FUSE
FUSE Executive Fellowship | Expanding Economic Opportunity through Advanced Manu
FUSE, Austin, Texas, us, 78716
FUSE Executive Fellowship – Expanding Economic Opportunity Through Advanced Manufacturing and Workforce Alignment
Join to apply for the
FUSE Executive Fellowship – Expanding Economic Opportunity Through Advanced Manufacturing and Workforce Alignment
role at
FUSE April 27, 2026 – April 23, 2027 Salary:
Executive Fellows are FUSE employees and receive an annual base salary of $95,000. Fellows can also access various health, dental, and vision insurance benefits. This year’s public‑service compensation is not intended to represent market‑rate pay for experienced professionals. 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 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. Project Context Expanding career pathways into emerging sectors that don’t require four‑year college degrees, such as advanced manufacturing, is essential to ensuring equal access to opportunity and strengthening economic resilience. These careers span semiconductors, aerospace, defense, and life sciences and offer high wages and long‑term stability. Students from historically underserved communities, particularly from lower‑income households, often lack early exposure, clear pathways, and the support systems needed to pursue these careers. Targeted interventions are necessary to prevent widening gaps in income and opportunity. In Austin, TX local employers and educational institutions have launched promising efforts to address these gaps. The Austin Regional Manufacturers Association (ARMA) has partnered with the City and Austin Community College (ACC) to support dual‑credit training programs that allow students to earn technical credentials before high‑school graduation. These initiatives have led to a sixfold increase in ACC’s advanced manufacturing enrollment in five years. The City is investing in an Infrastructure Academy and collaborating with regional organizations like the E3 Alliance to align workforce development with industry needs. Challenges persist: school districts face capacity limitations, stigma around manufacturing careers remains strong, and coordination between education systems and employers is not yet fully optimized. FUSE Executive Fellows will partner with the City of Austin to strengthen partnerships across government, education, and industry to expand access to advanced manufacturing careers. Project Summary Beginning in April 2026, the Fellow will work with the City of Austin’s Economic Development Department, school districts, employers, and other community partners to develop and implement strategic recommendations to expand advanced manufacturing career pathways for local students. The Fellow will conduct a comprehensive listening tour involving key stakeholders such as the Austin Independent School District (AISD), Del Valle ISD, ARMA, ACC, E3 Alliance, local employers, and community‑based organizations. The tour will gather insights into barriers to participation in dual‑credit and technical‑education programs and challenges students face when accessing or completing advanced manufacturing pathways. The Fellow will also engage city departments involved in youth workforce and wrap‑around support initiatives, such as the Infrastructure Academy, and will seek diverse perspectives to ensure the strategy reflects the needs of students from lower‑income households and historically underserved communities. The Fellow will build upon the E3 Alliance’s comprehensive landscape analysis of workforce initiatives (conducted March – July 2025). Using the completed analysis, the Fellow will deepen understanding of current career pathways, enrollment patterns, school‑to‑industry partnerships, and available student support systems, and identify strategic opportunities for enhancement. The Fellow will also research promising practices from other cities that have successfully rebranded manufacturing careers and expanded school‑district engagement in technical education. Drawing from these insights, the Fellow will develop a set of specific project goals and deliverables for review and approval by the Economic Development Department and partners. Using the collected insights, the Fellow will design a targeted strategy for improving student participation in advanced manufacturing pathways, including: identifying effective partnership models between school districts and employers; designing interventions to support dual‑credit and credentialing programs; recommending tools to increase early outreach and student recruitment; creating public messaging and outreach strategies that reframe manufacturing as a high‑tech, purpose‑driven career option aligned with sectors such as semiconductors, aerospace, and life sciences. The Fellow will assess the availability of wrap‑around supports such as transportation, housing, or mentorship and make recommendations to enhance these supports to improve student success and program completion. The Fellow will engage stakeholders throughout this process to build buy‑in and align efforts across agencies and sectors. The Fellow will also develop replicable models for the workforce pipeline that can be applied to other industries, including healthcare, technology, and cybersecurity. This will include identifying potential “workforce intermediaries” for different sectors. The Fellow will define long‑term implementation goals, milestones, and responsible partners to ensure the work continues beyond the fellowship period. In partnership with E3 Alliance and other data stakeholders, the Fellow will recommend mechanisms to track enrollment and outcomes over time, ensuring ongoing monitoring and responsiveness to student and industry needs. Ultimately, this effort will support Austin’s long‑term economic resilience, strengthen regional talent pipelines, and increase access to high‑wage, future‑ready jobs for students who do not pursue four‑year college degrees. Project Deliverables Comprehensive Advanced Manufacturing Pathway Strategy – a targeted set of strategic recommendations to expand access to advanced manufacturing pathways, with integrated wrap‑around support strategies addressing transportation, mentorship, and basic‑needs assistance to increase comprehensive access and completion for students from underserved populations. Industry Partnerships Framework for Workforce Development – a model that begins with advanced manufacturing as the primary test case but is designed to be adaptable to other sectors (such as healthcare, technology, and cybersecurity), including strengthened coordination between the City of Austin, local school districts, employers, and training providers, and identification of potential workforce intermediaries for each sector. Implementation Resource Package – a comprehensive outreach and messaging toolkit containing a data‑tracking and ROI‑measurement framework that monitors enrollment, retention, and outcomes, supporting long‑term program evaluation and continuous improvement, and public‑messaging and outreach materials designed to rebrand manufacturing careers and support engagement with students, families, educators, employees, and community organizations. Key Stakeholder Executive Sponsor: Genesis Gavino, Chief of Staff to the City Manager
