Financial Wellness Coach

ProsperUs Detroit: Financial Wellness Coach 

ProsperUs Detroit is a community economic development initiative that supports entrepreneurs and small business development in neighborhoods throughout Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, and Inkster. We are on a mission to advance economic equity in under-resourced communities by supporting entrepreneurs with opportunities and capital needed to build businesses, generational wealth, and vibrant neighborhoods. We do this by delivering radically supportive and culturally competent entrepreneurship training, financial coaching, technical assistance, and microlending. ProsperUs approaches this work with the belief that residents, small businesses, and community organizations in all neighborhoods can engage and revitalize their own communities.  

What You Will Do at ProsperUs 

As a financial wellness coach at ProsperUs Detroit, you will approach the work with an eagerness to support small businesses and entrepreneurs of color at a community development financial institution (CDFI) working in low- to moderate-income communities. You will coach entrepreneurs and business owners to take power over their personal budgets, debt, credit, savings, and household financial goals. You will collaborate with the team to identify solutions to bolster relationships with entrepreneurs and enhance financial coaching programming consistent with the organization’s mission. You are great at educating an audience, building relationships one-on-one, and communicating effectively with individuals from various backgrounds. We are excited to welcome team members who are focused on intersectional equity in the context of entrepreneurship in Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, and Inkster. 

Responsibilities 

1.  Financial Coaching & Education Management
   • You will deliver culturally competent one-on-one financial coaching to emerging entrepreneurs and borrowers to advance entrepreneurs’ financial literacy, budgeting, credit, debt management, savings planning, and goal setting acumen;
   • You will acquire an advanced understanding of the entrepreneur’s personal financial situation to develop and manage action planning;
   • You will be responsible for facilitating entrepreneur progress toward financial goals, including following up with participants on referrals to other financial service professionals when applicable;
   • You will be accountable for maintaining files and database for all participants including the intake form, required documentation, credit report, session notes, analysis, and action plan;
   • You will develop and conduct financial literacy education classes and information sessions with program participants, borrowers, and other stakeholders;
   • You will maintain, iterate, and execute processes to ensure that ProsperUs’ approach to administering financial readiness coaching is effective;
   • You will manage the administration of the credit builder loan program, including borrower onboarding, monitoring, and follow-up to ensure compliance and success;
   • You will bolster outreach to program participants and borrowers through various communication channels and create new ways to interact with the growing ProsperUs network;
   • You will understand and implement all guidelines related to confidentiality, regulatory, and quality-control requirements; and
   • You will foster additional opportunities for connection and communication for ProsperUs program participants and borrowers to the regional entrepreneurial service network of providers and organizations. 
2. Outreach & Strategic Growth
   • You will cultivate strong relationships with business owners, entrepreneurs, and community stakeholders in the neighborhoods of Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, and Inkster with intentionality toward ProsperUs program participants and borrowers;
   • You will manage financial literacy and coaching initiatives by developing goals, strategic planning activities, and providing recommendations and/or reports to leadership;
   • You will support capturing data and metrics related to ProsperUs’ Financial Coaching programming for internal use, sharing with the board of directors, and completing grant reporting functions;
   • You will be a thought partner and share enthusiasm for deepening the sustainability of financial literacy and coaching at ProsperUs; and
   • You will create and implement tools to gather feedback and evaluate the effectiveness of ProsperUs' programming and participant engagement, using data and metrics to inform ongoing improvements and innovations.
3. Some other activities you will do to support ProsperUs: 

• Identify opportunities to improve programming, make strategic recommendations to leadership, and collaborate on program enhancements;  
• Represent ProsperUs within the regional entrepreneurship ecosystem and in various networks locally and nationally, as required;  
• Continue enhancing knowledge and expertise in equitable entrepreneurship, community economic development, and race equity; 
• Assist with special projects as assigned and other tasks deemed necessary to achieve overall goals and to operate a successful program; and 
• Perform other related duties as assigned. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

While demonstrating a high energy and passion for ProsperUs’ work, including our clients, partners, mission, and values, you are also able to do or know the following:  

