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
The Friday Job Report - Week 26
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Issued on the 26th of June, 2026 If you have ever wanted to learn about energy meteorology I am considering providing a course focused on learning how to become an energy meteorologist. I was an energy meteorologist for 8 years and was the hiring manager for 4 years and want to share with interested meteorologists how you can land in this specific type of meteorology. If you are just interested in signing up to be on a waitlist you can do so at this link, Learn to Become an Energy Meteorologist. Once I gain enough enough interest I will share the details and at that point you can still opt out, no reason needed. There are many things you can figure out on your own about forecasting. If you want to be in aviation, watch a few videos, follow this guy on LinkedIn Haitham Khogly, and look at this website, https://aviationweather.gov/gfa/#obs. You can learn a lot by just exploring on your own. Want to work in road weather, you can start with the Utah DOT, who has a team of meteorologists forecasting just for their roads. I know, because I used to work on that team. Marine weather is all about the surface conditions of the ocean, lake, or river and the atmosphere and how the two will interact. You can start with the NDBC. Agriculture is all about the conditions of the soil before, during and after the growing season, from planting to harvest. You can start by learning about soil moisture anomalies to understand where the soil is very wet and where it is dry. Then you can apply the growth cycle of different crops to the soil conditions and get an idea about one variable that affects crops. There are many ways as a forecaster to practice by doing rather than waiting for your first job and then assuming you will start learning. If you are not going into forecasting but are going to work more in data analysis, weather modeling, or software engineering, then you can do the same through much research on your own and then applying your knowledge of meteorology. This way, if you find the perfect job and they want you to be able to grab model data, clean it up, and then share it with another person or department, you can show them how you do it. You can even offer, without being asked, as a way to prove your skills and make sure you make it to the next round. Waiting to see if they ask is a good way to be passed over. If you have the skills and are confident in sharing with other people what you know, then your chances can be dramatically better. It doesn't matter what type of role you are looking to do in meteorology, because many companies are using freely available data which you can also access that same information to learn new skills or practice and improve the ones you already have. I can see some people saying they don't have time and that may be true. Unfortunately, if you want to find and land new opportunities it may mean using every available scrap of time to learn and practice your craft. The Friday Job Report is produced this way. I don't really have that much time at first glance, but I find space everyday to make small additions to the next report and by Thursday, I'm usually done. The weather is always happening which means you always have new data to work with to practice. The JobsUSA JobsIndustry: Aviation Title: Aviation Meteorologist Company: Southwest Airlines Work Location: Dallas, Texas (onsite) Pay: $3,469.50 bi-weekly ($90,207 annual) Benefits: See Job Listing Degree:
Years of Experience:
Key Skills or Knowledge: (You should be able to do these duties)
Everything else listed on the job posting is a skill you will have learned from any part-time or full-time job you've had in your life to this point. Fast-food, retail, lifeguard, daycare, office, mowing lawns, or something else. Who Should Apply? All US citizens or anybody with the right to work in the US who is an early-career professional or right out of college. There is a low bar to entry, which is why everyone should apply, regardless of whether you want to live in Dallas or want to work in aviation. Get a job first, worry about where you want to live second. About the Location Dallas is composed of Dallas and Fort Worth and everything in between. The entire region is huge. The airport Southwest flies out of, Love Field, is closer to downtown Dallas, while the larger airport, DFW, is sort of in between Dallas and Fort Worth. You have two major universities, SMU and TCU, in the region, all major sports, concert venues, and several nearby lakes across the area to provide recreational activities. Honestly, while I've driven through Dallas many times, I've only rarely stopped for a Cowboys or Rangers game or to ride roller coasters at Six Flags. I don't know much about the region, but I do know you will be able to find something to do if you have to move there. Also, with your free flights, you could fly to other places in case Dallas doesn't do it for you. Industry: Academic / AI / Weather Forecasting Title: Executive Director - Human Centered Weather Forecasts Company: University of Chicago Work Location: Chicago, IL Pay: $165,000 - $201,000 per year Benefits: See Job Listing Degree:
Years of Experience:
Key Skills or Knowledge: (You should be able to do these duties)
Who Should Apply? I posted a previous position for this team, but not this role. This is for a specific type of person with a unique skillset. Someone with an academic mindset, possibly at a non-profit or having worked for a university system around climate, weather, sustainability or even economics. This same person should have a strong leadership background and be able to lead a group of other very smart, qualified staff and researchers. You should be somewhat of a people person, at least at work, and can meet with stakeholders and others to help fundraise in the millions, so basically sell the program to people that tend to fund projects such as this. About the Location The job is in Chicago but is hybrid. The university is on the south side of Chicago in Hyde Park. Industry: Air Quality Title: Air Quality Consultant Company: Ramboll Work Location: Fort Collins, CO or San Francisco, CA Pay: $69,222 - $86,528 per year Benefits: See Job Listing Degree:
