Culture, Mentoring, IDSS, and Training: The Shifting of the SOO Role

The Science and Operations Officer (SOO) position within the National Weather Service (NWS) has been historically held by meteorologists with backgrounds emphasizing technical skills and atmospheric research. The stereotype of what constitutes a successful SOO is based on the previous demands of the position, rather than the future of what the position will entail as the NWS mission increasingly involves impact-based decision support services and interdisciplinary collaboration with external entities. The NWS of the future will benefit from a SOO possessing qualities such as emotional intelligence, team management, organization, communication, and a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). Additionally, rapid technological innovations within meteorology are bringing new approaches and challenges to the meteorologist job. The SOO will be the local focal point for facilitating change and implementation across the NWS, including large-scale initiatives such as Forecasting a Continuum of Environmental Threats (FACETs), to ensure operational field offices and national centers are well-equipped to support a Weather Ready Nation.

One difficult aspect of the rapidly evolving SOO position within the NWS is ensuring future SOO candidates are both well-equipped and aware of the skill set needed to be successful. It is imperative that a proactive approach is taken to address these changes, as the SOO of the future may not be the SOO that is presently modeled within an office. There is no “typical” set of characteristics that will define a SOO in the future, but a diverse skill set is integral to the collective SOO group across the agency, as concepts of mutual aid and cross-office support become more ingrained in our culture. Internal open discussions about the SOO position can be an effective medium for increasing interest in the position, such as the “You Too Can Be a SOO” panel discussion for the NWS hosted in early 2023. This presentation will further address the current and future state of the NWS SOO position by highlighting skills and backgrounds of more recently hired NWS SOOs, previous and ongoing recruitment efforts within the NWS, and what skills will be necessary to succeed in this position in the coming decades. Specifically, how these skills will translate to the increasingly important role of research-to-operations within a Weather Ready Nation will be a focus of discussion. Other topics of interest will include mentorship, collaboration opportunities, policy, and DEIA.