Director: Eoin Moran
Responsibilities
Eoin Moran has been assigned responsibility at Assistant Secretary level for Met Éireann. The Director serves as Chief Executive of Met Éireann, developing strategic direction in line with Departmental policies; allocates resources and adapts organisational structures to meet changing demands; maintains and upgrades operational quality and efficiency; is responsible for ensuring that Met Éireann fulfills its national and international obligations, and acts as Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the World Meteorological Organisation. The Director participates in the Department’s Management Board and reports directly to the Secretary General.
Assistant Director: Dr. Sarah O’Reilly
Responsibilities
Sarah O’Reilly has responsibility at Assistant Director level for leadership and decision making on programmes, policies, budgets and people management across Met Éireann; overall strategic planning of Met Éireann’s operational, administrative and scientific / technical activities; overall oversight of performance measurement and quality assurance for Met Éireann, direct line management responsibility for Senior Meteorologist/Heads of Divisions; provision of scientific and technical direction, innovation and leadership, Maintaining and developing relevant engagements with external organisations and groupings; representing Ireland and Met Éireann to various international meteorological organisations; deputising for the Director as necessary.
Aviation Services Division: Tony Tighe
Responsibilities
Tony Tighe has been assigned responsibility at Senior Meteorologist level for: the provision of high quality meteorological services to aviation that are compliant with ICAO standards and EU regulations ; ensuring that the Aviation Services Division retains designation as provider of aeronautical meteorological services ; divisional goal setting, resource management, budgetary planning and service delivery; the development and implementation of the divisional Safety, Security and Quality Management Systems ; contributing to the development of aviation meteorology through participation in the international organisations ; initiating and leading the implementation of technical and scientific projects to improve the quality of aviation weather services.
Met Éireann’s Aviation Services Division (ASD) core function is to provide or arrange for the provision of operational aviation related weather information. These meteorological services are governed by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards and, also, European Single European Skies Regulations. The primary consumers of ASD services include the Airlines, Air Traffic Control, and Airport Authorities, Search and Rescue services and general aviation. Under ICAO obligations the ASD must also ensure the maintenance of a ‘meteorological watch’ over Irish airspace to warn of phenomena that are hazardous to aviation. In addition to the regulated services, ASD also provides/arranges for the provision of bespoke products to further assist the aviation community in its operations and decision making processes. The ASD is accredited to an ISO Quality Management System standard.
Met Éireann is currently involved in the Aviation Modernisation and Automation Project (AMAP). The project will modernise its aviation surface observation network and with the exception of Dublin Airport, automate aviation surface observations.
Forecasting Division: Evelyn Cusack
Responsibilities
The Head of Forecasting has been assigned responsibility at Senior Meteorologist level for managing the Forecast Division of Met Éireann which incorporates both operational and strategic tasks. The primary responsibility is to ensure resilient 24/7/365 operations in the Central Analysis and Forecast Office and in the Central Aviation Office. These offices also support weather broadcasting on RTÉ radio and television, and build and maintain an online presence for Met Éireann. Critical tasks include the provision of forecast and warnings services to the road maintenance community and the aviation community. Forecast Division provides a high degree of support to Emergency Management in Ireland in both planning and operational phases, and coordinates with the forecast and warning services of other European National Met Services as appropriate. Forecast Division also provides, through MET web, key weather information online to help support decision-making across many public-service bodies, ranging from the Gardaí through to the Local Authorities.
Met Éireann’s Forecast Business Unit maintains a 24-hr, 365-day weather watch over Ireland, over the maritime regions for which Ireland has responsibility, and over the Shannon Flight Information Region. It is responsible for the issue of forecasts and warnings for weather conditions impacting the land and sea areas of Ireland, for the issue of specialised aviation forecasts and for providing warnings for Irish airspace and Irish state airports. The Office provides weather broadcast services on RTÉ, via the met.ie website, and on the Met Éireann App. Essential to the work of the Forecast Office is providing operational support as necessary to the Emergency Management / Civil Protection function of government, together with support for training, the development of strategy, and planning. Internationally, the Forecast Business Unit has strong links with the relevant activities of WMO, EUMETNET, and DG-ECHO etc.
