Priority application deadline: July 25, 2025.

Boston envisions a city where all families can access the educational, recreational, health, and community resources their children need to succeed both in and out of school. The FUSE Executive Fellow will lead strategic project management for the Boston Children’s Council, coordinating work across departments, including policies, programs and initiatives developed for young people from cradle to career. This work also includes implementation of three key initiatives: the city-wide Connect, Learn, Explore program; neighborhoods of opportunity beginning with Mattapan; and city-wide heat resilience programs for early childhood. As a result of this work, more Boston families will have access to the resources they need to thrive.

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

Boston's newly formed Children's Council represents a collaborative effort to support the city's youth and families. The Council will coordinate efforts across departments to build essential support systems for children, youth, and families, advancing initiatives to promote children’s success both in and out of school. Boston Family Days is an example of the city's existing commitment to such initiatives—a public-private partnership which gives free admission for 13 cultural institutions to Boston families on select days throughout the month. Initially serving public school students in its pilot phase, this successful program has scaled to include all Boston families with school-aged children.

The Children's Council will focus on three initial priorities: Connect, Learn, Explore, a program encouraging all children to build skills in biking, swimming, gardening, sports, and the arts; a neighborhood-focused initiative beginning with Mattapan, where local families will collaborate with City, School, and community partners to establish community-development priorities and plans; and childhood heat resilience, addressing the unique risks and health challenges that stem from heat exposure during pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood. As a key partner in this work, the Boston Opportunity Agenda brings critical insight and alignment to the city’s cradle-to-career strategy. The fellow will collaborate with BOA to ensure that the Children’s Council priorities are integrated with existing community initiatives and data-driven frameworks for advancing child and youth outcomes

Boston will partner with FUSE to advance these priorities, with the FUSE Executive Fellow leading project management during the Council's first year. The fellow will create effective coordination systems across departments and steward these key initiatives. As a result, more Boston families will gain access to resources that support children's healthy development, helping create a city where everyone can thrive.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Starting in November 2025, the FUSE Executive Fellow will build partnerships with key stakeholders, including City departments (Early Childhood, Parks and Recreation, BCYF, Housing, Police, Public Schools), community organizations (Boston Opportunity Agenda, YMCA, Boys and Girls Club), and residents. The fellow will assess existing resources and aspirations for Boston's children, research successful models from similar communities, and develop specific project goals with the Executive Sponsor and Project Supervisor.

Throughout the fellowship year, the fellow will support the Children's Council by establishing effective interdepartmental coordination systems, conducting necessary research and analysis, and ensuring teams efficiently leverage existing resources. Key responsibilities will include support of the Mattapan Neighborhood of Opportunity project, where the fellow will work to both support the development of plans and systems in Mattapan and create a prototype for expansion to other Boston neighborhoods.

The fellow will also advance the two city-wide initiatives: Connect, Learn, Explore and childhood heat resilience programs that reduce the unique vulnerabilities children face from heat exposure. For these initiatives, the fellow will develop clear timelines and measurement frameworks, coordinate resources across departments, work closely with City leadership, and ensure the programs effectively reach families throughout Boston's diverse communities. To ensure sustainability, the fellow will design systems that can operate within existing City budgets and staffing beyond the fellowship year, with clear handover of management responsibilities by October 2026.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

Executive Sponsor: Kristin McSwain, Senior Advisor & Director, Mayor’s Office of Early Childhood
Project Supervisor: Farah Elhadidy, Operations Manager, Mayor’s Office of Early Childhood

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.
Responds 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.

Children & Youth jobs in Boston

FUSE Executive Fellowship | Making Boston a Home for Every Child