Financial Project Manager

FUSE; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 85,500 - 104,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Networking opportunities

Leadership development training

Job summary

FUSE in San Francisco seeks an Executive Fellow to enhance affordable housing solutions by conducting financial analyses and developing policies for Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) buildings. The role involves collaboration with city partners and stakeholders to ensure housing sustainability.

The fellow will gain valuable experience, with an annual salary of $95,000, and a potential stipend of $70,000 from Coro California for additional leadership development opportunities. This fellowship runs from October 2026 to October 2028.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressively responsible experience in organizational transformation and change management.
• Ability to synthesize complex information into clear recommendations.
• Strong communication skills in verbal and written formats.

Responsibilities

• Conduct financial analysis and develop policy solutions for SROs.
• Build relationships with stakeholders including city partners and SRO operators.
• Deliver actionable insights to help the City preserve and modernize SROs.

Skills

Organizational transformation

Change management

Data-driven solutions

Collaboration

Job description

San Francisco aims to preserve and update Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) buildings to meet the need for affordable housing. The FUSE Executive Fellow will support this goal by conducting financial analysis and developing policy solutions to help the City ensure single-room occupancy buildings provide safe and dignified housing in a financially sustainable way. This work will help San Francisco preserve this important housing market segment for existing tenants and future generations. This fellowship is part of FUSE’s two-year model, with Year One focused on advancing coordination, strategy, and early implementation, and Year Two focused on building on this progress to deepen impact and support sustained, long-term outcomes.

This fellowship is pending legislative approval by the City & County of San Francisco.

Fellowship Dates: October 26, 2026 – October 20, 2028

Salary: This project is part of a collaboration between FUSE and Coro California in service to the City and County of San Francisco. The selected candidate will be hired as a FUSE Executive Fellow and will also have the opportunity to enroll in the Coro San Francisco Executive Fellows Experience, which provides additional networking, training, and leadership development designed to strengthen project impact.

The fellow will receive FUSE employment benefits and an annual salary of $95,000 from FUSE. Fellows who choose to participate in the Coro experience will receive a separate annual stipend of $70,000 from Coro. Participation in the Coro experience is optional. If participating in the Coro experience, the combined annual compensation would total $165,000 before taxes.

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.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Since San Francisco’s founding years, people have moved to the City in search of economic opportunity. Whether they were drawn by the shipyard, the railroads, or the gold rush, these early arrivals included a large number of single workers who frequently sought temporary lodging in boarding houses—living in a single room while sharing kitchens, bathrooms, and other amenities. As a result, San Francisco, like many older US cities, has a continued legacy of what are now known as Single-Room Occupancy hotels (SRO) hotels.

At their height, SROs once housed up to 10% of residents in many fast growing cities in the United States. Starting in the mid-20th century, various cities saw the widespread demolition of “blighted” SRO buildings without providing replacement affordable housing, directly contributing to an increase in homelessness. In response, San Francisco adopted the Hotel Conversion Ordinance (HCO) in 1981, signaling a shift toward preserving these units as a critical part of the housing ecosystem that provide an affordable and accessible option, particularly for residents who have been unable to access other affordable housing options.

Today, the City of San Francisco estimates that there are approximately 20,000 SRO units remaining in 500 buildings scattered across several neighborhoods. They are owned by both non-profit and private entities, and a significant number of buildings receive public funding to provide affordable housing and services to residents. In recent years, many have experienced higher costs, deferred maintenance, and higher vacancy rates, leading some operators to leave the market and putting the SRO ecosystem at risk. The City seeks to protect housing for low-income tenants while ensuring the operators make critical updates and generate the revenue necessary to stay in operation.

PROJECT APPROACH

The first 90 days of the Fellowship will focus on in-depth discovery and relationship-building. Beginning in October 2026, the FUSE Executive Fellow will develop deep relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, including City partners (e.g., Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, Department of Building Inspection, Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing), SRO operators (including non-profit, and private owners), and community members (with an emphasis on SRO residents). The Executive Fellow should anticipate extensive collaboration with the outgoing policy fellow (funded by the Partnership for the Bay’s Future) to ensure effective knowledge transfer and handover of any ongoing responsibilities. In addition, the Executive Fellow will review existing legislation (e.g., the Hotel Conversion Ordinance) and common policies and best practices for updating and preserving SROs in cities similar to San Francisco.

This discovery phase is intended to help the Executive Fellow develop a nuanced understanding of San Francisco’s SRO landscape, current challenges, and opportunities. Based on insights gathered, the Executive Fellow will develop and present proposed refinements to project goals, priorities, and anticipated deliverables for review and approval by San Francisco Planning and the Executive Sponsor.

Next, the Executive Fellow will conduct extensive financial analysis of SRO operations and capital upgrade needs—providing the City with a clear, actionable foundation for decision-making. Building on the recently completed data analyses and reports, the Executive Fellow will implement capital assessments of physical improvements that would be needed to sustain and upgrade SRO buildings, which may vary by ownership structures (e.g., for- vs. non-profit), physical structures (e.g., large vs. small), and other building characteristics (age, location, layout, etc.).

In addition, they will develop pro forma analyses to understand how such improvements could be financed and maintained, aiming to enhance livability while ensuring ongoing financial sustainability. By mapping building repair needs, income streams, operational and maintenance costs, and key financial constraints, the City will gain a clearer understanding of SRO conditions, the impact of potential policy changes, and the tradeoffs among different approaches.

The Executive Fellow will also analyze and identify the resources or policy interventions needed to enable such upgrades, recognizing that solutions must be feasible in a constrained funding environment. This could include draft legislation or a broader policy roadmap, depending on the scope of recommended changes. The goal is to define a clear policy direction and implementable actions that support the long-term sustainability of SROs and their ability to meet the needs of current and future generations.

By the end of the fellowship, the Executive Fellow will deliver actionable insights to help the City preserve and modernize the SRO model. Deliverables will also include a framework or tool to update the data as conditions evolve. In addition to completing these discrete tasks, the Executive Fellow will also work closely with San Francisco Planning staff to ensure knowledge transfer and handover of any remaining responsibilities prior to departure. This scope reflects Year One priorities, and the fellow and City will collaborate during the fellowship to define the scope and focus for Year Two based on progress and emerging opportunities.

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

By October 2027, the Executive Fellow will have overseen the following:

• Capital Improvement Assessments – In partnership with community organizations and/or technical consultants, conduct targeted assessments of a representative set of SRO buildings.
• Financial Analysis – Develop pro forma analyses to evaluate how legislation and policy changes would impact financial sustainability for operators and the affordability of units for tenants, including their funding streams, major capital costs, and ongoing maintenance expenses.
• Legislation & Policy Framework – Provide strategic guidance on policy and regulatory changes – including potential changes to City codes – and develop legislation that can enable needed upgrades to SROs while preventing tenant displacement.
• SRO Data System – Develop a user-friendly system to track and update key data on SRO buildings, including typology, funding streams, major capital needs, vacancies, and ongoing maintenance expenses.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

• Executive Sponsor – Sarah Dennis-Phillips, Planning Director, San Francisco Planning
• Project Supervisor – Rachael Tanner, Community Planning Director, San Francisco Planning

QUALIFICATIONS

• 15+ years of progressively responsible experience in organizational transformation and change management, from practitioner to enterprise-level leadership.
• 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.
• Respond 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.