About Compass

Anti-poverty programs in the United States provide critical but insufficient, support to families with low incomes. If we are to end poverty and close racial and gender wealth gaps in our communities, we must support families to build the financial assets and capabilities needed to achieve their goals and dreams.

Since 2005, Compass Working Capital (“Compass”) has been working to do just that, by providing savings and financial coaching programs that support families with low incomes to build assets, achieve their financial goals, and become financially secure. Our vision is to build a leading, nonprofit financial services organization that promotes economic mobility and financial security for families with low incomes by influencing field-related practice and policy. In late 2019, through philanthropic investment, Compass embarked on a strategic plan to significantly expand its national scope and impact. This investment provides Compass with the funding and support to ready the organization for greater impact by ending asset poverty for 220,000 families with low incomes by 2030. We envision a day when asset building is the norm, and not the exception, in our nation’s anti-poverty work.

Over the past several years, Compass Working Capital has worked to expand the scope and impact of one particularly promising approach—an asset-building model for HUD’s Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. While doing so, Compass has also nurtured a vision that one day the opportunity to build assets would be the norm, and not the exception, for families with low incomes—a reimagining of the social safety net as a system that fundamentally believes and invests in people to break the cycle of poverty and reach a stronger financial future.

Our programs have consistently demonstrated statistically significant impact, and Compass clients, who are primarily women of color, have built over $13 million in savings across our programs in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Florida, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Missouri, and DC.

In 2022, through philanthropic investment, Compass embarked on a strategic plan to significantly expand its national scope and impact. Our aim is to work with our current partners to continue to implement our high-impact model for the FSS program and seek to partner with additional large public housing authorities and private affordable housing owners. As part of this work, and in keeping with our new vision, we will also pursue a strategy to pilot an opt-out model for FSS, which draws on the success of this approach for increasing participation in employer-sponsored retirement plans. Our goal is to build the conditions for a broader national demonstration of an opt-out model for FSS within the next seven years.

For more information, please visit us on our website, www.compassworkingcapital.org.

About the Job

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Chief Program Officer (CPO) is responsible for leading, managing, and overseeing Compass’ portfolio of programs across our flagship sites and partnerships including our Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) programs. The CPO oversees a high-performing team of program and regional directors to ensure that Compass delivers client-centered and culturally proficient coaching and high-impact programs aligned with Compass’ values and strategic priorities. In the next several years, the CPO will play a critical role in the implementation of Compass’ strategic plan, testing an opt-out model for FSS and increasing our reach in new geographies. The CPO also serves as a key member of the Executive Team and provides programmatic leadership and input in all strategic planning processes.

Compass’ national headquarters is in downtown Boston, and the organization has a growing field presence in Philadelphia. Program staff primarily live and work throughout New England and in Greater Philadelphia with anticipated growth in new markets over the next few years.

Responsibilities

Program Oversight and Leadership

• Provide effective and inspiring leadership by developing a broad and deep knowledge of all programs and services.
• Oversee a portfolio of Compass’ direct service FSS programs, including program planning, performance, staffing, reporting, and compliance across current and future sites.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with decision-makers at program partners, and oversee contract work, pricing and revenue strategy, and the implementation and delivery of contractual obligations.
• Develop and maintain a deep understanding of the FSS program, including the rules, regulations, forthcoming changes, and Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) process.
• Partner with the Director of Impact & Innovation to monitor and improve program impact and operations, including through the implementation of standard systems and dashboards.
• Lead the development of Compass’ financial coaching tools and methodology, including onboarding and professional development for financial coaches, with an eye toward scale and impact.
• In partnership with the Chief Financial & Administration Officer (CFAO), develop and review program budgets, monitor expenditures, and implement a revenue and pricing model with partners that ensure our financial sustainability.

Strategy and Scale Planning

• Support the CEO and executive team in achieving strategic priorities, with a focus on expanding the scale and impact of FSS programs.
• Identify, cultivate, and onboard new mission-aligned partners.
• Lead the implementation of an opt-out program model for FSS with mission-aligned housing partners, working to incorporate lean testing, innovation, and a learning agenda as a pathway to a national demonstration project.
• Identify, support, and lead innovative models for asset building within and outside of subsidized housing.

