FUSE Executive Fellow

In collaboration with Office of Housing and Development, the Kansas City Land Bank is dedicated to fostering intergenerational wealth through increased homeownership in historically underserved communities. The FUSE Executive Fellow will project manage the transformation of city-owned properties into affordable homes in targeted neighborhoods and develop a replicable playbook for citywide implementation. Ultimately, this project will create pathways for intergenerational wealth, reduce blight, enhance public safety, and increase property tax revenues.

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.

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, fostering alignment within.

Kansas City, like many cities across the nation, faces a shortage of affordable housing. The city grapples with high vacancy and abandonment rates, highlighting the need for safe, high-quality, and affordable housing. Housing occupancy in Kansas City is mixed: 48.3% of housing units are owner-occupied, 41.2% are renter-occupied, and 10.5% are vacant. A February 2024 report from the Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness shows that fewer than 50% of Black households in Kansas City own homes, with homeownership among Black residents declining by 2.5% in recent years. Neighborhoods with a significant number of vacant parcels are participating in the City’s Housing Accelerator Program. This pilot initiative, launched by the City Council and the Kansas City Land Bank, aims to improve the livability of new housing units in historically underserved areas. As part of this effort, the City is also exploring Community Land Trust models to maintain long-term affordability.

The FUSE Fellow will contribute to this vision by project managing the redevelopment of properties and addressing barriers such as property title issues and environmental concerns. By facilitating community engagement and collaboration with City leadership, the Fellow will ensure that the project supports broader goals such as reducing crime, improving public safety, and increasing property ownership among historically marginalized groups.

The FUSE Executive Fellow will begin by leading a comprehensive listening tour with key stakeholders across Kansas City, MO, including community organizations, elected officials, local developers, financial institutions, and residents. Through these conversations, the Fellow will gather insights into the specific needs and concerns of the community, as well as the legal, financial, and environmental barriers that must be addressed before redevelopment can begin.

Simultaneously, the Fellow will conduct extensive research on best practices for transforming city-owned properties into affordable homes, focusing on successful models in other cities, including financing mechanisms effective in enabling low-income homeownership, such as Community Land Trusts (CLTs) and partnerships with banks and philanthropic organizations. Based on these insights, the Fellow will work closely with City departments, including the Land Bank and the Housing Department, to assess the readiness of city-owned properties in priority neighborhoods for redevelopment. By the end of this phase, the Fellow will present a detailed project plan for review and approval.

Next, the Fellow will drive the implementation of the approved project plan, collaborating with city departments to clear legal, zoning, and environmental hurdles that may impede redevelopment. The Fellow will coordinate between internal City departments and external stakeholders, ensuring alignment on project goals and maintaining clear communication.

Additionally, the Fellow will lead community engagement efforts, hosting public forums and workshops to gather feedback and keep residents informed of project developments. Engaging the community is crucial to ensuring that the homes built align with residents’ needs and that homeownership opportunities are accessible to first-time homebuyers, particularly from historically underserved populations. In parallel, the Fellow will work with financial institutions to identify favorable lending terms and explore grant opportunities to reduce costs for potential homebuyers.

By the end of the project, the Fellow will deliver a comprehensive plan for transforming city-owned properties into affordable homes and will project manage the initial stages of implementation. A replicable playbook will be created to enable the City to scale the model to other neighborhoods. The Fellow will outline a strategic framework to ensure long-term sustainability, identifying necessary policy changes, funding sources, and operational steps for continuing the transformation of vacant land into affordable housing. This effort will be supported by partnerships with financial institutions, philanthropic organizations, and community groups that will remain engaged beyond the Fellowship.

• Identify Priority Properties and Neighborhoods: Develop a comprehensive, data-driven rubric to systematically evaluate and select properties in high priority neighborhoods for redevelopment.
• Formalize Land Optimization Processes: Establish and document effective methodologies to enhance land optimization practices.
• Create a Scalable Development Framework: Integrate analytical insights into a standardized development framework designed for replication across various neighborhoods within the city.
• Engage Cross-Sector Stakeholders: Facilitate presentations and collaborative sessions with city officials and community stakeholders to review project progress and collaboratively define next steps.
• Project Manage Initial Stages of Implementation: Oversee the execution of the initial phases of the plan, ensuring that tasks are completed on schedule, resources are allocated efficiently, and stakeholder feedback is incorporated into the ongoing development process.

• Executive Sponsor: Blaine Proctor, Director, Housing & Community Development
• Project Supervisor: John DeBauche, Executive Director, Kansas City Land Bank

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

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $80,000.00 per year

• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

• Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person