The strength of a common goal
Our mission: Deliver global numerical weather predictions focusing on the medium-range and monitoring of the Earth system to and with our Member States

ECMWF is a multi-site organisation, with its headquarters in Reading, UK, a data centre in Bologna, Italy, and a large presence in Bonn, Germany, as a central location for our EU-related activities. ECMWF is internationally recognised as the voice of expertise in numerical weather predictions for forecasts and climate science.

www.ecmwf.int

Our Commitment to Diversity:

At ECMWF, we consider an inclusive environment as key for our success. We are dedicated to ensuring a workplace that embraces diversity and provides equal opportunities for all, without distinction as to race, gender, marital status, social status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, personality, ethnicity and culture. We value the benefits derived from a diverse workforce and are committed to having staff that reflect the diversity of the countries that are part of our community, in an environment that nurtures equality and inclusion.ECMWF welcomes applications from candidates of all backgrounds, cultures, and identities. We value diversity as a driver of innovation and excellence. Flexible working arrangements and reasonable accommodations are available.

Other information:

Grade remuneration: The successful candidates will be recruited at grade A6 according to the scales of the Co-ordinated Organisations. The position is assigned to the employment category STF-C as defined in the ECMWF Staff Regulations. ECMWF also offers a generous benefits package as defined in the ECMWF Staff Regulations. Full details of salary scales and allowances are available on the ECMWF website at www.ecmwf.int/en/about/jobs, including the ECMWF Staff Regulations and the terms and conditions of employment.

Staff and members of their family forming part of their households are exempt from immigration controls in their duty station country. ECMWF salaries & benefits are exempt from income tax and staff are not required to pay statutory social security contributions in their host country. Instead, staff are enrolled in ECMWF's own social security arrangements.

Contract duration: Four years, with the possibility of one five-year extension.

Location: Reading, UK or Bonn, Germany. Regular travel is required. ECWMF has a hybrid organisational model that allows staff to combine working in the office with up to ten days of remote working a month.

Expected start date: 01 July 2026

Selection process: Only applications submitted via ECWMF's recruitment tool can be accepted. Applicants are invited to complete the online application form by clicking on the apply button below. First-round interviews will take place via videoconference (MS Teams) in late March/early April. Final-round panel interviews are expected to take place in person at the Reading Headquarters in early June.

If you require any special accommodations in order to participate fully in our recruitment process, please contact us via email: jobs@ecmwf.int

Who can apply

Applications are invited from nationals from ECMWF Member States and Cooperating States, listed below:

ECMWF Member and Co-operating States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United Kingdom.