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 Jobs Report - Week 30
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Issued on the 24th of July, 2026 As I have mentioned on several earlier Friday Job Reports, I will be leading a course on How to Become an Energy Meteorologist, based on my own experience as a hiring manager and energy meteorologist and from my 20+ year career in meteorology. How to Become an Energy Meteorologist - Taught as if you were onboarding at a company, you will learn how to find and land a job energy and once you start the job, what to expect. This will include how to forecast for wind, solar, hydro, and daily load demand and then communicate this forecast to your coworkers and clients. Launch Date: September 2026 Course Length: 10 weeks Course Teaching Style: Instructor-Led, Live based on US eastern time, UTC-4
The JobsIndustry: Logistics Title: Weather & Climatology Analyst Company: Amazon Work Location: Virginia Pay: $88,300 - $154,500 per year Benefits: See Job Listing Degree:
Years of Experience:
Key Skills or Knowledge: (You should be able to do these duties) - Can show strong verbal and written communication skills Who Should Apply? The job was reposted from June and is active on their job board at Amazon. It's possible they didn't fill it the first time, and they are still trying, or they didn't take the listing down. Regardless, with a low bar to entry and a reasonable salary, anyone looking should apply. About the Location A suburb of the Washington, DC area and near IAD - Dulles Airport, the location is kind of ideal. You are not in the busy part of the big city, but have access to it, and you are not so far out that you are in the rural areas. Plus, you have an airport right there with flights worldwide. A short drive to to the West and you are in the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park where you can do many short, steep hikes along and around the famous Appalachian Trail. Closer to DC, along the Potomac River is Great Falls Park, a series of waterfalls and rocks, and if you are really into bicycling, you can ride your bike to come see me in Pittsburgh, along the C & O canal and GAP trail system. If mountains and rivers are not your thing, just across Chesapeake Bay you can reach several beaches from Rehoboth to Ocean City.
Industry: Transportation Title: Meteorologist Company: Weathernet, a subsidiary of GreenArrow Work Location: Snoqualmie, Washington Pay: $50,000 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 worked for Weathernet before it was Weathernet. I worked with the original owner, and I worked in both Salt Lake City, Utah, and Bellevue (Seattle), Washington. If you want to learn about mountain meteorology while living in the mountains, then this is the job for you. Their primary business line is road snow plowing with secondary service for airport operations and weather station siting and maintenance. Not sure about their clients now, but when I was there they were providing snow plow forecasts for state roads in Utah, Wyoming, parts of Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and parts of Nevada and California. They also did the forecast for British Columbia roads. All of these places listed are states or provinces with mountains, rivers, lakes, and near the West Coast, so influence of the Pacific Ocean. There are many different microclimates when you consider the mountains and deserts. In addition to snow plowing, mountains can be the location of avalanches, wildfires, and mudslides/debris flows. These are all things that Weathernet is doing and what you would learn to do as well. Other clients might include forecasting for Chicago or New York City airports, among other locations. This is the kind of job where you will learn a lot about making forecasts and communicating them, working night and day, and in all kinds of storm events. About the Location The job posting says Snoqualmie, but on the website the office is in Bellevue, which is a big difference. Bellevue is a city and much busier, near Microsoft's headquarters on the east side of Lake Washington and closer to downtown Seattle. Snowqualmie is right up against the mountains with a much more outdoorsy feel. When I worked there, the office was initially located in Issaquah in the founder's house (which is not as abnormal as you think), and then it moved to Bellevue when the company became Weathernet. Regardless, Seattle is great once you get past the dark, gloomy days in the Winter. Fortunately, when I lived there, it was one of the driest, warmest winters, and I was only there for a short time, so I can't tell you about how gloomy it gets. However, what I can tell you is Seattle is beautiful with lush green mountains, waterfalls, blue lakes, and the ocean. The snow-capped Mount Rainier towers over the city, and the snow-capped Olympic Mountains can be seen on a clear day west of the city. I used to live in Kent and drive to Issaquah each day, and on the way I would stop and hike the Poo Poo Point trail, which I think was called that because at the top is a paragliding launch point and I assumed people jumping off said "oh sh*t" their first time. I just hiked it for the view that you can see below. There is hiking, camping, skiing, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, bicycling, and just viewing the landscape. Temperatures can get cold in the Winter, but normally the temperatures are in a comfortable range. It rarely snows in the city, but there is snow skiing in the mountains. Seattle has a lot of activities and is a pretty fun city. Vancouver, British Columbia is just a few hours to the North and Portland, Oregon to the South.
