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Corporate Services & Business Support includes the following areas of the Met Office:

• Communications
• Corporate governance, management and business administration
• Finance, Planning and Audit
• Internal Audit
• Human Resources
• Legal and Procurement
• Library and Archive
• Property and facilities management

Communications

Roles

• Communications co-ordinator
• Communications specialist, including brand and web
• Designer
• Editor/Writer
• Press Officer
• Communications manager
• Head of Communications

Professional skills

The skills are based on the Core Skills for Government Communicators Professional Practice Framework adapted, where necessary, to make it relevant to the Met Office. Professional qualifications and memberships focus on the Chartered Institute of Marketing and Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

There are six core skill areas which all of our communications team are expected to demonstrate:

• Drafting, layout and design
• Channels and technologies
• Business knowledge and communications environment
• Managing relationships
• Strategic marketing and communication
• Evaluation and research

Corporate governance, management and business administration

• Corporate management
• External relations management
• Information systems analyst
• Corporate analyst
• Personal assistant

Professional skills

The skills are based on professional standards and best-practice business management. As this area covers such a large range of work, relevant business qualifications will apply.

• Leadership
• Strategic management
• Performance management and improvement
• Risk and issue management
• Planning and forecasting
• People management
• Management tools
• Governance
• Stakeholder management
• Office administration

Finance and planning

Roles

• Ledger clerk
• Assistant accountant
• Ledger manager
• Treasury manager
• Assistant business accountant
• Financial systems accountant
• Senior finance manager

Professional skills

The skills are derived from the MOD Finance Professional Skills and Requirements and the professional qualifications of the CCAB (Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies). The CCAB bodies are the UK and Ireland professional accountancy bodies, for example the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. They are:

• Performance measurement
• Financial policy and accounting
• Financial processes
• Exploitation of financial systems
• Governance
• Business support

Other relevant finance qualifications include the Institute of Credit Management, Association of Accounting Technicians and Association of Corporate Treasurers.

Internal Audit

Roles

• Head of Internal Audit
• Business Process Improvement and Assurance Manager
• Lead Internal Auditor
• Internal Auditor

Professional skills

The skills needed to work in Internal Audit are based on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) audit standards, and also take into account Treasury guidance on internal audit competencies. Relevant qualifications include ISO Quality and/or Environmental audit qualifications, IIA internal audit qualifications (PIIA or MIIA) or equivalent accounting qualifications, such as the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). In addition to these, excellent interpersonal, communication and organisational skills are a must.

Legal and Procurement

Roles

• Buyer, senior buyer, lead buyer
• Contracts and Procurement manager
• Paralegal
• Legal manager
• Head of Customer Contracting

Professional skills

The Legal and Procurement Professional Skills Framework provides statements of skills required for a career within the profession. The skills are derived from the MOD Single Skills Framework for Commercial Functional Competences, the professional qualifications of Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, The Institute of Legal Executives and the legal framework to qualify as a lawyer.

There are three clusters of skills that are common to all roles within Legal and Procurement and these are Regulations, Legal and Customer requirements. In addition, there are four clusters of skills that are specific to role, with the function heads having skills in all seven clusters. They are:

• Regulation compliance
• Understanding customer requirements
• External customer contract management
• Supplier contract management
• Procurement techniques
• Contractual negotiations
• Other legal skills

Working within the legal team

Working within the procurement team

Library and archive

The National Meteorological Library and Archive provides a comprehensive information service on the weather and related science for the public, as specified in the Public Weather Service Customer Supplier Agreement and business support to the office.

Roles

• Assistant Archivist
• Library and archive manager
• Library Information Specialist
• Library Assistant/Graduate Trainee

Professional skills

The skills for this profession are derived from the Framework of Professional Qualifications of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals and the Society of Archivists.

• Professional awareness
• Information needs analysis
• Knowledge and evaluation of information sources
• Value-added information services
• User education
• Resource management
• Organisation of knowledge
• Information service development
• Specialist IT management and development
• Planning for library/information service/archive

Working within the library

Find out more about the Library

Property and facilities management

Roles

• Head of Property Management
• Project management
• Engineering
• Building surveying
• Environmental management
• Estate management
• Health and Safety specialists
• Security specialists
• Business continuity specialist
• Facilities management

Professional skills

The property management team is a multi-disciplinary team and draws on professional skills from a number of frameworks across the organisation, for example project and programme management, leadership and management and IT and Engineering. All of the professional skills are nationally recognised standards.