Flood Forecast Division: Eoin Sherlock
Responsibilities
Eoin Sherlock has been assigned responsibility at Chief Hydrometeorologist (Senior Meteorologist) level for managing the Flood Forecast Division of Met Éireann which incorporates both operational and strategic tasks. Initially the Chief Hydrometeorologist will lead the establishment of Met Éireann’s Flood Forecast Centre (FFC). When the FFC is set up, the Chief Hydrometeorologist will manage its operations (which will include 24/7 operations as necessary) and lead further flood forecasting developments.
The role will encompass overall scientific and technical leadership for the Centre and for hydrometeorology within Met Éireann; developing the practice of hydrometeorology in Ireland; leading, developing and managing a team in an operational environment; and collaborating effectively with national and international hydrometeorological, hydrological and meteorological experts and representatives.
Business Continuity and Facilities Management Division: Alyn Deane
Responsibilities
Alyn Deane has been assigned responsibility at Principal Officer level for Business Continuity and Facilities Management within Met Éireann. This includes:
- Embedding Business Continuity in general operations and processes;
- The development of ICT Disaster Recovery and Managed Services to facilitate Business Continuity in Met Éireann’s ICT systems and core operations;
- Management of Met Éireann’s facilities countrywide, and co-ordination of accommodation works and property developments in conjunction with the Office of Public Works;
- Co-ordination of Health and Safety compliance;
- Records/Data Management policies, including Open Data compliance;
- Customer contract management, oversight and support.
Business Operations Division: Josephine Prendergast
Responsibilities
The Head of Business Operations Division has been assigned responsibility at Senior Meteorologist level for the management of Met Éireann’s business support functions as Ireland’s National Meteorological Service including; budgetary co-ordination across all Divisions, management and oversight of the Department’s administrative budgets, financial reporting and asset management; co-ordinating Met Éireann’s strategic HR/IR functions for 160+ staff, including staff recruitment/promotion competitions, business and workforce planning, liaison with staff associations; developing and implementing training and development plan for all staff. Other functions include corporate governance and coordination of strategic and business planning; developing engagement with research partners and funding entities both nationally and internationally.
Technology Division: Shay Green
Responsibilities
The Technology Division is responsible for Met Éireann’s ICT and Meteorological Observation infrastructure. Responsibility for development of ICT systems used for meteorological data communications, weather and climate services production and service dissemination. The IT Division manages Met Éireann’s ICT infrastructure. The Division’s functions include the support, maintenance and development of operational (24/7) systems for meteorological observation (ground stations, satellite and radar) meteorological data management and communication weather and climate services production and dissemination. The Technology Division also provides general office ICT services to Met Éireann.
Climate Services, Research & Applications Division: Dr. Saji Varghese
Responsibilities
The Climate Services, Research and Applications Division develops and coordinates Met Éireann’s operational short-range numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. It conducts basic research in NWP in collaboration with the HIRLAM consortium. It is also responsible for Climate Service, Climate Science and Climate Communication’s, in support of the Irish National Climate Change Adaptation Framework and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The Division implements a series of science based applications to support operational forecast and warning services provided by Met Éireann; these include road-ice forecasts and specialised forecasts for the farming community.
Observations Division: Dr. Sarah Gallagher
Responsibilities
Sarah Gallagher has responsibility at Senior Meteorologist level for managing the Observations Division of Met Éireann which is responsible for Met Éireann’s meteorological observations infrastructure. The Division is responsible for the development of systems supporting the core operational work of Met Éireann, including ground weather stations, the meteorological radar network, satellite reception systems, operating, maintaining and ensuring the sustainability of the observing networks used to define the climate of Ireland; maintaining the National Climate Archive; providing a wide range of quality assured data; producing regular publications on the Climate of Ireland. The Division is also responsible for the meteorological and environmental programmes conducted at Valentia Observatory.