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Join to apply for the
FUSE Executive Fellowship – Expanding Economic Opportunity Through Advanced Manufacturing and Workforce Alignment
role at
FUSE April 27, 2026 – April 23, 2027 Salary:
Executive Fellows are FUSE employees and receive an annual base salary of $95,000. Fellows can also access various health, dental, and vision insurance benefits. This year’s public‑service compensation is not intended to represent market‑rate pay for experienced professionals. 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 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. Project Context Expanding career pathways into emerging sectors that don’t require four‑year college degrees, such as advanced manufacturing, is essential to ensuring equal access to opportunity and strengthening economic resilience. These careers span semiconductors, aerospace, defense, and life sciences and offer high wages and long‑term stability. Students from historically underserved communities, particularly from lower‑income households, often lack early exposure, clear pathways, and the support systems needed to pursue these careers. Targeted interventions are necessary to prevent widening gaps in income and opportunity. In Austin, TX local employers and educational institutions have launched promising efforts to address these gaps. The Austin Regional Manufacturers Association (ARMA) has partnered with the City and Austin Community College (ACC) to support dual‑credit training programs that allow students to earn technical credentials before high‑school graduation. These initiatives have led to a sixfold increase in ACC’s advanced manufacturing enrollment in five years. The City is investing in an Infrastructure Academy and collaborating with regional organizations like the E3 Alliance to align workforce development with industry needs. Challenges persist: school districts face capacity limitations, stigma around manufacturing careers remains strong, and coordination between education systems and employers is not yet fully optimized. FUSE Executive Fellows will partner with the City of Austin to strengthen partnerships across government, education, and industry to expand access to advanced manufacturing careers. Project Summary Beginning in April 2026, the Fellow will work with the City of Austin’s Economic Development Department, school districts, employers, and other community partners to develop and implement strategic recommendations to expand advanced manufacturing career pathways for local students. The Fellow will conduct a comprehensive listening tour involving key stakeholders such as the Austin Independent School District (AISD), Del Valle ISD, ARMA, ACC, E3 Alliance, local employers, and community‑based organizations. The tour will gather insights into barriers to participation in dual‑credit and technical‑education programs and challenges students face when accessing or completing advanced manufacturing pathways. The Fellow will also engage city departments involved in youth workforce and wrap‑around support initiatives, such as the Infrastructure Academy, and will seek diverse perspectives to ensure the strategy reflects the needs of students from lower‑income households and historically underserved communities. The Fellow will build upon the E3 Alliance’s comprehensive landscape analysis of workforce initiatives (conducted March – July 2025). Using the completed analysis, the Fellow will deepen understanding of current career pathways, enrollment patterns, school‑to‑industry partnerships, and available student support systems, and identify strategic opportunities for enhancement. The Fellow will also research promising practices from other cities that have successfully rebranded manufacturing careers and expanded school‑district engagement in technical education. Drawing from these insights, the Fellow will develop a set of specific project goals and deliverables for review and approval by the Economic Development Department and partners. Using the collected insights, the Fellow will design a targeted strategy for improving student participation in advanced manufacturing pathways, including: identifying effective partnership models between school districts and employers; designing interventions to support dual‑credit and credentialing programs; recommending tools to increase early outreach and student recruitment; creating public messaging and outreach strategies that reframe manufacturing as a high‑tech, purpose‑driven career option aligned with sectors such as semiconductors, aerospace, and life sciences. The Fellow will assess the availability of wrap‑around supports such as transportation, housing, or mentorship and make recommendations to enhance these supports to improve student success and program completion. The Fellow will engage stakeholders throughout this process to build buy‑in and align efforts across agencies and sectors. The Fellow will also develop replicable models for the workforce pipeline that can be applied to other industries, including healthcare, technology, and cybersecurity. This will include identifying potential “workforce intermediaries” for different sectors. The Fellow will define long‑term implementation goals, milestones, and responsible partners to ensure the work continues beyond the fellowship period. In partnership with E3 Alliance and other data stakeholders, the Fellow will recommend mechanisms to track enrollment and outcomes over time, ensuring ongoing monitoring and responsiveness to student and industry needs. Ultimately, this effort will support Austin’s long‑term economic resilience, strengthen regional talent pipelines, and increase access to high‑wage, future‑ready jobs for students who do not pursue four‑year college degrees. Project Deliverables Comprehensive Advanced Manufacturing Pathway Strategy – a targeted set of strategic recommendations to expand access to advanced manufacturing pathways, with integrated wrap‑around support strategies addressing transportation, mentorship, and basic‑needs assistance to increase comprehensive access and completion for students from underserved populations. Industry Partnerships Framework for Workforce Development – a model that begins with advanced manufacturing as the primary test case but is designed to be adaptable to other sectors (such as healthcare, technology, and cybersecurity), including strengthened coordination between the City of Austin, local school districts, employers, and training providers, and identification of potential workforce intermediaries for each sector. Implementation Resource Package – a comprehensive outreach and messaging toolkit containing a data‑tracking and ROI‑measurement framework that monitors enrollment, retention, and outcomes, supporting long‑term program evaluation and continuous improvement, and public‑messaging and outreach materials designed to rebrand manufacturing careers and support engagement with students, families, educators, employees, and community organizations. Key Stakeholder Executive Sponsor: Genesis Gavino, Chief of Staff to the City Manager
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