Chief Meteorologist

Location: Gainesville, Florida
Job Category: Radio
Job ID: 11379
Employment Type:
Salary:
Posted: 12.18.2025

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Occupations:

Job Description:

Chief Meteorologist
 
Job No: 538235
 
Work Type: Full Time
 
Location: Main Campus (Gainesville, FL)
 
Categories: Communications/Public Relations/Marketing, Executive/Director/Management
 
Department: 23130100 - CJC-WUFT-FM
 
Job Description
 
Classification Title:
 
Chief Meteorologist
 
Classification Minimum Requirements:
 
A bachelor's degree in an appropriate area of specialization and four years of appropriate experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
 
Job Description:
 
The https://www.jou.ufl.edu/this-is-cjc/ - Division of Media Properties WUFT-TV/FM, home of the https://floridastorms.org/about-fpren/, seeks an innovative, experienced, and driven Chief Meteorologist. This opportunity is a high-profile leadership role serving as the Lead On-Air Scientist and Talent of the weather department for WUFT, WRUF, FPREN and its affiliates across the states of Florida and South Carolina. Headquartered at one of the nation's top research and academic institutions, the University of Florida, this position also impacts future generations of broadcast and multimedia meteorology through UF's “MIT”, or “meteorologist in training” program, where students work alongside professional staff learning in the high impact environment that FPREN creates utilizing state of the art facilities and industry standard equipment. WUFT-TV/FM and WRUF-AM/FM/TV operate the nationally recognized “https://floridastorms.org/” or Florida Public Radio Emergency Network, an award-winning forecasting service that drives television, radio, digital, social and mobile content through every public radio and television organization covering the states of Florida and South Carolina. https://vimeo.com/932084039/226973031b?share=copy
 
Chief Meteorologist Key Functions and Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
 
• Serving as a member of the senior leadership team of WUFT, WRUF and FPREN.
• Leadership, coaching and mentoring of the full and part-time staff of meteorologists and content producers that contribute to FPREN's multi-state impact.
• Managing and coordinating FPREN's content services and coverage plans for public safety and emergency alerting events related to hurricanes, tropical storms, and other significant weather events throughout Florida and South Carolina.
• Coordinating and communicating with appropriate local/national government agencies to ensure emergency messaging priorities are being appropriately broadcast and communicated through WUFT, WRUF and FPREN.
• Overseeing the compilation of daily meteorology and public safety-focused products for distribution on television, radio, digital, social and mobile media platforms across two states and multiple markets.
• Providing visionary direction, fostering teamwork, and motivating the team to achieve excellence in severe weather coverage and public safety communication.
• Directing, guiding, and supporting the MIT program (Meteorologists in Training).
• Managing daily operations of the https://floridastorms.org/about-fpren/?station=WUFT and https://www.southcarolinapublicradio.org/tags/scein including budgetary review.
• Orchestrating and providing guidance to FPREN strategic direction on a statewide basis from a content-creation standpoint and coordinating with https://www.floridapublicmedia.org/ stations across Florida to ensure FPREN is positioned appropriately and performing to the mission of emergency messaging via Florida's public media.
• Establishing routine contact with Florida Public Media (FPM) and https://www.southcarolinapublicradio.org/tags/scein personnel and leadership to ensure severe weather and other FPREN or SCEIN content is being deployed appropriately on local market stations including on air, web, and social media based weather-related products and associated platforms.
• Fostering and maintaining crucial strategic relationships with governmental weather and public safety entities on local, state, and national levels. Ensuring effective collaboration with these entities is essential for accurate and timely emergency alerting and to the success of this role.
 
Normal Work Schedule (Essential Personnel)
 
• The Director of Operations can and will modify changes to the schedule depending on operational need. The typical schedule is Monday through Friday from 9 am-6 pm but may change depending on weather conditions and if the schedule of needed weather content updates for all platforms dictates forecast information.
• During severe weather, a change in the work schedule may become necessary to ensure proper coverage is provided through WUFT/WRUF for FPREN media outlets and platforms across Florida and South Carolina.
• Weekday, weeknight, or weekend “shift” work to ensure the proper content is being developed and delivered to all relevant stations.
• “https://www.floridadisaster.org/globalassets/governor-essential-services.pdf” during significant events.
 
