The City of Boston aims to narrow the racial wealth gap by expanding access to housing and homeownership for low-and moderate-income members of historically marginalized communities. Building on advancing equity in the Mayor’s Office of Housing, the FUSE Executive Fellow will collaboratively select and advance 2-3 priority initiatives through stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, and targeted implementation, while creating systems and tools for sustainable impact. As a result, more Bostonians will have pathways to housing stability and wealth creation, regardless of their background.

Fellowship Dates: April 28, 2025 – April 24, 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 working to expand social and economic opportunities, particularly for communities that have been limited by a history of systemic and institutionalized racism. FUSE partners with local governments and communities to more effectively address pressing challenges by placing experienced professionals within city and county agencies. These FUSE Executive Fellows lead strategic projects designed to advance racial equity and accelerate systems change. Since 2012, FUSE has led over 250 projects in 40 governments across 20 states, impacting the lives of 25 million people.

When designing each fellowship project, FUSE works closely with government partners and local stakeholders to define a scope of work that will achieve substantive progress toward regional priorities. FUSE then conducts an individualized search for each 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 communities being served. They are data-driven and results-oriented and able to effectively manage complex projects by developing actionable roadmaps and monitoring progress to completion.

Executive Fellows are hired as FUSE employees and embedded in government agencies for at least one year of full-time work. Throughout their fellowships, they receive training, coaching, and professional support from FUSE to help achieve their project goals. FUSE Executive Fellows bring diverse perspectives and new approaches to their projects. They build strong relationships with diverse arrays of stakeholders, foster alignment within.

PROJECT CONTEXT

The City of Boston is committed to laying the foundation for a greener, more efficient, more equitable city for generations to come. To meet the needs of our flourishing, diverse, and vibrant communities we are committed to developing tools to stabilize the housing market through new mixed-income and affordable housing development, reduce racial disparities through homeownership and development opportunities for BIPOC-led organizations, and move forward Boston's Green New Deal through transit-oriented development and green retrofits of existing housing.

While past policies like redlining have left a lasting impact, the City is actively working to address these challenges and foster a more equitable future for all Bostonians. The City is committed to supporting all residents to build wealth and to closing the racial wealth gap. Currently, the Mayor’s Office of Housing supports closing the wealth gap by creating and preserving affordable housing, supporting homeowners and renters, providing housing and services to homeless individuals and families, and developing city-owned property. Recently, the City has adopted several approaches to help low- and moderate-income families become homeowners. For example, it has developed several financial assistance programs and transferred vacant lots to BIPOC and community-based - developers who create homes to sell below market rates.

Throughout all of its programs, the City aims to center BIPOC residents’ needs and account for historic exclusion so that financial products and programs are fair and attainable. For example, Boston acknowledges that many of its vacant lots came into its possession due to macro trends and policies that disproportionately caused BIPOC owners to default on loans or tax debts, and the City aims to incorporate restorative justice into decision-making about those lots. The Mayor’s Office of Housing (MOH) recently hired a new Housing Equity and Inclusion Manager to strengthen and accelerate inclusive, justice-oriented approaches. As the Manager has come on board, the MOH has started an assessment of programs and partnerships across housing needs to understand the specificity and complexity of this work in Boston and to identify opportunities for moving forward.

The City of Boston will partner with FUSE to close the racial wealth gap through housing and homeownership. The Executive Fellow will engage and review with an assessment of equity opportunities for the Department, and advance two or three priority work streams during the year. This will include assessing MOH’s policies and programs (and those that have been implemented elsewhere) to identify opportunities for improvement; collaborating with relevant stakeholders; and developing replicable tools and strategies that colleagues can use to promote equitable wealth creation. As a result of this work, low- and moderate-income Bostonians from all backgrounds will have the opportunity to build wealth and stability while closing historic inequities.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Starting in May 2025, the FUSE Executive Fellow will develop deep relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, including City partners (e.g., the Mayor’s Office of Housing, Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion), affordable housing industry partners (e.g., finance partners, Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance), and members of the public (with an emphasis on BIPOC individuals and communities). The Executive Fellow will seek to understand the resources, opportunities, and aspirations these partners have for affordable housing and homeownership. This will also include a deep review of MOH’s assessment of current and potential housing and homeownership policies and programs. In addition, the Executive Fellow will review best practices for equitable, inclusive homeownership in communities similar to Boston. This will include an analysis of programs and policies that MOH identified as priorities in its assessment. Finally, the Executive 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 Executive Fellow will identify two or three priority projects from the assessment that they will advance over their Fellowship year. This may include the programs mentioned above or may be different, depending on the assessment findings. The subsequent deliverables will be accomplished while advancing these work streams.

At the same time, the Executive Fellow will collaborate with and engage a broad range of stakeholders to advance their projects. This could include engaging with members of the public, collaborating with the City Council to develop and pass necessary ordinances, or identifying key information flows and building the infrastructure to facilitate ongoing discussions.

Finally, the Executive Fellow will develop strategies for the long-term implementation of their priority projects. This could take a variety of forms, depending on the projects they lead. For example, they could craft policy memos advising the City Council and MOH on policy and program decisions going forward or write reports to guide City staff and partners on future work.

To ensure sustainability, the Executive Fellow will also build toolkits and guidance as they implement the work so that at the end of the year, the MOH staff have a replicable approach to piloting and developing new programs. This should include systems to forge and nurture relationships; processes to develop and implement policies; and tools to embed equity, inclusion, and justice into program designs. In addition, the Executive Fellow will ensure timely handover of processes and materials before the end of the Fellowship so that MOH can implement any ongoing work under the current staffing pattern.

PROJECT DELIVERABLES

By April 2026, the Executive Fellow will have overseen the following:

  • Conduct a Stakeholder Listening Tour – Develop relationships with stakeholders in City government, local non-profit and real estate leaders, and members of the public to understand the resources, constraints, perceived opportunities, potential threats, and aspirations affecting affordable homeownership in Boston. Conduct extensive best practices research related to effective, inclusive homeownership promotion in similar communities. This includes a review of the MOH assessment and a comparative analysis of other communities that have implemented the policies and programs identified in the assessment.
  • Lead Priority Projects – Advance two or three priority projects identified in the assessment.
  • Collaborate with Stakeholders – Conduct community outreach, City Council engagement, and partnership development as needed.
  • Identify Long-Term Strategies – Create long-term plans for continuing, evaluating, and scaling programs and policies beyond the Fellowship year.
  • Develop Tools for MOH – While conducting the above work, develop tools and systems so MOH can replicate, sustain, and scale successes moving forward.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

  • Executive Sponsor – Sheila Dillon, Chief of Housing and Director, Mayor's Office of Housing
  • Project Supervisor – Colleen Fonseca, Housing Equity and Inclusion Manager, Mayor’s Office of Housing

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 with core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply for this position.