Every Friday, I break down real meteorology job postings and cover what the role actually involves, what employers are really looking for, and how to position yourself to get hired. Experience in energy, aviation, agricultural commodities, transportation, outdoor recreation, and event forecasting. Free, every Friday
|
Issued 6th of March, 2026 As we begin to shift into the Spring, a big part of my job in agricultural commodities is understanding and sharing the risk of frost and wet or dry weather, the two things that can affect plants right at the start of the season. A normal Spring for most types of crops would include moisture and near normal temperatures. However, as you may be aware, spring is also a time of change from cold to warm, and this change creates volatility in the weather patterns. While the result in some cases can be severe weather, in other cases it can be risks of sub-freezing temperatures or long, dry periods. Then there are the outlier risks you may not think of at first, such as whether or not there is enough snowpack in the mountains, which, when melted, flows into streams and rivers and can be used for irrigation during the hot parts of the year. Also, river levels can affect barge traffic, which impacts the price of shipping goods on a river, and this can ultimately cost the farmers more. To make these types of forecasts, you can't just wait for the weather models to present the solution for you. Much of the time, you must rely on longer-range signals such as teleconnections, Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies, the MJO, and analog years based on other criteria you set. You then take all of this information and create a set of possibilities that may occur in the pattern, and depending on who you work for, either present a series of possible scenarios or pick one outcome and run with it.
This is one part of my day in agriculture. While not all industries in meteorology use this type of long-range forecasting, the other ones that do are energy and wildfire meteorology. The JobsUS-Based JobsIndustry: Energy Title: Head of Meteorology Company: Citigroup Work Location: Houston, TX Pay: $200,000 to $300,000 USD / year Benefits: See Job Listing Degree:
Years of Experience: 15 years of experience, including implementing data science programs, and knowledge of statistical techniques and concepts. Skills:
If you want to apply for this job, but you don't have all the experience, we should talk. As a former energy trading meteorologist and a current leader in natural gas trading insights, I am very familiar with the skillset you need to be successful in roles like this one.Who Should Apply? This is for some well into the middle to the second half of their career. You should have either had a job on a trading floor or be very knowledgeable about natural gas or power gen trading and the type of information and style of forecasting needed. You should understand and be able to manage a data science team, manage a budget, and basically run an entire department at a huge company such as Citigroup. Basically, if you have the background and even over 10 years, I would give it a go. You don't have to have everything they are asking for, but you should understand the position. About the Location As a former resident of Houston, I can tell you it is extremely flat, covered in pine trees in the North, and very humid in the summer. You will sweat in a cold shower in your home with the AC running in the summer. However, Houston has a lot to offer, with a vibrant museum network thanks to Rice University right down by the medical center, and the zoo. There is NASA just southeast of downtown, and the beach is about 1 hour drive from downtown. There is a lot of good food, as Houston is a very international city due to the large presence of oil and gas. Nearby, you can easily drive to Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, or even New Orleans. If you don't like snow, it doesn't snow very often. Industry: Commodities Title: Weather Analyst Company: Jane Street Work Location: New York City, NY Pay: Base: $300,000 USD per year Benefits: See Job Listing Degree:
Years of Experience: None given. Skills:
Who Should Apply? If you are proficient in programming and can use Python. While the job is a forecasting role, to some degree, and on a trading floor, you should enjoy diving into data to determine why say a certain weather pattern causes a type of weather to occur and then you can use your Python or AI to create a model that will give you the probability of specific patterns and outcomes occurring and this gives the traders and edge. Imagine knowing the benchmark for a Northeast Pacific Ocean trough, which causes an unexpectedly faster upward wind ramp at the Arbuckle Mountain wind farm than the models expect. If you knew the probability of this event based on the location of the epac trough, then you could with certainty inform the traders, and they could make millions of dollars. International (outside the US) JobsIndustry: Agriculture Title: Specialist in Agrometeorology, Early Warning, and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Company: FAO Work Location: Bangkok, but possibly remote. Pay: Not given. Benefits: See listing. Duration: 11 months Closing Date: 19 March, 2026 Degree: Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in agrometeorology, climatology, meteorology, hydrology, data science, or artificial intelligence. Read the job listing for additional requirements. Years of Experience: At least 1 to 10. Again, read the job listing; it's complex. Skills:
