You are viewing a preview of this job. Log in or register to view more details about this job.

FUSE Corps | Director of Fellowships

Director of Fellowships
Currently Remote
Possible Return to San Francisco Bay Area or Boston offices in 2022
Applications are accepted until November 1

ABOUT FUSE
FUSE Corps is a national nonprofit that runs an executive fellowship program designed to provide local government with additional leadership capacity to tackle their most pressing challenges. Right now, cities and counties across America are facing simultaneous crises across economic, political, health, and social systems in large part exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. History has shown that local governments are capable of repairing and rebuilding after crises, however, these actions have often fallen short of ensuring recoveries are inclusive. This current crisis provides a unique moment of opportunity for local governments to address the structural inequities that permeate their core institutions.

As a mission driven nonprofit, FUSE Corps is dedicated to supporting our city and county partners in all aspects of COVID-19 response and recovery, ensuring they emerge as more resilient and equitable places for all residents. Currently, FUSE Fellows are on the frontlines of local government, helping to mobilize a wide array of emergency response strategies. In partnership with our host agencies, FUSE Fellows are restructuring hospital operations to manage COVID-19 infected patients; supporting small businesses; conducting community engagement programs with vulnerable populations, such as seniors, the homeless, and immigrants; overhauling programming and operations to run on a virtual basis; and supporting justice-related needs of those trapped in the suspended legal system – among other initiatives.

Through our work with local governments, national philanthropic partners, and high-profile supporters like recording artist John Legend, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for systemic change. The social and economic disruptions that we are currently experiencing represent a narrow window for action in which we can truly reimagine and rebuild cities. With the right leaders in the right roles at the right time, we can forge a more economically just and racially inclusive nation. The responsibility for answering this call has fallen largely on local leaders. Even while managing unprecedented challenges, our boldest local leaders have started to imagine new solutions to old problems. They are presenting promising initiatives that can be scaled and replicated, but only if they can first be piloted, proven, evaluated, and shared broadly.

We need a new form of leadership in local government to accelerate creative problem solving. Our cities and counties need experienced, entrepreneurial, and results-oriented professionals who have deep credibility in their communities. Such leaders can dispel longstanding mistrust and break down barriers between government and the public that they serve. They can use human-centered design approaches to engage community members in policymaking. They can advance participatory democracy and empowering communities to develop. They can build new public-private partnerships. Our cities and counties will serve as laboratories to create solutions that can lift-up our entire country in one of our greatest hours of need.

FUSE will place executive-level leaders across government agencies to help accelerate systems change. They will focus on the fundamental equity considerations inherent in core issue areas such as:
  • Increasing the number of accessible living-wage jobs and the security of employment benefits.
  • Addressing the shortage of affordable housing and its impact on the homelessness crisis.
  • Expanding access to preventive healthcare as well as pandemic-related emergency care.
  • Reimagining the educational experience and expanding childcare options for working families.
  • Reforming criminal justice and public safety through changes to policing, sentencing, bail, probation, and reentry.
 
THE OPPORTUNITY
If you are passionate about advancing racial equity, empowering others to be change agents, and committed to helping communities thrive, this is an incredible opportunity to work with both dynamic fellows and government leaders to support them in accelerating systems-level change. The Director of Fellowships will lead the organization’s efforts to expand programming, training, and tools for fellows and government partners. This position reports to the Vice President of Programs and Communications and will be vital in helping FUSE deliver on its commitment to advancing racial equity through its fellowship model. 
 
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 
1. Develop and Manage Racial Equity Curriculum for Fellows and Government Partners
FUSE is in the process of expanding the programmatic offerings for fellows and government partners aimed at equipping them to tackle systemic racism through fellowship work. The Director of Fellowship will play a leadership role in developing FUSE’s approach to capacity building and work with internal and external partners to deliver programmatic offerings. This may take the form of:
  • Designing curriculum and learning objectives for fellows and government partners both internally and through partnerships with subject matter experts; and delivering workshops where appropriate.
  • Managing vendors and institutional partnerships related to FUSE’s race and equity capacity building.
  • Oversee continual improvement of capacity building efforts.
  • Systematically tap fellows’ expertise and the lessons learned emerging from fellowships and convert them into stories, blogs, and tools that other fellows and government partners can utilize.

