Position Title:                     Director of Financial Coaching

Employment Status:        Exempt, full-time employee

Reports to:                           Executive Director

Organization & Mission

Founded in 2005, Compass Working Capital (“Compass”) is a nonprofit organization that supports low-income families to build assets and financial capabilities as a pathway out of poverty. More broadly, Compass seeks to build a leading, nonprofit financial services organization that promotes economic mobility and financial security for low-income families by influencing field-related practice and policy.

Over the last seven years, our focus has been the launch and expansion of an innovative, new model for the Family Self- Sufficiency (FSS) program, a historically underutilized employment and savings program for families who live in federally subsidized housing. The first program of its kind in the country, the Compass FSS program is offered through partnerships with multiple housing partners in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

Building on the success of our local programs in New England, Compass launched a National FSS Network in 2016 to help expand the scope and impact of the FSS program around the country. Through this network, Compass provides training and technical assistance to mission aligned housing partners who seek to implement the Compass FSS model in their own communities. The Compass FSS program continues to attract local and national attention as an innovative model that supports low-income families to build assets, achieve their goals, and make progress toward financial security.

In addition to our flagship FSS programs, we also provide contract-based financial coaching programs for other organizations that serve low-income families.

For more information, please visit www.compassworkingcapital.org

Position Description and Responsibilities

Compass seeks a mission-oriented Director of Financial Coaching with a strong, professional background in personal finance and a proven track record in developing, providing, and leading culturally proficient financial coaching and education for low-income families. In addition to overseeing financial coaching and education at our direct services sites, and related technical assistance resources for National FSS Network partners, the Director of Financial Coaching will work closely with the leadership team on the overall strategic direction of the organization, including our national growth strategy.

• Oversee hiring, training, and onboarding of financial coaching associates. Develop and oversee recruitment and structured onboarding process for all financial coaching associates, in partnership with financial services and program managers. This includes developing and overseeing all personal finance and coaching training modules and developing/implementing consistent proficiency standards aligned with best practices in the field to assess coach readiness.
• Provide ongoing professional development for financial coaches across all program sites. Create regular opportunities, both internal and external, for ongoing learning and professional development. Develop pathways for coaches who seek to develop specialized content expertise.
• Partner with HR staff to ensure that cultural proficiency training is incorporated into onboarding and ongoing professional development for all staff.
• Provide technical support to financial coaching team. Provide expert support and consultation to financial coaching team on personal finance topics, including consultation as needed on individual clients.

• Oversee and support implementation of financial education workshops and specialized workshops across programs.
• Provide guidance and leadership in evaluating program and organizational outcomes.  In collaboration with program level and senior staff, monitor site level and overall organizational performance, including performance against key financial security outcome metrics. Review performance dashboards in partnership with program level and senior staff, and identify themes and opportunities for improvement.
• Oversee development of financial services content, tools, resources and methodology. Review, refine, and codify set of standards for core Compass financial services content, including goal setting, budgeting, credit building, saving, and home buying to strengthen overall program impact and client satisfaction.
• Identify and cultivate strategic partnerships with financial coaching community. Develop partnerships with industry groups/leaders to help strengthen our coaching practice at Compass. Attend and contribute to community-based and external trainings and field-related conferences. Monitor developments in the financial capability, coaching, and planning fields.
• Oversee development of financial coaching training curriculum and technical assistance resources for national network partners. Lead the ongoing development of curriculum to train new financial coaching partners, with a focus on maintaining alignment with existing content and curriculum. Oversee the development of customized financial coaching entry points and support for partners depending on their stage of growth and needs. This will include tools, templates, quick reference guides, resources, short videos explaining key concepts, and Q&A to address common questions and concerns.

Knowledge, Skills, and Personal Characteristics

• Commitment to Compass mission. Dedication to and passion for Compass’s mission to support low-income families to build assets and financial capabilities as a pathway out of poverty. Strong understanding of financial issues and structural barriers for low-income families, including knowledge of housing and public assistance programs, is preferred.
• Professional and educational background. Bachelor’s degree required and at least 10-12 years of experience. Advanced degree and/or certification in financial coaching or planning (e.g. CFP or AFC) is strongly preferred.
• Financial services expertise. Strong professional background in financial coaching, financial planning, banking, and/or asset development. Direct experience providing financial coaching, education, and/or planning services to low-income clients is preferred.
• Change leadership. Demonstrated ability to lead change with diverse stakeholders, including developing and managing a process that solicits feedback broadly and thoughtfully incorporates that feedback in a way that builds consensus around the path forward. Experience seeking and incorporating the perspectives of clients, direct services staff, program managers, and senior leadership preferred.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills. Ability to be an effective and persuasive advocate for Compass’s mission. Strong, focused attention to detail and ability to complete work with the highest level of accuracy and efficiency.
• Commitment to innovation, excellence, and entrepreneurship. Energized to work in an entrepreneurial, growth- oriented nonprofit organization. Demonstrated commitment to testing and evaluating new ideas and to building client-centered, data driven, and high impact organization. The ideal candidate will be a proactive team player, with a willingness to pitch in to support larger organizational goals.