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 6
|
Issued 6th of February 2026 In a professional meteorology career, there are two primary skills you need to have a successful career.
Forecasting Learning how to forecast beyond college is very important, and through my new My Met Job platform, which will launch on Friday, February 13th, I will be offering courses on learning how to forecast in specific scenarios. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of situations that arise when you are sitting at a forecast desk and working for a client. I will cover many of those situations through self-guided, asynchronous courses. Stay tuned. Communication If you can’t explain to another person how your weather forecast will affect their operations, then you are going to struggle in this field. Even if you go into research, meteorology software development, or even a tangential career in climate or renewables, you will still be expected to share your knowledge through white papers, conferences, and with your coworkers, and so you will need to learn how to be an effective communicator. I am always learning and practicing to be a better communicator. You can always be more effective and get better.
It is not impossible to be a good communicator. It doesn’t matter if you are the shiest, introverted person on the planet. If you have confidence in what you are sharing, then you can learn how to convey weather data in a way that is easy to understand on paper, digitally, and verbally. It’s not easy, and it definitely takes practice, but through a focused, motivated effort and over time, you can become very effective at communicating actionable weather insights to customers, users, and colleagues. To help you get started in learning how to communicate, I’ve created a foundational course on becoming a professional meteorologist, and the very first section focuses on communication, because it is that important. This course will be self-guided and available on the new updated platform launching next Friday, the 13th. The JobsUnited StatesCategory: WildfireJob Title: Wildfire Meteorologist I-II Company: Oncor Electric Delivery Location: Fort Worth, Texas Work Location: Onsite Pay: $90,233 - $134,665 USD Benefits: Medical, wellness incentives up to $2,300, 401k match, and more Schedule: None given Relocation: No, which is interesting as most jobs do offer relocation. Qualifications:Degree: A bachelor’s degree in meteorology, atmospheric sciences, or a closely related field is required. Years of Experience: 3 - 4 years of operational meteorology for level I, and 5+ years for level II wildfire meteorologists. Skills:Experience with meteorological modeling tools, Geographic Information System (GIS) software, remote sensing tools, and data analysis techniques.
Who Should Apply?If you are in wildfire meteorology, then you should definitely apply if you want to live in a major city in Fort Worth, which is right next to Dallas. If you have never been to this area, it is very flat, hot in the summer, and sometimes cold and icy in the winter. There are many lakes for outdoor recreation. You can also drive about 3 hours southwest and be in the Hill Country, which is where you can go tubing down the river, explore Austin, see waterfalls, do some outdoor rock climbing, or mountain biking. As a major city, there are also several pro sports teams and many other entertainment options if you don’t like the outdoors. If you are wondering about the wildfire aspect, Texas and Oklahoma can get very dry all year, but especially in the summer. Large grass and low vegetation fires occur in Texas, and many may have started because of downed power lines. This may be a reason why this company is hiring. These kinds of roles are really interested in you being able to predict when they should shut off power pre-emptively (PSPS), which high unpopular but necessary to mitigate any large wildfires. Don’t apply because you don’t specifically have wildfire experience. If you have other experience that you translate into being able to learn wildfire forecasting, then you probably have enough to at least try to get an interview. This is coming from me, the guy with no direct wildfire forecasting experience, but who has had two offers for a wildfire meteorologist position in the past 2 years. With so little rain over the winter, there are likely going to be many examples of weather-induced wildfire conditions in the western US and Canada later in the summer. InternationalCategory: Marine, RoadsJob Title: Operational Meteorologist Company: WSP Location: 3 locations (St. John’s, NL, Ottawa, ON, or Montreal, QC) Work Location: Onsite Pay: $54,200 - $75,400 CAD Benefits: Work for a top Canadian employer that prioritizes work-life balance. Schedule: 24/7 Qualifications:Degree: Bachelor of Science in Meteorology or Atmospheric Science from a WMO-compliant program (required). Years of Experience: Entry-level to early career Skills:
Who Should Apply?A long time ago, I worked in St. John’s, NL, for a company that also had an office in Ottawa, ON. My job was to forecast for roads across eastern Canada for snow plows and school districts. I also worked randomly for the Northwest Territories. Another part of my job was marine weather and involved offshore oil platforms and ships anchored with drilling equipment on board. I’m pretty sure it was the same thing as this job, which means you should enjoy or be willing to learn about marine weather, and be comfortable speaking in French for customers in Quebec or New Brunswick. I would say early career and entry-level, I would apply with or without the bilingual portion, and get the experience. I thought Newfoundland was crazy weather, but a good adventure. If you need more of a city, then Ottawa or especially Montreal would be better. I would say don’t keep yourself locked out of opportunities just because you might have to move away from home for a bit. Category: InsuranceJob Title: Climate Risk Expert Company: Allianz Reinsurance Location: Munich, Germany Work Location: Onsite Pay: None given Benefits: None given Schedule: Normal business hours likely, but not stated Qualifications:Degree: University degree in atmospheric/climate science or other natural science discipline with a climate focus Years of Experience: 5 years, specifically in developing Cat models Skills:
