Be at the heart of actionFly remote-controlled drones into enemy territory to gather vital information.

Apply Now

Lead Hydrological Data Manager

UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Crowmarsh Gifford
9 months ago
Applications closed

Related Jobs

View all jobs

Lead Engineer

M&E Lead Engineer

M&E Lead Engineer

M&E Lead Engineer

Business development Lead

Software Engineering Team Lead

Lead Hydrological Data Manager

Apply locations: Wallingford
Time type: Full time
Posted on: Posted 15 Days Ago
Time left to apply: End Date: January 7, 2025 (12 days left to apply)
Job requisition id: JR1339
Salary: £46,507 to £49,353 Depending on experience
Based in Wallingford. Hybrid working (50/50)
Closing date for applications: 6th January 2025. We reserve the right to close this advert early if we find the right candidate, so we encourage you to apply early.

UKCEH is looking for a Lead Hydrological Data Manager to join our talented team, contributing to scientific discovery and generating the data, insights and solutions that researchers, businesses and governments need to solve complex environmental challenges.

Working at UKCEH is rewarding. Our science makes a real difference, enabling people and the environment to prosper, and enriching society. We are the custodians of a wealth of environmental data, collected by UKCEH and its predecessors over the course of more than 60 years.

As a valued member of our team, you’ll get:

  1. 27 days annual leave, rising to 29 days after five years
  2. 10% pension contribution
  3. Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
  4. 24 hour, 365-day access to support with physical, mental, social, health or financial issues
  5. Flexible working opportunities
  6. And much more.

You’ll be joining the Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure (FDRI) team, delivering an exciting new digital infrastructure for hydrological research, working with catchment field teams, environmental scientists, and software systems developers.

FDRI will be delivering important new field monitoring measurements, collating and publishing national scale hydrological data, and producing new data products, as part of a data commons approach. Data will be delivered through new interactive analysis platforms, exploiting new technologies. It is a significant innovation in hydrological research data and data environments.

You will be responsible for shaping how we deliver our data to end users and ensuring the production of high quality hydrological data to support reproducible science and evidence for decision making concerning floods and droughts, as part of a large team.

Your main responsibilities will include:

  1. Identifying, understanding and documenting the sources of data within the Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure
  2. Collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to understand their data needs
  3. Designing data management protocols and workflows for a wide range of data including real-time monitoring data from sensors, UAV captured flow measurements, high resolution catchment survey data, 3rd party data from national agencies and other research bodies, and Earth Observation data
  4. Managing a team of data managers and analysts to produce, curate and publish data from FDRI
  5. Keeping up to date with the latest developments in research data management

For the role of Lead Hydrological Data Manager, we’re looking for somebody who has:

  1. A degree in Geography, Environmental science, or another numerate subject
  2. Previous experience of the management of environmental or other data
  3. Experience of managing others
  4. Awareness of data management best practice, for example data publication processes, use of semantic / linked data, and research data commons
  5. An ability to engage to understand complex data requirements and communicate complex information clearly to technical and non-technical audiences
  6. An interest in the use of data to support robust research and evidence
  7. Knowledge of hydrology and hydrological data would be a distinct advantage but is not essential
  8. Programming skills, ideally Python, would be beneficial, as would knowledge of relational database systems and SQL, and cloud storage technologies

If we’ve just described you, we’d love to meet.Apply now.

#J-18808-Ljbffr

Subscribe to Future Tech Insights for the latest jobs & insights, direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.

Industry Insights

Discover insightful articles, industry insights, expert tips, and curated resources.

Neurodiversity in UAV & Drone Careers: Turning Different Thinking into a Superpower

Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) – drones – have moved from hobby gadgets to essential tools. They inspect wind turbines, support emergency services, survey construction sites, map farmland, film live events & deliver critical medical supplies. Behind every successful mission are people: pilots, observers, maintenance engineers, data analysts, software developers & operations managers. Many of them do not think in a “typical” way – & that’s exactly why they’re good at what they do. If you live with ADHD, autism or dyslexia, you might have heard that your brain is “too distracted”, “too literal” or “too disorganised” for aviation work. In reality, many traits that made school or traditional office jobs difficult are serious strengths in UAV & drone operations – from hyperfocus during flights to pattern-spotting in aerial data. This guide is for neurodivergent job seekers exploring UAV & drone careers in the UK. We’ll look at: What neurodiversity means in a UAV context How ADHD, autism & dyslexia strengths map to drone roles Practical workplace adjustments you can ask for under UK law How to talk about your neurodivergence in applications & interviews By the end, you’ll see how “different thinking” can be a genuine superpower in the drone industry – not a weakness.

UAV & Drone Hiring Trends 2026: What to Watch Out For (For Job Seekers & Recruiters)

As we move into 2026, the UK UAV (uncrewed aerial vehicle) and drone jobs market is maturing fast. The “shiny new toy” phase is over. Public expectations and regulation are tougher, budgets are more closely scrutinised, and clients want measurable outcomes – safer inspections, faster data, lower costs, better evidence – not just impressive footage. At the same time, demand for UAV services in infrastructure inspection, construction, energy, agriculture, emergency response, defence and media continues to grow. Long-term trends like asset digitisation, smart cities, and net-zero infrastructure all rely on high-quality aerial data and remote operations. The result: fewer opportunistic one-off drone gigs, and more emphasis on professional UAV operations, data workflows and compliant, scalable services. Whether you’re: A job seeker looking for “UAV jobs in the UK”, “drone pilot jobs UK”, or “remote UAS operator roles”, or A recruiter or hiring manager trying to understand “UAV hiring trends 2026” and “how to hire drone pilots and UAS engineers”, …this guide breaks down what’s changing – and what to do about it.

UAV (Drones) Recruitment Trends 2025 (UK): What Job Seekers Need To Know About Today’s Hiring Process

Summary: UK unmanned aviation (UAV/UAS/RPAS) hiring has shifted from aircraft‑type buzzwords to capability‑driven evaluation across flight ops, autonomy, data products, safety & regulatory compliance. Employers want proof you can plan, fly, analyse and scale UAV systems safely and economically—VLOS/A2 CofC, GVC, BVLOS & SORA ops, UTM integrations, command‑and‑control resilience, sense‑and‑avoid, payload pipelines, and fleet reliability. This guide explains what’s changed, what to expect in interviews & how to prepare—especially for UAV pilots/ops managers, flight test engineers, autonomy/perception, GNC/control, UTM/backend, safety & airworthiness, data processing/analysis, and field engineering roles. Who this is for: UAV pilots & flight ops, mission planners, flight test & safety engineers, autonomy/SLAM/perception, GNC/control engineers, embedded/avionics, communications & C2 links, UTM/airspace integrations, data processing (imagery/LiDAR/thermal), GIS/photogrammetry, maintenance & field techs, and programme/product managers in the UK.