Leadership and Team Management

• Articulate and implement Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across teams to ensure strategic plan targets are met.
• Report performance against KPIs to the Executive Team, Board of Directors, funders, and/or program partners on a regular basis, and strategize and implement pivots required to address any underperformance against targets.
• Lead and manage a high-performing team of regional and program directors to achieve organizational goals and performance against targets.
• Partner with Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) to develop and implement plans to ensure a fully resourced programs team to support Compass’ future needs.
• Serve as an active member of Compass’ Executive Team, playing a critical role in ensuring that Compass continues to build a strong, diverse, and inclusive culture across today’s organization and with an eye towards future growth.

Qualifications and Skills

Required

• Commitment to and passion for Compass’s mission to end asset poverty for families with low incomes and narrow the racial and gender wealth divides.
• 10 +years of professional experience developing and managing high-quality, data-driven programs.
• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in a related field or demonstrated equivalent work and/or lived experience required.
• Ability to think strategically and connect strong program execution to broader strategic priorities and objectives.
• Exceptional capacity for managing and leading people from diverse backgrounds. Commitment to investing in and developing staff and positioning them to succeed.
• Proven track record of developing and leading teams to deliver outstanding programs and services.
• Ability to work in an entrepreneurial, fast-paced environment. Strong work ethic, flexible, self-directed, positive, and collaborative.
• Ability to synthesize data, make decisions, and communicate priorities. Demonstrated resourcefulness in setting priorities, executing multiple tasks, and achieving objectives.
• Ability to innovate, lean-test new program designs, and pivot quickly to achieve outcomes.
• Cultural humility: openness to and respect for other’s cultures, identities, and lived experiences.
• Highly organized, precise, and attentive to detail.
• Ability to navigate and troubleshoot unexpected changes. Reliable.
• Ability to establish and build strong, trusting relationships with partners and the Compass team.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including ability to explain complex information in plain language.
• Proficient in Salesforce or other CRM systems

Preferred

• Previous experience in subsidized housing, asset-building, financial coaching, or antipoverty work.
• Previous experience implementing an opt-out program model or behavioral economics.

This job description is not intended to provide a comprehensive listing of all duties or responsibilities. Job duties and responsibilities may change at any time based on coaching methods and program partners.

Benefits

The salary range for this role is $120,000 – $145,000 with a $5,000 sign-on bonus. We’ll promote your professional growth and development by providing access to a competitive salary and benefits package and additional employee benefits that include but are not limited to:

• Healthcare: medical, dental, vision
• Retirement plan 401(k) & match
• Life insurance & disability Insurance
• Paid time off
• Paid parental leave
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Professional development & certification
• Pre-tax commuter benefits
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Timeline and Hiring Process

We will review and respond to all applications received. While subject to change, candidates elected to advance throughout the process can expect to progress through a process that includes initial conversations with Human Resources, and a series of interviews with members of the Compass team. The anticipated start date is August 2023.

To apply, please submit a resume and a cover letter that outlines your interest in this role at compassworkingcapital.org/careers

Equal Opportunity Statement

Compass Working Capital is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider applications for all positions, without regard to age, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Compass Working Capital is committed to ensuring individuals with disabilities receive the accommodations required for them to interview for a position on our team. Should you require accommodations, please contact hr@compassworkingcapital.org.

As a contractor of Boston Housing Authority, Compass also provides hiring preference to Section 3 residents. Section 3 Residency is defined as being an authorized resident of the Boston Housing Authority or a “low-income resident” of the Boston Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Suffolk, Norfolk, Middlesex, Essex, Plymouth, Strafford (NH), and Rockingham (NH) Counties.

As a contractor of the Philadelphia Housing Authority, Compass also provides hiring preference to Section 3 residents. Section 3 Residency is defined as being an authorized resident of the Philadelphia Housing Authority or a “low-income resident” of the area where the HUD-assisted project is located.

For the purposes of Section 3, “low income” is defined as 80% of the Area Median Income. To learn more information about Section 3 income eligibility, please refer to the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Website.

We also strongly encourage graduates of our programs to apply.