Who Should Apply?This is you if you love creating analytical models using large climate datasets. You should have specific knowledge of Cat models or catastrophe models. If you have a strong programming background, love math and statistics, and have always wanted to live in Germany, then you should apply. This is definitely not entry-level. Also, being able to speak German is a plus. Category: Research Job Title: Senior Meteorologist, Meteorologist (2 positions) Company: Amentum Location: Antarctica Work Location: Antarctica Pay: None given. Benefits: None given. Schedule: None given. Qualifications:Degree: Bachelor of Science degree required. Military Meteorology or equivalent experience accepted instead of a degree. For the senior position, you should have 1 year of supervisor experience. Years of Experience: Skills:
Additional Requirements:
Who Should Apply?You should have a sense of adventure, love looking at snow, and being cold. This position would be good for someone with an aviation background, but also for NWS and military meteorologists. Also, weather observers might interview well for this job. This type of job could be really exciting and a good way to advance your career if you are more interested in research or NWS-like jobs. Category: General Operational MeteorologistJob Title: Meteorologist Company: DTN Location: The Netherlands, Scotland Work Location: On-site Pay: (Scotland: £26,500 - £32,000, Netherlands: €30,000 - €40,000) Benefits: 30 days of vacation (way better than the US), Work Abroad (30 days remote, then hybrid in either location, which is great), and commuting allowance. Schedule: 24/7 Qualifications:Degree: Degree in Meteorology Years of Experience: Experienced, but no years given. Skills:
Who Should Apply?DTN is a great company with pretty good benefits, especially in Europe. This is a very similar job, on paper, to the WSP job. Both locations have pros and cons, and while the pay is low, if you are early in your career and want to live abroad, DTN is a global company, and there is nothing about having a work visa, so you should be able to apply from any country. You should enjoy days spent inside, reading a book by the fire, as it rains a lot in both locations. Category: AviationJob Title: Meteorologist Manager Company: Unknown Location: Gurgaon Work Location: On-site Pay: None given. Benefits: None given Schedule: None given Qualifications:Degree: Graduate/Postgraduate in Meteorology, Atmospheric Sciences, or related field Years of Experience: 10+ years, with experience managing people. Skills:
Who Should Apply?You should have a strong background in meteorology over the past 10 years, especially in aviation. It would be helpful to have experience forecasting in Asia, but they may also have operations globally, so it is more about understanding how to forecast in similar geographical regions. It’s a well-written, long description of what you would be using and what you might be doing. If you are going apply, definitely check out the company, IndieGo, as this might be who is hiring. Category: Energy TradingJob Title: Meteorologist Company: Unknown Location: London, England Work Location: Onsite Pay: None given, but likely very good. Benefits: None given Schedule: None given, but likely 6 am to 2 pm. Qualifications:Degree: Degree in Meteorology / Atmospheric Science Years of Experience: Experienced, but no years given Skills:
Who Should Apply?You want to live in London, and have experience in energy trading or around energy trading, such as a utility. If you know Python or a coding language, this will definitely help your case. You should either understand the US markets really well or have a basic knowledge of the European or Asian energy markets. Final ThoughtsThe job market is not completely dead in the US right now, but there are far more jobs for operational meteorologists right now outside the US. If you are just starting your life after college and don’t have a family yet, I would consider taking off to another country for a while to get experience. Jobs in Europe see way fewer applicants. My job, I have now, was not posted as remote, but I applied anyway and negotiated that I would work remotely 95% of the time. So I fly 1 or 2 times per month to Chicago to work in the office for 1 day each time. Then I work the rest of the time at home. I never would have been offered this role had I not applied, even with the biggest hurdle, of having to move, standing in the way. If you are early in your career, take advantage of all the opportunities. And if you are further into your career and you can’t move, then you have to pull out all the stops to figure out how to get an interview. Once you get the interview, it’s your time to shine and get an offer. The offer gives you massive leverage, especially if they really want you. That’s your goal, young or old: make the company want you way more than any of the other candidates. So when you get the offer, you can negotiate. Good Luck! |
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