California Meteorologist

Austin Community College; California (MO); On-site; USD 80,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

401(k) with employer match

Paid time off

Mental health benefits

Job summary

McClatchy Media is seeking a meteorologist-journalist to provide creative weather coverage to audiences across California. You will utilize digital storytelling, produce engaging video content, and build strong audience loyalty by addressing weather-related queries. The position requires a bachelor’s degree in meteorology and a minimum of three years’ experience in reporting. Flexibility for evening and weekend shifts is essential. The anticipated salary range is between $80,000 and $95,000 per year, depending on experience and qualifications.

Qualifications

• Minimum three years’ experience reporting on weather or climate science.
• Ability to work flexible hours including evenings and weekends.
• Must have reliable transportation and valid driver’s license.

Responsibilities

• Deliver accurate weather predictions through daily published stories.
• Produce short-form video forecasts and social weather updates.
• Assist with public safety coverage during dangerous weather conditions.
• Build networks in weather and science communities for story ideas.
• Write science-focused journalism on weather trends and phenomena.

Skills

Weather data analysis

Video production

Writing skills

Social media engagement

Public presentation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in meteorology

AMS certification (preferred)

Job description

McClatchy Media is seeking an engaging, creative and reader-focused meteorologist-journalist who will educate and entertain our readers by delivering daily weather-science coverage — with personality — to our audiences in Sacramento, the rest of California’s Central Valley and the Central Coast.

This journalist will deploy a mix of digital storytelling, including personality-driven video, to define and interpret how the weather is affecting where Californians live — and the California destinations to which they most travel. A meteorology degree is essential, as is the ability to develop and sustain a public persona.

You will serve our audience by providing scientific information in a conversational way that both everyday news consumers and weather geeks can’t get anywhere else. You’ll also make the experience fun for our audience, including by shooting and appearing in short-form vertical videos for our apps, websites and social platforms.

You’ll be a newsroom ambassador, answering people’s weather questions, including during live and virtual events. And you’ll partner with others in our newsrooms when it comes to weather’s impact on California’s water supply and recreational havens, such as Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and other national parks.

Building a loyal audience around the weather requires publishing consistently and often. Strong candidates will bring fresh ideas on producing a high volume of stories, including ideas for new tools/story formats we might be able to build to better tell the story of California weather.

McClatchy Media’s journalists also are expected to take advantage of opportunities to ethically harness and leverage artificial intelligence and other automation to enhance and elevate their work and to find efficiencies that free them to focus on high-quality, deeply reported journalism.

This position will report to The Sacramento Bee’s Service Journalism Editor.

What you’ll bring…

• Experience using radar, forecast models, and climate datasets, along with strong writing skills, excellent news judgment and a demonstrated ability to "see the story" that is going to matter to readers.
• Ability to shoot weather-related photos and videos — including short form vertical videos — that can be posted on our digital platforms and social media.
• Personality and voice in both your writing and on‑camera appearances.
• Ability to thrive in breaking news situations, translating weather data into information that our subscribers can use to help them plan their daily lives and stay safe during extreme weather events.
• A track record for innovation, learning and using new skills and technologies, especially AI.
• Use of social media to build audience loyalty, engagement and growth around weather‑science journalism.
• A willingness to represent The Sacramento Bee in community events and other live journalism initiatives.

What you’ll do…

• Focus on the why, as much as the what, to deliver accurate weather predictions through a single story that publishes each weekday in all our California markets. These stories explain the science behind the weather and how it affects daily life (allergy seasons!), — with a constant eye toward what will happen long‑term.
• Write science‑focused enterprise journalism on weather trends and phenomena, including atmospheric rivers, wildfires, heat waves, flooding events and winter storms.
• Produce short‑form video forecasts and social‑first weather updates. Monitor data and alerts from the National Weather Service (including regional forecast offices) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
• Build source networks in the weather and science communities, thereby bringing a constant flow of story ideas.
• When conditions turn dangerous, jump in and assist with public‑safety coverage from a weather‑science standpoint.
• Develop explainers, graphics, and data visualizations in collaboration with visuals and data teams.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree in meteorology is required; AMS certification is preferred. We also expect applicants to have a minimum three years’ experience reporting on the weather or climate science in a digitally oriented newsroom environment.

The ability to work flexible hours is essential. This position may require some evening and weekend shifts, depending on weather events. Must have reliable transportation, a valid driver’s license and vehicle insurance.

To apply

Include a persuasive cover letter, your resume and four to six examples of your best work.

The anticipated base pay range for this position is between $80,000 and $95,000 per year. Individual base pay may vary within that range depending on job‑related knowledge, skills, experience and relevant education.

What we’ll bring…

Ninety miles northeast of San Francisco and 100 miles southwest of Lake Tahoe, Sacramento is a vibrant capital city with a Mediterranean climate, a world‑class food and music scene and numerous recreational opportunities, including the 31‑mile American River Trail and 2,000 acres of parkland in the city alone. Our Bee office in East Sacramento lies within two miles of the Capitol, Midtown, Downtown and Golden 1 Center, home of the Sacramento Kings.

As a journalist at McClatchy, you will join a supportive, flexible, collaborative team. McClatchy strives to be an employer of choice, and our benefits package is made with this goal in mind. With a focus on health, well‑being, wealth and daily life, our package options include healthcare coverage for employees and their families, financial protection from expected and unexpected expenses, multiple no‑cost wellness resources and even coverage for four‑legged friends.

Our overall benefits package also includes a 401(k) with employer match, competitive paid time off and corporate holidays, and a variety of mental health benefits. With an excellent support team and with focus on your well‑being as a top corporate strategy, McClatchy provides benefits to support you and your family in achieving your health and wellness goals. For more information on McClatchy’s benefit plan, please visit McClatchyLivewell.com.