Senior Associate (Financial Empowerment Center)

The Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund) supports municipal efforts to improve the

financial stability of households by leveraging opportunities unique to local government. By

translating cutting-edge experience with large-scale programs, research, and policy in cities of all

sizes, the CFE Fund assists mayors and other local leaders to identify, develop, fund, implement,

and research pilots and programs that help families build assets and make the most of their

financial resources. Financial empowerment spans four key disciplines:

• Professional financial counseling;

• Access to safe and affordable mainstream banking products and services;

• Short- and long-term asset building; and

• Consumer protection in the financial services marketplace.

The CFE Fund is seeking a talented and experienced Senior Associate to support the scaling of the

Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) initiative to dozens of cities and counties, and support model

enhancement efforts and pilots related to the FEC. FECs provide professional, one-on-one financial

counseling as a free public service to enable residents to address their financial challenges and

needs as well as plan for their futures. There are 35 cities and counties with municipally-led FECs,

with dozens more municipalities engaged in the planning process through FEC Academy.

The ideal candidate will have experience leading program implementation, supporting partners,

and handling a wide range of project management tasks and will be able to work independently.

This person must be exceedingly well-organized, flexible, and enjoy the challenges of working in a

small, entrepreneurial organization. Direct experience with large social service programs or systems

(e.g., workforce, foster care, free tax preparation) or experience working in local governments is

highly valued, as is partnership development and stakeholder engagement experience.

This position reports to the CFE Fund’s Manager of FEC Operations. This is a New York City-based

role, although exceptional candidates who must live elsewhere may be considered. New York City

based CFE Fund staff have the option of working in person from our NYC headquarters, or they may

elect a hybrid office/remote work schedule with a minimum of 2 days in the office. Remote

employees must secure their own work environments and travel approximately monthly to New

York City to meet with teammates. Additionally, this position will require regular national travel.

Initial review of candidates will begin on February 17, 2025.

Primary responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Training and Technical Assistance

o Lead the delivery of technical assistance to a portfolio of FEC municipal grantees,

including new and existing cities and counties that have launched or are planning to

launch an FEC in their municipality.

▪ Facilitate regular technical assistance calls and be available via email to support

strategic planning and program development, share best practices, ensure

alignment to the FEC model, and troubleshoot emerging issues.

o Coordinate access to existing resources and develop necessary additional technical

assistance resources to support grantees, focused on program design, launch, data

collection and analysis, and sustainability efforts.

o Coordinate and facilitate program site visits:

▪ Provide guidance and resources to on-the-ground partners to ensure efficient

and productive visits, including stakeholder engagement strategies, invitation and agenda templates, etc.; and

▪ Coordinate multi-partner meetings with a range of staff, government leaders,

funders, and other local stakeholders, including facilitating roundtables and

meetings.

o Coordinate components of the FEC national learning community, detailing best

practices across grantees and stakeholders, identifying learning areas or information

sharing opportunities, and facilitating remote and in-person events and meetings.

• Program Design and Management

o Work closely with the FEC team to manage all aspects of the FEC Academy initiative,

including but not limited to:

o Cultivate and coordinate selection process of city/county partners, including

conducting outreach and reviewing and vetting applications.

o Design and coordinate trainings, webinars, and in-person events for planning

partners including event logistics, agenda setting, and facilitation.

o Facilitate technical assistance calls to set the context for the work, provide in-depth

overviews of the model, share best practices, and ensure FEC model alignment.

o Lead pilots and other ad-hoc model enhancement efforts, including designing

opportunities, collaborating with various internal teams and CFE Fund senior

leadership, coordinating with external consultants, managing implementation, and

monitoring pilot performance.

o Coordinate with CFE colleagues to support fundraising efforts, ensure timely

contracting with grantees, process payment requests, and ensure grantee

compliance.

o Contribute to and support the development of processes and systems to further develop

internal team knowledge management around effective technical assistance approaches,

partner performance, partner trainings, and other related topics.

o Other program work as necessary.

Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation

o Review grantee reports and monitor the performance of the program, providing timely and

tailored guidance to support program sustainability.

o Review regular data reports from local partners and prepare reports for initiative funders,

policymakers, and other stakeholders.

o Coordinate with and support CFE Fund colleagues on research and evaluation projects

related to the FEC.

Qualifications and Core Competencies:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration, Management, Social Work, Human Services or a

related field or at least six years of relevant experience in lieu of a degree.

• A minimum of five years of relevant work experience with technical assistance delivery to a

range of stakeholders, including senior-level government partners and community-based

organizations.

• Demonstrated experience working with or in local government, and understanding of local

government processes, issues and politics.

• Familiarity with financial empowerment, asset building, anti-poverty efforts and/or community

development.

• Demonstrated ability in identifying, cultivating, and maintaining external partnerships.

• Strong problem solving and troubleshooting skills.

• Familiarity with Salesforce or similar CRM tools, and experience with project management tools

such as Slack and Asana.

• Advanced interpersonal, communication, and facilitation skills, with the ability to work closely

with a wide range of constituents, including financial institutions, senior-level government

partners, funders, internal staff, consultants, and community-based organizations.

• Experience managing project teams and supervising external consultants preferred.

• Ability to take initiative and move projects forward in a fast-growing, entrepreneurial

environment.

• Excellent attention to accuracy and detail.

• Excellent written, presentation, and negotiation skills.

• Excellent time management skills; ability to multi-task and prioritize work.

The CFE Fund offers excellent benefits and competitive salaries commensurate with qualifications.

The salary range for the Senior Associate title is $72,000- 94,000 based on qualifications, worksite

location, and team parity. The CFE Fund is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We seek applicants

with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences that can help enhance our approach to supporting

municipal financial empowerment efforts.

To apply, please email a resume and cover letter to info@cfefund.org. Please include “Senior

Associate (FEC 2025)” in the subject line.