The City of Birmingham aims to catalyze economic mobility for underserved communities by scaling quality, affordable, and accessible child care. The City is pursuing an innovative ecosystem approach that unites families, workers, childcare entrepreneurs, government, and businesses across the region. The FUSE Executive Fellow will implement critical components of the City’s comprehensive childcare strategy and strengthen the economic justification for continued investment. As a result of this work, residents will have access to quality, affordable childcare – removing barriers to employment, supporting small business growth, and strengthening the city’s economy.

Fellowship Dates: October 27, 2025 – October 23, 2026

Salary: Executive Fellows are FUSE employees and receive an annual base salary of $80,000. Fellows can also access various health, dental, and vision insurance benefits. Compensation for this year of public service is not intended to represent market-rate compensation for the experienced professionals in our program.

ABOUT THE FUSE EXECUTIVE FELLOWSHIP

FUSE is a national nonprofit dedicated to increasing the capacity of local governments to work more effectively for communities. We embed private sector executives in city and county agencies to lead projects that improve public services and accelerate systems change. Since 2012, FUSE has led over 400 projects in 58 governments across 26 states, impacting a total population equivalent to 1 in 10 Americans.

When designing each fellowship project, FUSE works closely with government partners and community stakeholders to define a scope of work that will achieve substantive progress toward high-priority local needs. Projects address today’s most pressing challenges and opportunities, including affordable housing, economic mobility, climate resilience, public safety, infrastructure, technology, and more.

FUSE conducts a full executive search for each individual project to ensure that the selected candidate has at least 15 years of professional experience, the required competencies for the role, and deep connections to the community being served.

Executive Fellows are embedded in government agencies working with senior leaders for at least one year of full-time work. 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. Executive Fellows are data-driven and results-oriented and able to effectively manage complex projects. They build strong relationships with a broad array of stakeholders, foster alignment within and across various layers of government, and build partnerships between governments and communities.

Throughout the fellowships, Executive Fellows receive training, coaching, and professional support to help achieve their project goals.

PROJECT CONTEXT

The City of Birmingham believes that child care is a core component of economic mobility. According to the Women’s Foundation of Alabama, 40% of Alabama children under the age of 6 are in families who are unable to reasonably access quality care. If the state were to close the child care gap, Alabama’s labor force participation rate would increase by 3%, unlocking 66,000 additional jobs. In Birmingham, closing this gap would specifically increase Black women’s ability to pursue economic opportunities, as 60% of Birmingham families are led by single mothers.

The City of Birmingham will partner with FUSE to advance the child care accessibility agenda, with a specific focus on making the business case work for all four stakeholder groups. The FUSE Executive Fellow will implement plans that increase the availability and accessibility of quality child care. This could include developing case studies, evaluating the impact of previous and current programs, and crafting a child care worker pay advocacy campaign. As a result of this work, Birmingham residents will be able to access child care when they need it and at a price they can afford, enabling parents to pursue full-time employment, career advancement, and build wealth through savings, homeownership, and education investments; childcare workers will receive a living wage that is perceived as a viable career; and businesses will have the infrastructure they need to operate effectively and help their workers thrive.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Starting in October 2025, the FUSE Executive Fellow will develop deep relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, including City partners (e.g., Department of Youth Services, Department of Community Development, Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits), child care industry partners (e.g., local child care organizations and workers), advocacy partners (e.g., Women’s Foundation of Alabama, United Way, Bloomberg Sustainable Cities Initiative), and members of the public (with an emphasis on families from underrepresented communities with children under six). The fellow will seek to understand the resources, opportunities, and aspirations these partners have for quality, affordable, accessible child care. In addition, the fellow will review best practices for ensuring equal access to child care in communities similar to Birmingham. Finally, the fellow will work with their Executive Sponsor and Project Supervisor to develop and approve specific project goals and deliverables. While these goals and deliverables will likely include the ones listed below, they may differ based on situational changes.

Next, the fellow will implement the City’s child care access plans. This will include extensive community engagement with families and child care workers and relationship management with business and nonprofit partners. As the fellow implements this work, they may identify particular legislative, policy, or advocacy gaps and collaborate with partners to fill them. If successful, the whole ecosystem will have the resources and support necessary to improve the availability and accessibility of quality child care.

In addition, the fellow will capture and analyze quantitative and qualitative data to inform the business case for investing in child care. This will include developing case studies that illuminate the lived experience of people using childcare as a pathway to economic mobility. Case studies should include families, workers, and childcare entrepreneurs, as all three are potential vectors for economic advancement. At the same time, the fellow will measure the data from current and previous programs to understand their impact, identify promising practices, and evaluate effective approaches.

Finally, the fellow will develop an advocacy campaign to improve childcare workers’ pay. Depending on the gaps and needs the fellow identifies during the listening tour, this campaign could include policy recommendations, draft legislation, and data-driven communications. If they are successful, the advocacy campaign will reduce pay discrepancies between childcare workers and workers in other sectors and make childcare a more viable career option for upwardly mobile Birmingham residents.

To ensure sustainability, the Executive Fellow’s work must address the needs, challenges, and strengths across all four stakeholders in the child care ecosystem. By creating positive feedback loops, the changes in the ecosystem should be self-reinforcing and demonstrate a long-term business case for investing in child care. In addition, the fellow should ensure timely handover of any ongoing responsibilities to City staff before the end of their fellowship year so that the City can continue this work when they leave.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

  • Executive Sponsor: Coreata Houser, Senior Deputy Director
  • Project Supervisor: Sarah Wilson, Deputy Director of Workforce & Talent Development

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Synthesizes complex information into clear and concise recommendations and action-oriented implementation plans.
  • Develops and effectively implements both strategic and operational project management plans.
  • Generates innovative, data-driven, and result-oriented solutions to complex challenges.
  • Respond quickly to changing ideas, responsibilities, expectations, trends, strategies, and other processes.
  • Communicates effectively verbally and in writing and excels in active listening and conversing.
  • Fosters collaboration across multiple constituencies to support more effective decision-making.
  • Establishes and maintains strong relationships with diverse stakeholders, both inside and outside of government, particularly community-based relationships.
  • Embraces differing viewpoints and implements strategies to find common ground.
  • Demonstrates confidence and professional diplomacy while effectively interacting with individuals at all levels of various organizations.

FUSE is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply for this position.