Strengthening Phoenix's Local Food Economy and Innovation

The City of Phoenix is working to achieve carbon neutrality for municipal properties by optimizing existing solar assets and expanding renewable energy capacity. The FUSE Executive Fellow will develop a comprehensive business case and strategic plan to transition solar assets to City ownership and identify new development opportunities on underutilized properties. Ultimately, this will help Phoenix reduce greenhouse gas emissions, maximize its solar potential, and build a more sustainable and resilient energy future for all residents.

Fellowship Dates: October 27, 2025 – October 23, 2026

Salary: Executive Fellows are FUSE employees and receive an annual salary of $80,000. Fellows can also access various health, dental, and vision insurance benefits. This amount is not representative of market-rate salaries for the experienced professionals in our program but is intended as compensation for a year of public service.

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.

When designing each fellowship project, FUSE works closely with government partners and community stakeholders to define a scope of work that will achieve substantive progress toward high-priority local needs. Projects address today’s most pressing challenges and opportunities, including affordable housing, economic mobility, climate resilience, public safety, infrastructure, technology, and more.

FUSE conducts a full executive search for each individual 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 community being served.

Executive Fellows are embedded in government agencies working with senior leaders for at least one year of full-time work. Prospective responsibilities may include thorough data analytics and research, developing enhanced operations and financial models, building change management and strategic planning processes, and/or building broad coalitions to support project implementation efforts. Executive Fellows are data-driven and results-oriented and able to effectively manage complex projects. They build strong relationships with a broad array of stakeholders, foster alignment within and across various layers of government, and build partnerships between governments and communities.

Throughout the fellowships, Executive Fellows receive training, coaching, and professional support to help achieve their project goals.

PROJECT CONTEXT

The City of Phoenix, Arizona faces significant challenges in addressing the inequitable impacts of climate change, particularly within its most vulnerable communities. One of the most critical challenges is reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its energy sector, the city’s largest source of emissions that contributes to climate change. According to the Phoenix 2018 GHG Community Inventory, 51% of the city’s emissions originate from stationary energy used to power homes, businesses, and industrial facilities generated from fossil fuels, such as natural gas and coal, which release substantial GHGs. Phoenix is working to significantly decrease emissions by transitioning to renewable energy sources and maximizing energy efficiency. Solar energy holds the most promise for achieving these reductions due to Phoenix’s unique geographical advantages; the city has 30-40% more solar radiation than most U.S. cities and a rooftop solar potential exceeding 9,300 megawatts (MW).

PROJECT SUMMARY

Starting in November 2025, the FUSE Executive Fellow will conduct a comprehensive listening tour to build a deep understanding of the current landscape of Phoenix’s municipally owned solar energy infrastructure and related contractual agreements. This will include conducting a detailed evaluation of the City’s existing solar contracts as well as reviewing existing financial modeling and cost-benefit analyses that assess the value of transitioning existing potential assets to city-owned solar assets that allow the City to claim Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) for these sites. This will include identifying opportunities for new solar development on underutilized city properties and properties with current barriers to development, such as the 19th Avenue Landfill. The F