The University of Florida offers a competitive salary commensurate with similar positions and includes a full benefits package. Click here https://benefits.hr.ufl.edu/ to view the university's plans!
 
About the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications
 
The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications is accredited by the http://www.acejmc.org/ and is home to four departments - Advertising, Journalism, Public Relations, and Media Production, Management, and Technology (MPMT). The college provides hands-on learning immersion experiences through broadcast stations WUFT-TV/FM, WRUF-AM/FM/TV, the https://www.jou.ufl.edu/home/main-immersion/inc/, https://theagency.jou.ufl.edu/, https://frankgathering.org/, the Division of Multimedia Properties, the https://www.jou.ufl.edu/summermediainstitute/, undergraduate research, various extracurricular groups, and activities, etc.
 
The College of Journalism and Communications respects and recognizes activities that are consistent with our mission. We are committed to an inclusive environment, preeminent scholarship, cross disciplinary education, superior skills development, and collaboration spanning the science and practice of communication to produce significant societal impact on a local, state, and global scale.
 
About the College of Journalism's Division of Media Properties
 
The Division of Media Properties, includes seven broadcast stations, allowing students from throughout the college to gain experience in a competitive broadcast and multimedia environment. More than 200 students work in news, sports, production, management positions, web design, promotions and advertising for the radio and television stations (WUFT-TV/FM, WRUF-AM/FM/TV and FPREN) each semester.
 
http://cityofgainesville.org/
 
Expected Salary:
 
$90,000-$110,000
 
Required Qualifications:
 
A bachelor's degree in an appropriate area of specialization and four years of appropriate experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
 
Preferred:
 
• A minimum of four years as a broadcast meteorologist/weathercaster with experience delivering forecasts and severe weather coverage across broadcast, digital, social, and mobile platforms.
• Experience/training with modern weather technology, including Weather Central, WSI, and/or AccuWeather systems; live Doppler radar and storm-tracking tools; and severe weather forecasting.
• Experience leading teams and collaborating with external stakeholders, reflecting the leadership and coordination demands of the position.
• Experience working with governmental agencies, particularly NOAA, the National Weather Service (NWS), and the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
• Degree in atmospheric science, meteorology, geography, or communications with meteorology coursework, providing the academic foundation for the role.
• Knowledge of or ability to code and lead web-based initiatives related to FPREN and other public-facing platforms.
• Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish, considered a valuable but non-essential asset.
 
Special Instructions to Applicants:
 
For complete and full consideration your application must be submitted online and include the following required materials:
 
• Letter of interest describing your professional experience in leadership, Atmospheric and Meteorological Sciences, and your experience teaching and mentoring young talent, if it applies.
• Curriculum vitae reflecting total work experiences with a link to your online portfolio, if any.
• A minimum of three references, please include name, address, e-mail, and telephone numbers.
• The Search Panel may request additional materials as needed during the application process.
 
Please direct questions to search panel chair Rob Harder (mailto:rharder@ufl.edu).
 
Application must be submitted by 11:55 p.m. (ET) of the posting end date.
 
If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for these positions, please call (352) 392-4621 or the Florida Relay System at (800) 955-8771 (TDD).
 
The University of Florida is a public institution and subject to all requirements under Florida Sunshine and Public Records laws. Searches are conducted in accordance with Florida's Sunshine Law.
 
Health Assessment Required:
No
 
Applications Close: 17 January 2026
 
To apply, visit https://apptrkr.com/6800906
 
Our Commitment:
 
The University of Florida is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.
 
Hiring is contingent on eligibility to work in the U.S. The University of Florida is a public institution and is subject to all requirements under Florida Sunshine and Public Record laws. If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352-392- 2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800-955-8771 (TDD) or visit Accessibility at UF.
 
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