Position: Community Support Manager, Texas; Full-Time; Based in San Antonio, TX or Remote in Texas
Who We Are
The Water Finance Exchange (WFX), a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, is a team of water and finance professionals devoted to supporting communities across the U.S. to reach sustainable water infrastructure solutions, encompassing economic, public health, and environmental needs. WFX’s mission is to help communities access funding, financing, and expertise to implement resilient, sustainable, and equitable water infrastructure solutions.
Our model is to provide neutral, third-party expertise to develop water solutions for small and underserved communities from the ground up, rather than top-down. We work at a local level together with communities to provide support to reach sustainable water solutions while providing accessible financing opportunities to remove roadblocks that prevent projects from launching. Our premise is that communities that have been left behind by historic funding programs can in fact build sustainable and affordable water systems for all residents.
WFX supports the efforts of small, rural, and disadvantaged communities to access water infrastructure funding by assembling sector expertise, building trusted relationships with communities, completing projects, and disseminating information about recurring issues and solutions that allow for scaling-up funding of similarly situated communities and regional initiatives. WFX aims to serve as a national platform to accelerate the adoption of best practices, increase the ability of smaller communities to access financing, and close the water infrastructure equity gap across the country.
Launched in 2020, WFX has created a pipeline of many community water infrastructure project opportunities and is expanding its efforts to match the new federal and state investments in water infrastructure.
As part of its growth, WFX is seeking to add a full-time Texas Community Support Manager to its core team.
Job Summary
WFX is seeking a Community Support Manager to assist communities in Texas to implement sustainable water infrastructure solutions. WFX continues to increase its footprint in Texas and this staffing position would work directly with WFX’s Texas Community Support Director, as well as the Senior Advisor team.
The new hire will work closely with WFX leadership to oversee the project development process all the way from community intake to award of funding. This includes building out the project pipeline, analyzing, and conducting due diligence on prospective deals within target communities.
This position is responsible for communicating with community and leaders, conducting outreach with partner organizations, and providing technical assistance support services to communities in partnership with WFX’s internal support team and external network. This can include routine and complex financial and economic information and issues pertaining to water utilities, such as rate and affordability analysis for smaller utilities. In addition, the position will focus on project development, financial feasibility analysis, risk management assistance, loan and debt restructuring, portfolio management, and programmatic assistance.
The work performed by this position involves analyzing financial information that requires critical thinking and independent judgment. Projects will involve working both independently and collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary team. The knowledge and skill areas described above are important components of the position, but WFX also believes that passion for the work we do is similarly important. As a result, please do not hesitate to apply if this position description appeals to you.
The ideal candidate will have completed a BA or BS degree and should be self-determined, motivated, and enthusiastic about learning and advancing their career. We are a small team; therefore, the Texas Community Support Manager should be capable of taking on a high degree of responsibility and be self-motivated. WFX has a satellite office in San Antonio, Texas, but the majority of the team works remotely from the Austin Metro area.
Responsibilities
Key responsibilities include the following:
- Lead and conduct direct outreach to communities in Texas to market WFX’s technical assistance and pre-development services. Serve as main point of contact for engaged communities.
- Build and maintain partnerships with deal sources, such as municipal groups, state agencies, and other partners.
- Engage communities and local leaders personally and conduct first due diligence assessments of communities.
- Serve as point of contact for technical assistance support, coordinating services for communities and working with WFX Team and Partners to provide external expertise.
- Build and maintain community trust and relationships at a variety of levels in a community, including city staff, political leaders, utility managers, and engineers.
- Conduct financial due diligence and research various municipal, private, and corporate entities in the water sector.
- Maintain accurate and organized status updates related to scheduling, funding applications, and other administrative processes.
- Regularly review and update documentation to reflect the most current information.
- Assist in audit/regulatory compliance reviews, including reviewing the terms of loan agreements, verifying that deal targets submit paperwork in a timely manner.
- Assist with financial modeling by entering data, reviewing models, calculating financial ratios, and building sensitivity scenarios.
- Assist in the development, maintenance, and enhancement of screening processes and decision-making procedures and tools.
- Assist staff with administrative or organizational tasks.
Minimum Requirements
- Must have an undergraduate (bachelor’s) degree, preferably in Engineering, Finance, Accounting, Economics, Policy, Community Development, or Water Resource Management.
- 3-5 years of experience in relevant sectors of public utilities, community engagement, finance, or municipal governance.
- Proficiency in MS office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
- Strong writing and editing skills, including comfort working with long technical reports.
- Enthusiasm and willingness to learn.
- Attention to detail and an ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously. Intellectual flexibility and adaptability for working a wide range of industries and assignments.
- Spanish language skills strongly preferred.
Preferred Qualifications
- Graduate degree (MA, MS, and/or MBA) in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Policy, Community Development, or Natural Resource Management.
- At least 1-2 years of experience in municipal government, financial sector or the water supply and sanitation sector.
- Familiarity with the State Revolving Funds, USDA Rural Development and/or other federal, state, and private funding sources.
- Familiarity with Salesforce.
Remuneration
This is a full-time position based in Texas but will operate remotely from the employee’s home, or with the option to commute to the San Antonio satellite office. Salary commensurate with experience. WFX offers a competitive benefits package that includes vacation and sick leave, and reimbursement for a comprehensive health plan.
How to Apply
Applicants should submit the following to info@waterfx.org:
- A cover letter describing your qualifications and a specific experience with public outreach and engagement;
- Resume (applicant may be asked for professional references later on); and,
- Writing samples demonstrating experience preparing formal technical documents, such as memoranda, or reports with respect to finance or economic issues.