2. Lead and Manage Support to Fellows in the Field
The Director of Fellowships will lead the organization’s efforts to provide the project-based support needed to have a high impact fellowship to upwards of 60 fellows in the field at one time. This may take the form of:
  • End-to-end project management of all programming for the FUSE fellowship. This includes overseeing both the content development and execution of logistics involved with programming and convenings; working closely with executive coaches, guest speakers, and government partners to deliver professional development opportunities; and developing curricula and participant engagement approaches and adapting methodologies and content to the FUSE context.
  • Directly providing fellows project-based coaching on topics like navigating organizational dynamics, strategic planning, local government context, change management, and project planning and delivery; and, facilitating project check-ins with government partners and fellows to ensure that projects stay on track to achieve their stated goals and/or adapt appropriately in response to constantly changing local priorities.
  • Developing tools, templates, and diagnostic frameworks to support fellows in executing on their projects.
  • Developing learning objectives for year one and year two fellowships, and ensuring programming aligns to meet outlined objectives.
  • Ensuring that all support available to fellows through FUSE and partners is seamlessly integrated and well executed, including the executive coaching program, innovation labs, and learning series. This will require developing and implementing project management plans and systems to ensure the timely execution of responsibilities; effectively managing FUSE staff and alums involved in various tasks and projects; and managing contractors and vendors.
  • Overseeing continual improvement of capacity building efforts across all functions, including identifying new areas of support for fellows to accelerate fellow impact.

3. Oversee and Facilitate Convenings and Workshops
FUSE delivers carefully curated programming to support fellows’ transition into local government and navigate the challenges and opportunities of the fellowship year. Similarly, it supports government partners to maximize the talents and dedicated focus of their FUSE Executive Fellow. The Director of Fellowships is responsible for:
  • Overseeing fellow orientations and mid-year retreats; designing and delivering workshops for fellows and government partners; serving as a lead facilitator at FUSE orientation, fellow retreats, and workshops with partners on topics like rapid prototyping, journey mapping, process mapping, strategic visioning. This may include collaborating with FUSE staff to develop agendas, facilitation guides, session content, speaker prep, and continuous learning and improvement.
  • Collaborating with strategic partners and FUSE staff to deliver innovation labs for fellows and their government partners.
  • Orchestrating opportunities for fellows and institutional partners to lead virtual learning session for their peers on a specific topic of interest;
  • Promoting and elevating fellowship projects’ successes and learnings. This will involve working closely with other teams to institute project monitoring and evaluation systems; as well as ensuring learnings are used to improve programming.
  • Facilitating knowledge sharing between civic leaders in the FUSE network, as well as identifying and building partnerships with new institutions and associations that will enrich the FUSE community; and/or supporting fellows and government partners to present at conferences or other convenings on the work undertaken with FUSE.
 
QUALIFICATIONS
  • Minimum of 10 years related working experience (e.g.civic innovation, urban renewal, cross-sector collaboration, entrepreneurship, and/or leadership development). This ideally includes 3-5 years of local government experience and/or public sector consulting. A proven track record of designing and managing successful programs is also essential.
  • Experience with developing and/or using racial equity tools and methods to address public policy and social sector challenges.
  • Superior interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and ability to develop relationships with a diverse array of fellows, staff, alums, and professionals from the public, private, and non-profit sectors. This includes having strong executive presence and ability to coach and engage others at the executive level.
  • Strong staff management and supervisory skills, as you will manage at least one associate as well as multiple contractor, coach and vendor relationships.
  • Well-developed political acumen and influencing skills for working with senior government officials including mayors and agency heads and providing sound advice to fellows on navigating complex environments.
  • Superior leadership and project management skills, with the ability to create vision, promote innovation, drive progress, maintain strong attention to detail, and support others to take ownership under ambiguous and dynamic conditions.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to clearly convey complex topics to multiple audiences through various presentation formats including large in-person workshops and webinars.
  • Ability to work on a small team, in a fast-paced environment, and within resource constraints, while always maintaining a focus on the organization’s needs and strategic priorities.
  • Passion for FUSE’s mission to enable local governments to more effectively address the most pressing challenges facing urban communities.

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.