Job Description
The FUSE Executive Fellowship is an opportunity to develop and implement unique solutions to a community’s most pressing challenges. For 12 months, FUSE Executive Fellows work within local government to bring innovative approaches to a specific project. Each fellowship is designed to leverage private-sector experience to deliver results that have lasting impact.
Working with cities throughout the country, FUSE Executive Fellows work particularly on structural and system changes that will reduce disparities and accelerate economic recovery by focusing on issues that will have the greatest long-term impact for local residents. Focus areas include living wage jobs, affordable housing, access to healthcare, education/childcare, and justice reform.
FUSE Executive Fellows are placed at the executive level of local government working with senior leaders of departments and agencies. Prospective responsibilities may include thorough data analytics and research, developing enhanced operations and financial models, building change management and strategic planning processes, and/or building broad coalitions to support project implementation efforts.
Previous FUSE Executive Fellows have tackled a range of community challenges. Examples of their work include building an information system to protect renters from displacement in Oakland, criminal justice reform in St. Louis and Washington DC, and implementing a strategy to support immigrants in Los Angeles.
FUSE Executive Fellows receive ample learning opportunities throughout their fellowship drawing from the best practices of leading for-profit, public and social sector organizations. They also receive hands-on support from a host champion within the local government, as well as an executive coach and the larger FUSE community of staff, alumni and advisors.
TEXAS
AUSTIN
Identifying Innovative Funding Mechanisms to Address Unsheltered Homelessness in Austin
In spring 2021, city leaders facilitated the first Summit to Address Unsheltered Homelessness in Austin determined that a financial investment of $515M, from both the private and public sectors, would be required to rehouse 3000 people experiencing homelessness and add 200 staff to culturally-reflective providers. To support this work, Austin will partner with FUSE Corps to develop a sustainable funding and investment plan for addressing unsheltered homelessness in the city. https://bit.ly/3rRvlrM
Building the Capacity of Critical Service Providers in Austin’s Homelessness Response System
In spring 2021, city leaders facilitated the first Summit to Address Unsheltered Homelessness in Austin. The Summit determined that improving homelessness service provider capacity and responsiveness needs to be a top priority in order to effectively and significantly reduce unsheltered homelessness in the city. Austin will partner with FUSE Corps to lead meaningful organizational capacity building within a portfolio of homelessness service providers, ensuring the outreach efforts of providers are culturally responsive and informed by those with actual lived experience of homelessness. https://bit.ly/35kHLAB
FORT WORTH
Creating Flexible and Affordable Financing Opportunities for Businesses in Fort Worth
The City of Fort Worth is looking to scale its supply of flexible, affordable, and patient financing through community development financial institutions (CDFIs). By 2028, the city seeks to increase its CDFI spending from $39 per person to the US average of $235 per person, gaining 125-$250M in new CDFI financing for businesses and entrepreneurs. To support this goal, Fort Worth will partner with FUSE Corps to build a permanent, sustainable CDFI friendly system in the city. https://bit.ly/3u86YsF
Designing Small Business Supports to Strengthen Fort Worth’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
To ensure small businesses not only survive but thrive post-pandemic, the City of Fort Worth is working to adapt its programs and resources provided through the Economic Development Department’s Business Assistance Center (BAC). Fort Worth will partner with FUSE Corps to build the BAC’s capacity, enabling it to supply the most impactful technical and programmatic resources to the city’s minority and women-owned small businesses. https://bit.ly/3rRiaqz
HOUSTON
Implementing Clean Energy Redevelopment Projects for Revitalization of Underserved Neighborhoods
The City of Houston uses brownfield redevelopment as a vehicle to clean up Houston’s idle and hazardous properties, addressing historic environmental justice concerns, climate change, and economic development in underserved communities. To build upon existing brownfield redevelopment efforts, the City of Houston will partner with FUSE Corps to develop a suite of brownfield redevelopment projects focused on climate change mitigation and clean energy. https://bit.ly/3G8JHJ7
BIRMINGHAM
Community-Centered Approaches to Expanding Birmingham’s Broadband Infrastructure
In spring 2021, city leaders facilitated the first Summit to Address Unsheltered Homelessness in Austin determined that a financial investment of $515M, from both the private and public sectors, would be required to rehouse 3000 people experiencing homelessness and add 200 staff to culturally-reflective providers. To support this work, Austin will partner with FUSE Corps to develop a sustainable funding and investment plan for addressing unsheltered homelessness in the city. https://bit.ly/3KO5KIC
