Enterprise Consultant

The City of Bentonville is working to translate rapid growth into safer neighborhoods and long-term infrastructure resilience by advancing a comprehensive, data-driven stormwater and floodplain framework. The FUSE Executive Fellow will lead cross-departmental coordination to establish a clear citywide stormwater framework and move forward a coordinated implementation strategy that aligns infrastructure planning, land-use policy, parks integration, and regional coordination to reduce flood risk and support resilient development.

This is a two-year fellowship, with Year One focused on discovery, framework development, and initial implementation, and Year Two focused on scaling solutions and embedding sustainable watershed management practices within City operations.

Fellowship Dates:
October 26, 2026 – October 20, 2028

Salary: Executive Fellows are FUSE employees and receive an annual salary of $95,000. 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.

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.

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.

Strategic stormwater and floodplain planning is critical to ensure that rapid growth translates into safe neighborhoods, protected property, and long-term infrastructure resilience. When cities proactively model watershed conditions and align development with natural drainage patterns, they can reduce flood risk, safeguard housing stability, and integrate water management with parks, open space, and community amenities. Data-driven stormwater planning also supports equitable growth by preventing unintended downstream impacts and ensuring that infrastructure investments benefit a broad range of residents, including those living in older neighborhoods with aging systems.

Without comprehensive modeling and coordinated planning, fast-growing cities risk increasing localized flooding, shifting impacts onto adjacent properties, and missing opportunities to align infrastructure with sustainable development.

Beginning in Fall 2026, the FUSE Executive Fellow will work with the City of Bentonville’s Mayor’s Office, Engineering Department, and Planning Department to advance a stormwater and floodplain framework and implementation plan that supports resilient growth and long-term infrastructure sustainability. Through this two-year fellowship, the fellow will help coordinate watershed management, reduce flood risk, and integrate planning that aligns infrastructure, land use, parks, and economic growth.

The fellow’s work will focus on coordinating technical inputs, strengthening cross-departmental alignment, and building practical systems that guide proactive development and infrastructure decisions.

The fellow will begin with a 90‑day period of in‑depth discovery and assessment. During this phase, the fellow will conduct a comprehensive listening tour with key stakeholders, including the Mayor’s Office, Engineering and…