Industry: Energy Title: Uncertainty Meteorologist Company: Southwest Power Pool (SPP) Work Location: Little Rock AR Pay: $97,580 - $126,795 Benefits: See Job Listing Degree:
Years of Experience:
Key Skills or Knowledge: (You should be able to do these duties)
Who Should Apply? Energy meteorologists or those with energy knowledge or partial skills that want to work in energy. SPP is not an energy trading firm, but instead they run the actual market and are one of the top 5 major US energy markets. SPP runs through much of the Central US and so they experience a large variety of weather from heatwaves to winter storms. This job requires previous knowledge of who they are so you either need to have a lot of research or already worked in some capacity around energy trading.
Industry: Marine Title: Team Lead Weather Forecasting Company: Fugro Work Location: England (west of London) Pay: None Given Benefits: See Job Listing Right to Work: Not listed, but the right to work comes with almost every UK job, so check this. Degree:
Years of Experience:
Key Skills or Knowledge: (Bonus Points or better chance of getting an interview in BOLD)
Who Should Apply? First, I wrote the listing a little differently. The base level requirements are listed as normal. The bolded sections relate to the top bullet point and are extra and more desirable. Having the bolded skills increases your chance for an interview. Fugro provides services to customers involved in ocean activities near-shore, in port, or out to sea. This might include siting and building wind turbine towers in the ocean or on land near the water. This also might involve drilling operations on fixed or non-fixed platforms or ships in the shallow waters closer to land. In addition, they provide forecasts for operations on land but near the water, and for aircraft such as helicopters that land on ship and platform helipads. They have their global weather hub in the APAC (Asia-Pacific) region, and I think it is in Singapore, with operations in Indonesia and globally. This job involves interacting with the APAC office. There are two jobs listed in those other offices. You should be interested in marine weather, but you could probably get away with having aviation or more general operational knowledge. The main thing to consider is that you need to be able to translate whatever skills you have into what they are listing and develop stories or examples from your past that will support your skills. Ocean forecasting involves swells, wind waves, currents, temperature changes, temperature inversions, severe forms of weather, land/sea pressure and temperature gradients, and low-altitude cloud forecasting, including fog. You should know how to forecast the microclimates for locations around the North Sea, across coastal Europe, and also understand how the APAC region works. They probably have clients on a global scale, so a general idea elsewhere might help. Leadership This is a leadership position where you will both act as a guide and mentor for current and new hires, but also have to sit on the forecasting desk yourself. You should have some skills in mentoring other people or have the personality to do this type of work. This role also involves engaging and talking to people worldwide, and being able to speak clearly and concisely will be part of the role. About the Location This location is west of London, England. You would be near the ocean and may have to travel there for work. You would also have access to London and have access to all of Europe or any global location from London.
Industry: Government/Public Forecasting Title: Chief Meteorology Officer Company: Country of the Bahamas Work Location: Nassau, Bahamas Pay: None Given Benefits: See Job Listing Degree:
Years of Experience:
Key Skills or Knowledge: (You should be able to do these duties)
Who Should Apply? This role is built for someone in NOAA, specifically in charge of a meteorology office and with strong knowledge in aviation. If this is where you are, even if you work in a country outside the US, like the UK, EU, or Asia, you could apply and see what they are looking for.
Final Thoughts While I really promote energy jobs, it is really just about me helping you find the opportunities that are out there that will help you have a successful career. Energy jobs are hot right now and they provide good benefits and reward you for being correct about the forecast. This is something you often will not find with other industries, especially in the US. While compensation is higher in the US, other countries offer better benefits beyond the salary and these will help you through your career. At this point in my career I've had energy trading offers in the US and the EU and I can tell you that the difference in salary is 50% less in Europe. However, the work-life balance, days off, transportation to work, and health benefits are better in Europe. I've also worked and lived in Canada and I had to use the free health care while living there so I know first-hand the trade-offs. However, in Europe, marine meteorology is really big right now with current roles in France and the UK, and previous openings in Denmark and the Netherlands, along with in Asia there are energy trading, marine, and land-based jobs from India to Indonesia to Japan. While I don't post government jobs in the US, I will start posting more government jobs for other countries where there are fewer overall opportunities. Australia has many jobs through the Bureau of Meteorology, but few outside of the government, and in New Zealand, NIWA is one of your sources for meteorology jobs that is seems to related to the government. Both Australia and New Zealand occasionally hire for non-citizens, in case you want to live in that part of the world. I will be posting about more courses I will launch in late 2026 and 2027, most self-paced and focus on specific industries, skill levels, or types of forecasting. Keep your eye out for those. Hope this helps. Good luck on the job search! |
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