Financial Coach (Boston)

Financial Coach

Boston, MA | Full-Time | Partially Remote

About Compass

Compass is an innovative, mission-driven organization that supports families with low incomes to save for their future and access greater economic opportunity. We believe in our clients and in their ability to achieve their goals and dreams. We operate high-quality financial coaching and savings programs and pursue opportunities to shape the national approach to poverty through practice and policy change. Compass is also an emerging leader in a national effort to leverage housing assistance as a platform for economic mobility. We are looking for people who want to be part of taking our programs and our impact to the next level.

For more information, please visit us on our website, www.compassworkingcapital.org

Our mission is to partner with families with low incomes to build assets as a pathway out of poverty. We focus on reaching families led by Black and/or Latinx women.

To achieve our mission, we operate client-centered savings and financial coaching programs, deliver training and technical assistance to other practitioners, and shape policy solutions that dismantle barriers to asset building.

For more information, please visit our website, www.compassworkingcapital.org, or click here to learn more about our strategic plan.

About The Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program

Congress created the FSS program in 1990 as an employment and savings program for families in federally subsidized housing. The program combines a powerful savings incentive with service delivery to support residents in reaching their goals. It is the nation’s largest asset-building program for families with low incomes.

Since 2010, Compass has partnered with public housing agencies and other affordable housing providers to operate an asset-building model for the FSS program — the first nonprofit organization in the country to do so.

About the Job

The Financial Coach is responsible for delivering high-quality, client-centered financial coaching services that align with Compass Working Capital’s mission to advance financial mobility and equity. This role involves working directly with clients to provide personalized financial coaching, goal setting, and action planning to help them build assets, improve credit, and achieve long-term financial success.

Financial Coaches play a key role in client success, ensuring a positive and impactful coaching experience through one-on-one coaching, financial education, and ongoing support. They are expected to maintain a high level of professionalism, accountability, and collaboration while contributing to Compass’s broader programmatic and strategic goals.

As frontline practitioners, Financial Coaches also support Compass’s performance goals by maintaining accurate data records, adhering to quality assurance standards, and continuously improving their practice through training and professional development. This role reports to the Coaching Manager and works closely with program leadership to ensure strong service delivery and positive client outcomes.

This role reports to the Coaching Manager.

All Compass staff embody the following core competencies:

Ownership: Steps up and follows through to consistently deliver high-quality work.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Champions the value of diversity and the creation of inclusive spaces.

Growth Mindset: Embraces challenges and setbacks as the fuel for learning and development.

Teamwork: Contributes actively and collaboratively with colleagues to achieve shared goals.

Primary Responsibilities:

Financial Coaching and Client Support

• Provide personalized financial coaching across key areas: income growth, credit building, debt management, savings, and long-term asset building.
• Conduct in-depth assessments of client goals and financial situations to develop actionable and customized plans to achieve goals, build assets and increase financial capabilities.
• Partner with clients to achieve their financial goals by delivering professional, culturally proficient, accessible, and non-judgmental guidance. Ensure clear communication of financial action plans, recommendations, and program requirements.
• Build and maintain strong, empathetic relationships with clients, supporting them throughout their journey with proactive follow-ups to address challenges and track progress.
• Identify and integrate community resources and referrals based on client needs and goals to enhance client outcomes.
• Document client outcomes, challenges, and success stories to support program development and inform improved service delivery.
• Maintain a flexible schedule, providing at least one evening per week and some weekend availability (based on your preference and client needs), to support appointment and communication availability for working families.
• Proactively manage client portfolio and calendar to meet coaching metrics and deliver exceptional client service.
• Support outreach and engagement of clients in the program to highlight the benefits of financial coaching during events, info sessions, and other outreach activities, as needed.

Quality Assurance and Data Integrity

• Accurately document and manage client information, including maintaining data in client management systems, meeting organizational standards.
• Perform timely and error-free data entry, ensuring compliance with agency and regulatory protocols.
• Safeguard confidential client information with strict adherence to organizational security protocols.

Financial Expertise and Professional Development

• Build and maintain current knowledge of financial content and coaching practice through continuing education, workshops, and training to improve coaching effectiveness, including pursuit of professional certifications.
• Stay informed about the organization's core programs and ensure integration of these elements into coaching practices to provide tailored supported to clients.

Qualifications and Skills:

• 2-3+ years of relevant work experience.
• Commitment to Compass’s mission and values, with a passion for advancing financial mobility, equity, and working with families with low incomes.
• Cultural humility: openness to and respect for others’ cultures, identities, and lived experiences.
• Interest in and willingness to obtain professional certifications to enhance knowledge base and financial coaching and counseling skills, such as Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC) or Certified Financial Planner (CFP).
• Approaches all client interactions with an open mind and commitment to understanding their unique needs and experiences.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to establish and build trusting relationships with clients and colleagues.
• Ability to identify challenges, formulate solutions, and implement changes by drawing on expertise and input from others.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to prioritize tasks, manage time effectively, and meet deadlines.
• Comfort using technology and systems to monitor, track, and manage work needs.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex information in plain language.
• Ability to fulfill in-person job duties as required for client appointments and/or travel to on-site events to support outreach and engagement efforts, as needed.

Preferred:

• Proficiency or fluency in Haitian-Creole, Cantonese, or Spanish.
• Prior experience working with communities and families with low-income.
• Prior experience providing coaching, counseling, or mentoring.
• Professional experience, education, or certification in finance. (e.g. AFC, CFP)

Benefits

• The salary range for this role is $52,000-$59,750, commensurate with experience. We’ll promote your professional growth and development by providing access to a competitive salary and benefits package and additional employee benefits that include but are not limited to:
• Healthcare: medical, dental, vision: Compass covers up to 80% of employee premiums and 80% for dependents. There is no waiting period to enroll in health insurance.
• Retirement plan 401(k) & 3% match
• Parental Leave: Employees who have been employed for at least three (3) months are eligible to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave. *Employee must be with the organization for six (6) months to receive up to six (6) weeks of full pay from the organization.
• Life insurance & disability Insurance
• Paid time off: Employees receive up to 36 Wellness days and 8 holidays per calendar year, plus the final week of the calendar year off as an organizational wide holiday. All employees enjoy a two-hour early closure starting the Friday after Memorial Day through the week of Labor Day.
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Professional development & certification
• Pre-tax commuter benefits
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Office closed the final week of calendar year
• Equipment: $200 one-time stipend for work from home expenses
• Internet Reimbursement: Up to $40 per month for personal internet expenses

Equal Opportunity Statement

Compass Working Capital is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider applications for all positions, without regard to age, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Compass Working Capital is committed to ensuring individuals with disabilities receive the accommodations required for them to interview for a position on our team. Should you require accommodations, please contact hr@compassworkingcapital.org.

As a contractor of Philadelphia Housing Authority, Compass also provides hiring preference to Section 3 residents. Section 3 Residency is defined as being an authorized resident of Philadelphia Housing Authority or a “low-income resident” of the area where the HUD-assisted project is located.

For the purposes of Section 3, "low-income" is defined as 80% of the Area Median Income. To learn more information about Section 3 income eligibility, please refer to the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Website.