To sustain regional growth and mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, the Resilient Southwest Building Code Collaborative is developing a climate-adapted building code, and a suite of supporting resources, for Arizona and New Mexico. The FUSE Executive Fellow will contribute to the development of these resources and advance implementation by facilitating stakeholder engagement, closing skills gaps, and sharing best practices so a broad range of communities in the Southwest can participate in this transformation, laying the groundwork for enhancing solar capacity and other renewable energy sources. As a result of this work, Southwestern communities will have safe, resilient homes and workplaces that are both climate-adapted and renewable energy-ready, even as the climate changes.

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

Arizona is one of the fastest growing states in the country. Between 2000 and 2023, the state’s population grew by 44%. New Mexico is not far behind, with 16.1% growth. This has increased demand on the housing market and caused a residential and commercial construction boom. As Southwestern communities continue to expand, builders must account for climate change. Pima County, for example, has a high climate change risk, especially for drought, wildfires, and heat. Updating building codes to promote climate adaptation and resilience would save Arizona residents $23 billion in energy costs and reduce emissions by 253 million metric tons over the next 30 years. In addition, more climate-resilient buildings could save lives, as the number of indoor heat deaths doubled between 2022 and 2023.

New building codes would be especially transformative for BIPOC residents. Black and Indigenous residents in Maricopa County, for example, were disproportionately represented in 2023 heat-related deaths. This disparity is due to a number of factors, but more climate-resilient, energy-efficient housing and commercial buildings would make it safer and more comfortable for all Arizonans and New Mexicans to live and work inside as temperatures rise. This initiative not only aims to create resilient structures but also fosters a regulatory environment that supports sustainable energy practices, ultimately making Tucson more sustainable through the method of building.

As a home rule state, every Arizona municipality is responsible for setting its own building code. Facilitating the adoption of this code will require extensive local engagement, education, and workforce development. To achieve this, the City of Tucson joined a coalition of Arizona and New Mexico communities working to develop and implement a climate-resilient set of building codes that are tailored to the southwestern United States. The Resilient Southwest Building Code Collaborative is a multi-sectoral, interstate partnership that will facilitate code development, conduct public engagement to encourage understanding and uptake of the code, and grow the workforce skills to help municipalities and companies implement the code. This collaborative is funded by two federal grants that aim to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency while promoting equity and inclusion of marginalized communities.

The City of Tucson will partner with FUSE Corps to promote and facilitate adoption of the new Southwest-specific building code by assessing existing code adoption resources and barriers, developing supporting materials to build community awareness of building code impacts on resilience, and improving workforce development messaging, particularly among underserved and marginalized communities. The Executive Fellow will research training and skill-building resources that meet communities’ and industry’s needs; craft community outreach materials that maintain technical integrity while engaging historically marginalized communities; and facilitate knowledge sharing between local governments, the building industry, and education partners to improve implementation of resilience and energy codes. As a result, Southwest residents will have safe shelter and workplaces, even in the face of climate change.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Starting in May 2025, the FUSE Executive Fellow will develop deep relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, including Collaborative City partners (e.g., participating municipalities in Arizona and New Mexico, with an emphasis on building departments), policy and research partners (e.g., University of Arizona), technical partners (e.g., New Buildings Institute, International Code Council, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project), training partners (e.g., community college network) and industry stakeholders. The Executive Fellow will seek to understand the challenges, opportunities, and aspirations these partners have for adopting a climate-resilient building code. In addition, the Executive Fellow will identify supporting resources that could facilitate adoption of resilience and energy codes and messaging strategies to increase participation in building construction careers. The Fellow will use these conversations and inventory of supporting resources to assist in drafting a visionary Net Zero Roadmap for the Collaborative. Finally, the Executive Fellow will work with their Executive Sponsor and Project Supervisor to develop a project management plan 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 Executive Fellow will work extensively with education partners to analyze the needs and skills gaps identified by municipal building departments and the building industry. Armed with this analysis, they will assist local community colleges in developing implementation plans to fill those gaps. These implementation plans will focus on how the colleges enhance or create technical programs that would train students to become energy specialists and place graduates in municipal governments and private sector firms. The analysis and findings will feed into several deliverables to the United States Department of Energy in support of fulfilling the Collaborative’s grant commitments.

At the same time, the Executive Fellow will utilize the Collaborative’s robust community engagement process to develop resources that ensure that historically marginalized communities understand the importance of the new code and benefit from its rollout. These materials will be part of a project website, which will encourage the uptake of the new code by municipalities and builders across the region and build community support for resilience and energy code adoption. Developing these resources will require intensive engagement with both technical and equity partners to ensure that materials are accurate and accessible to a wide audience. These resources should also help people from historically marginalized communities learn about the new training programs so that they can gain certification and both benefit from and contribute to this transition. As workers are empowered with the skills to build according to updated codes, the City will simultaneously create opportunities for increased adoption of solar energy and other renewables, positioning Tucson as a leader in sustainable development.

By the end of the year, the Executive Fellow should equip the Resilient Southwest Building Code Collaborative with resources to promote uptake of the new code. For example, by September 2026, the Collaborative should have a draft plan to train and certify 200 energy specialists in the State of Arizona by the end of the grant. In addition, the municipalities should have tangible resources to facilitate adoption of resilience and energy codes. To ensure the sustainability of this work, the Executive Fellow should facilitate handover of any information and ongoing responsibilities to the appropriate stakeholders prior to the end of the Fellowship.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

  • Executive Sponsor: Kristina Swallow, Assistant City Manager
  • Project Supervisor: Leslie Ethen, Sustainability Manager

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.