Catalyzing Innovative Programs and Policy to Restore Food Sovereignty to Birmingham’s Residents
Nearly 70 percent of Birmingham residents live in neighborhoods that lack adequate access to quality, affordable fresh foods. The City of Birmingham is committed to changing this status quo, and seeks to build a food economy that is powered by the community. To support this work, FUSE will partner with Birmingham to facilitate community-driven hyper-local programs and policies that encourage food resilience across all neighborhoods in the city, addressing issues of accessibility and affordability in all parts of the food supply chain. https://bit.ly/33UaSub
KANSAS CITY
Dismantling Barriers to Homeownership Through Innovative Programs and Policies
For many Americans, the dream of owning a home – often considered the best way to build wealth in this country – is increasingly out of reach and unaffordable. In Kansas City, for many residents, this is the reality. To adapt its housing and homeownership portfolio and better empower residents to become new homeowners, Kansas City will partner with FUSE Corps to design and institutionalize an action-oriented strategic plan for homeownership in the city. https://bit.ly/3u0rzie
Building a Cohesive Network of Violence Prevention and Intervention Programming in Kansas City
Over the past year, Kansas City has seen the collision of two major public health crises – Covid-19 and gun violence. Kansas City is now working with federal authorities and community partners to revive and broaden its strategies to address the city’s epidemic of violent crime. To support this work, FUSE will partner with Kansas City to support holistically scaling and implementing violence intervention programs in the city. https://bit.ly/3fXkxTt
Developing Equity-Centered Policies to Reduce Harmful Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Kansas City is focused on reaching the goal of becoming a carbon-neutral, equity-focused, and resilient city by 2040. Buildings are one of the largest and fastest-growing sources of Kansas City's climate emissions. To address these buildings and ensure they are powered with clean energy, Kansas City will partner with FUSE Corps to engage with community stakeholders to co-create an equity-centered Building Performance Standards Ordinance. https://bit.ly/3fWaq18
MILWAUKEE
Developing and Implementing a Community-Centered Climate and Equity Plan
Confronted with climate emergencies and persistent economic disparities, Milwaukee recognizes an opportunity to simultaneously address both of these pressing issues that continue to plague the region. FUSE Corps will partner with the City of Milwaukee to draft a comprehensive Climate and Equity Plan for the region, conducting deep community engagement and supporting the plans adoption through the City’s Common Council and County Board. https://bit.ly/35vFpzf
Strengthening Community Engagement and Data Management for Equitable Implementation
The City of Milwaukee’s Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) was started in 2021 to coordinate the implementation of strategies, policies, and practices designed to advance and achieve racial equity and inclusion in education, housing, workforce development, public safety, violence prevention, and the delivery of quality and timely government services. OEI will partner with FUSE Corps to develop, test, and implement systems and processes that allow Milwaukee to use evidence and data as part of a two-way community engagement strategy to support improved equity outcomes as an equity focused city system. https://bit.ly/3H4vi1X
NOLA
Building Urban Resilience by Integrating Community-based Power Supplies
New Orleans faces immense challenges in the wake of hurricanes and their aftermath that have been exacerbated by power outages and electric grid failures – most recently highlighted in August/September of 2021 when Hurricane Ida knocked out all eight transmission lines into the city. To enhance the resilience of its power grid infrastructure and improving the overall resilience of its community, New Orleans will partner with FUSE Corps for one year to support the implementation of a pilot of microgrids, community resilience nodes, in areas of the city with a large number of infrastructure services. https://bit.ly/3o2o9rt
Implementing Customer Service Solutions to Facilitate Small Business Growth Post-Pandemic
In the City of New Orleans, small businesses account for nearly a third of all companies, and over 40% of businesses are minority-owned. However, New Orleans has faced crippling business disruptions throughout the pandemic, with Black and Latino-owned businesses feeling the economic strains more acutely. To support business growth and resilience post pandemic, FUSE will partner with the City of New Orleans to help eliminate barriers to permitting and licensing for local businesses in the city, particularly for women and minority-owned small businesses. https://bit.ly/32ysFqc
Improving Access to Affordable Housing through Equitable City Planning