Who Should Apply? Make sure you understand that the job is only 11 months long and is based in Bangkok, although it could be remote. The job relies heavily on the idea that you understand agriculture, meteorology, climatology, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Fluent English is required, but having one of the other 5 languages would really help your chances. Industry: Energy Title: Energy Meteorologist Company: EDF Trading Work Location: London, England - Hybrid within the area Pay: Not given. Benefits: Pension plan, EV lease, childcare vouchers, gym membership, cycle to work plan, season ticket loan, volunteer opportunities, medical, dental Degree:
Years of Experience: 3 years as an operational meteorologist providing forecasts to clients, preferably in the energy industry, but not required. Skills:
If you want to apply for this job, but you don't have all the experience, we should talk. As a former power generation trading meteorologist and a current leader in natural gas trading insights, I am very familiar with the skillset you need to be successful in roles like this one.Who Should Apply? This is a really great position as EDF is a huge company in the energy industry, and joining them would be a great learning experience and a good place to start your energy path. You will need experience using Python, and if you've listened to anything I've said in the Friday Job Reports, hopefully, it is that when there are no jobs, you are learning new skills, one of which could be Python. The person who should apply would be someone who is interested in how the power grid works and how the weather affects the demand for electricity. Basically, if you want to know how people can trade electricity, then you should apply. Because the preparation in making the resume or cover letter, or even prepping for a possible interview, will open your mind to ideas that you didn't know existed. Industry: Agriculture (Non-Forecasting) Title: Programme Manager Company: AfriClimate AI Work Location: Johannesburg, South Africa - Possibly Remote Pay: Not given. Benefits: See listing. Degree:
Years of Experience: 3–5 years in programme or project management within donor-funded environments (e.g., IDRC, EU). Skills:
Who Should Apply? I realize this opportunity is not forecasting or barely even meteorology. However, it does involve meteorology, and someone with the right background may not only be interested but also have the skillset to land this role. Overall, the position is a fascinating and, in my opinion, a good way to use AI. Worth a MentionMeteorologist - AquSag Technologies - India - This appears to be a hiring service for this role and not the actual company. The job is remote, in India, 3+ years of experience as an operational meteorologist. Link to Job Post Applied Meteorological Scientist - The Weather Company - Atlanta, USA - Making forecasts for the military. You need a Master's or Ph.D and 8+ years of coding experience with Python or R, but The Weather Company is well known and hires a lot of meteorologists. Link to Job Post Communications Manager of Innovation - Global Fishing Watch - Global Location - Non-Forecasting, but the skills you have as a meteorologist would help you in this role, which requires translating scientific and analytical information into a story and digital media that regular people can understand. Closes March 18th. Link to Job Post Final ThoughtsThere are many types of jobs being posted and depending on what you are looking for, you may need to be patient and wait for the right job for you. One thing that I've been guilty of doing is becoming to attached to the perfect job for me, and then spending forever on the resume and the cover letter, while thinking I'm definitely the best candidate for the job. Most of these times I did not even get a call back. You can overdo the resume and cover letter or there could be a lot of people also perfect for the role. I applied for over 100 NOAA jobs early in my career and of those 100+ I received 0 interviews. I changed tactics and stopped applying for NOAA jobs and instead explored the private industry of meteorology where I've had a 20+ year career. It took me 2 years from graduation to my first weather job, which paid less than 30K per year. I didn't even make over 50K until my 11th year as a meteorologist. This was the lowest point in my career where I almost changed careers. Then that next job ended up being the best of my career. So don't give up, you never know what's just over the hill. Good Luck on the Job Search! |
Every Friday, I break down real meteorology job postings and cover what the role actually involves, what employers are really looking for, and how to position yourself to get hired. Experience in energy, aviation, agricultural commodities, transportation, outdoor recreation, and event forecasting. Free, every Friday