1. You have knowledge, experience, and credibility within neighborhoods and communities like those that ProsperUs serves. You are familiar with community-based organizations (CBOs), community development financial institutions (CDFIs), and nonprofits in Detroit and the region.  
2. You understand tactics for culturally competent personal financial coaching and are enthusiastic about providing the structure for action planning with entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds. 
3. You are interested in working with technology systems and you can learn and use new software and tools as required. Experience with Salesforce is a plus, and training will be provided.   
4. You have a personal and professional commitment to intersectional equity, including the dismantling of racism and other forms of oppression that exist in the communities ProsperUs serves, specifically Black, Latinx, Arab, immigrant, and low- to moderate-income communities.   
5. You have a proven history of transparent and high-integrity servant leadership.  
6. You can manage timelines and understand how to communicate your needs to others including team members, partners, and other stakeholders.  
7. You want to find a solution. You can demonstrate proactive, entrepreneurial approaches to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability.  
8. You are self-motivated and able to work independently, but you also have practice working with internal or external teams and appreciate collaboration.  
9. You must be excited about finding solutions to challenges or barriers faced by those we serve. 

Minimum Qualifications 

ProsperUs is looking for candidates who have the following qualities: 

1. Experience and/or knowledge of personal financial coaching concepts including financial literacy, budgeting, credit, debt management, savings planning, and goal setting. An emphasis on entrepreneurship and economic development is a plus. 
2. At least two years of proven coaching experience with skills in collaborating with entrepreneurs or community members, project management, and connecting with regional resources. Ideally, an emphasis of understanding businesses and entrepreneurs who encounter challenges related to systemic and institutional inequity. Bachelor's degree in a related field encouraged. 
3. Strong technical skills with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and Adobe Acrobat (or comparable tools), operating systems, and networks.  
4. Flexibility in days and hours available for scheduled work, including regular evening engagements and occasional weekend commitments.  
5. Strong written and verbal communication skills in English. The ability to communicate in Spanish, Arabic, French, or Bangla is a plus. 

Reports to: Community Capital Director 

Status: Exempt, Regular Full-Time Personnel 

Hiring Process and Timeline  

Application Deadline: February 16, 2025 

Interview includes:  

1. Screening Call with Selected Candidates 
2. In-Person Interview with Team 
3. Interview with Executive Director 

Anticipated Start Date: April 2025 

Pay and Benefits 

The salary range for this position is $55,000 to $65,000; in addition, we offer these supports to help you manage your mental, emotional, and physical health: 

• Holidays: You will have 11 nationally recognized holidays, an additional floating holiday to be used when you choose, and more time to rest around the winter holidays. 
• Paid Time Off: When you join, you will have 15 days of paid time off (PTO) that you can use 90 days after joining the team. 
• Benefits Plans: You can choose to join the organization’s benefits plan with health insurance (most paid by organization), org-paid vision, and org-paid dental. 
• Retirement Savings: You can invest in the org-sponsored 401(k) and ProsperUs will match a portion of your contributions. 
• Parental Leave: You will have access to parental leave for giving birth, adoption, fostering, and supporting a partner who is giving birth. 
• Family-Friendly: ProsperUs is a family-friendly work environment with accommodations for nursing parents, respect for childcare needs and practices, parental leave, and other supports. 
• Continuous Learning: We care about your success. You will create professional development goals to collaborate on with your supervisor, and we regularly check-in about how it’s going with Quarterly Conversations focused on goals and values. 
• Flexible Schedule: Team members must be available 9 AM – 3 PM Eastern Time. We participate in a variety of events and collaborations, so we encourage team members to work additional hours with a schedule that works for them. 
• Flexible Work Environment: We encourage hybrid home / office work. Team members primarily work in-person, with two remote workdays allowed per week. In-person events and engagements are a regular responsibility of all roles at ProsperUs. 

Don’t check off every box in the requirements listed? Please apply anyway! Studies have shown that historically excluded communities - such as women, LGBTQ+, and people of color - are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. ProsperUs Detroit is dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible workplace that fosters a sense of belonging – so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to still consider applying. You may be just the right candidate for this role or another one of our openings! 

ProsperUs Detroit provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, weight, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran under applicable federal, state, and local laws. We seek a broad and diverse pool of candidates and strongly believe that our organization benefits from the perspectives and talents of a diverse staff who understand the unique needs of entrepreneurs in Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, and Inkster. 

All interested applicants must apply at the ProsperUs Detroit career page.