Many in New Orleans spend 50% of their earnings on housing, exacerbating issues of generational poverty. And following Covid-19 and the disproportionate health and wealth impacts of the pandemic, the city is particularly sensitive to the affordable housing crisis. In order to support improved housing outcomes for New Orleans residents, the City Planning Commission will partner with FUSE Corps to assess the opportunities for implementing solutions to bring the city’s various stakeholders and interests together to increase the availability of and access to affordable housing. https://bit.ly/3Awy3qx
CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
Sustaining LA County’s Transformation into an Actively Anti-Racist Institution
The Los Angeles County Chief Executive Office (CEO) first partnered with FUSE Corps to support the building out a strategic plan for the County’s Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Equity Initiative, guiding, governing, and driving the County’s commitment to fighting systemic racism, working proactively to change policies and practices over which the County has control. LA County will now partner with FUSE to lead a training and education initiative across the County, supporting the adoption of and capacity building for this work. https://bit.ly/34cfsnj
Ensuring Equitable Access to Workforce Opportunities
Many existing programs led by community partners in LA County aim to address the need for more workforce development opportunities – and DHS is looking to play a unique role in connecting more patients in its care to these resources. DHS will partner with FUSE Corps to collaborate with community organizations and County agencies to identify opportunities to create or expand high-impact workforce initiatives that focus on the unique needs of those who are experiencing homeless or transitioning from the jail system. https://bit.ly/3HkgxbL
Expanding Access to Equitable Healthcare Career Education and Opportunities
In the midst of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, opportunities to increase the skilled healthcare workforce are particularly critical. Given this, Los Angeles County’s College of Nursing & Allied Health (CONAH) is now looking to expand the current program to also offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. In order to support improved health outcomes for Los Angeles residents, DHS will partner with FUSE Corps to manage the onboarding of the BSN program and additional allied health programs at CONAH. https://bit.ly/33Oq1NU
SAN JOSE
Ensuring Equitable Access to Career Development through the West San Jose Innovation Zone
The City of San Jose is collaborating with community stakeholders to implement an Innovation Zone. In order to ensure that the Innovation Zone supports improved opportunities and outcomes for San Jose residents, especially those in San Jose’s West Valley area, the city will partner with FUSE Corps to help maximize career training and development opportunities for residents. https://bit.ly/3r0DhHV
KING COUNTY, SEATTLE
In King County, the pandemic introduced new disparities into an already fragmented homelessness response system. Many people experiencing homelessness in King County have split into two camps: one where resources and services are now relatively rich and one which pulls residents into more extreme circumstances. To support operating a synchronized, regional, and culturally competent continuum of care, King County will partner with FUSE Corps for one year to support revamping the county’s services system into one that is responsive to the needs of all residents experiencing homelessness. https://bit.ly/3ABq8rK
Addressing King County's Housing Crisis by Crafting a Data-driven Regional Strategy
Like other prosperous American counties, greater King County currently finds itself in the position of possessing both enormous amounts of wealth and staggering levels of homelessness. And while King County has progressed in addressing homelessness, to solve the county’s immense challenge, it needs a clear and rational approach to understanding the issue. To support this work, King County will partner with FUSE Corps for one year to review how stakeholders throughout the region are managing housing growth and allocating resources, building data-driven regional solutions for addressing the county’s housing crisis. https://bit.ly/3IBYNbW
QUALIFICATIONS
- 15+ years of professional experience, particularly in the private sector
- Progressive success in challenging roles with substantial management responsibilities
- Track record of collaboration, team-building and facilitative leadership
- Excellent stakeholder management skills
- Superior critical thinking and analytical skills
- Ability to synthesize information into clear and concise recommendations
- Entrepreneurial spirit and demonstrated success creating novel solutions to complex problems
- Flexibility, adaptability, and persistence
- Inclusivity and sensitivity to cultural differences
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with ease in making public presentations
- Demonstrated passion for public service, civic innovation and/or cross-sector collaboration
FUSE Corps is an equal opportunity employer with a core value of incorporating diverse perspectives into our work at every level. We strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply for this position
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