Chief Meteorologist

Overview

The College of Journalism and Communications - Division of Media Properties WUFT-TV/FM, home of the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network (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 “FPREN” 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.

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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 Florida Public Radio Emergency Network (FPREN) and South Carolina Emergency (SCEIN) including budgetary review.
• Orchestrating and providing guidance to FPREN strategic direction on a statewide basis from a content-creation standpoint and coordinating with Florida Public Media (FPM) 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 South Carolina ETV/Public Radio 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…