Years of Experience:
Key Skills or Knowledge: (You should be able to do these duties)
Who Should Apply? If you have experience already with air quality, especially if you started off with a company in an entry-level position, I would consider Ramboll because they are such a major player in the air quality sector and they have jobs globally. Now, based on the pay provided, I would pick Colorado because it would be more affordable than San Francisco, but still not cheap. You should have good programming skills and experience with dispersion models. About the Location I mentioned last week about San Francisco and how it can be a lot of fun but it does cost a lot to live there. When I was there, I lived pretty close to the San Jose State campus (which has a weather program) and so I met some meteorologists. However, I rented a room in a house and shared the bathroom and kitchen and this is really all I could afford. I always thought it was funny that one of my housemates built lasers for his job and he also could not afford his own place. Industry: Energy Trading Title: Project Manager - Advance Forecasting & Trading Meteorology Company: Avangrid Work Location: Portland, Oregon Pay: $106,000 - 132,600 per year Benefits: See Job Listing Degree:
Years of Experience:
Key Skills or Knowledge: (You should be able to do these duties)
Preferred:
Who Should Apply? This is an amazing opportunity to work for an international company, in a really great city, where you will combine your knowledge of energy trading, the ISO/RTO markets with AI and machine learning concepts, which is why you need the strong programming background. This, for the right person, would be a unique opportunity. About the Location Portland, as I've mentioned in past Friday Job Reports, is a great city if you either like to be in the wilderness or enjoy stunning visual landscapes. However, if you would rather be in the concrete jungle of a big city, then Portland is not going to be a good fit. International Jobs (Outside the US)Industry: Air Quality Title: Meteorologist Company: Steinhauser Consulting Engineers Work Location: Vienna, Austria Pay: None Listed Benefits: See Job Listing Degree:
Years of Experience:
Key Skills or Knowledge: (most important to the company)
Who Should Apply? There is a collective bargaining agreement in place for this job, and so there may be a requirement for an Austrian or EU right to work. So if you have the right to work in the EU and want to live in Vienna, then you should apply. I'm not certain about the right to work, so if you are in air quality and want to check this out, I would contact the company and ask. This is a good way to get into meteorology with a company that may not check as much into your meteorology credentials, and so if you are early in your career, the chances may be higher that you can at least land an interview. Industry: Renewable Energy Title: Senior Data Scientist Company: DNV Work Location: Barcelona, Spain Pay: None Listed Benefits: See Job Listing Requirements: Must have the right to work in the work locations. Degree:
Years of Experience:
Key Skills or Knowledge: (most important to the company)
Who Should Apply? This is a wind modeling job for DNV, which is a global company that hires for renewable positions, but rarely directly for meteorologists and instead for something similar, such as wind power modeling based on atmospheric conditions. The first thing in the listing about who should apply is someone who is fascinated by the idea of wind modeling. So you should know what this is and that this is a direction you want your career to go. Final Thoughts This week the Friday Job Report is being finished while I sit in the food court at Chicago Midway Airport (KMDW) before my flight home. I fly through Midway primarily due to it's close proximity to downtown Chicago via the orange line train. While Midway lacks in many ways it is 1000 times cleaner than O'hare KORD(the main airport) where I had a rat scampering around my feet the last time I tried to fly out of there. Why even bring this up, because I want to further touch on the idea of practicing the weather at every possible time. If you've never considered it, most airports are built based on the average wind direction over the whole year. I'm not sure if the runways are altered based on nearby airports like O'hare and Midway, but primarily airport runways line up with the prevailing wind direction. Airplanes take off and land with a headwind. Knowing this, at Midway, there are two runways that form an X. The two most common wind directions I've landed in are a southwest or northwest wind, which requires a fairly straight on approach when coming from Pittsburgh. The southwest wind approach allows us to pass by closest to downtown. Occasionally, a strong lake breeze will have moved across the airport and instead you have to land from the west, which is a less interesting view and requires the pilot to fly well past the airport and turn around to land. So this is what goes through my meteorology mind when I'm flying and it is one of the ways I keep in touch with my aviation forecasting knowledge. I generally create a TAF in my head for my flights. Even if you don't have the same opportunities as I do when I fly, you can still make forecasts for possible scenarios from the airport, to a concert, soccer game, a commute, or just taking a walk. If you had to explain the weather forecast to a random stranger how would you do it. Hope this helps. Good luck on the job search! Unsubscribe | Update your profile | 939 LaClair St, Pittsburgh, PA 15218-1024
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Scott Patterson
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