Financial Wellness Program Director

Mni Sota Fund is an Urban Native Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) working to advance financial wellness, homeownership, entrepreneurship, and wealth building for American Indian people and communities. We serve American Indian people, families, entrepreneurs, and communities seeking greater financial stability, opportunity, and pathways to homeownership.

Mni Sota Fund is seeking an experienced Financial Wellness Program Director to join the team in our Minneapolis office.

Position Summary

The Financial Wellness Program Director leads the development, scaling, and execution of financial and homebuying coaching programs within Mni Sota Fund, taking full ownership of client intake, education, and technical assistance. In addition, this role oversees the IRS VITA Tax Site Coordination program, ensuring streamlined workflows, responsive support, and increased financial capability for individuals and families. Operating within a culturally grounded framework, the Director drives community wealth building, tracks vital grant outcomes, and fosters seamless cross-departmental wraparound services.

The Financial Wellness Program Director works closely with the Lending, Business Programs, and External Affairs teams to support organizational effectiveness, strengthen infrastructure, and advance the organization’s impact while maintaining alignment with organizational values, community-centered approaches, and cultural values.

Key Responsibilities

• Program Development and Management Design and oversee a streamlined client intake workflow for financial wellness, homebuying, and VITA tax services.
• Ensure rapid response times and a welcoming, culturally relevant experience for all participants.
• Implement robust tracking systems to monitor client progress, credit score improvements, budget milestones, and homeownership or tax milestones over time, ensuring accurate data collection aligned with grant deliverables and institutional impact goals.
• Develop and utilize structured client surveys, focus groups, and informal feedback channels to assess client satisfaction and financial confidence, continuously refining program delivery for maximum community relevance and agency.
• Create, manage, and closely adhere to detailed operational budgets for workshops, classes, and programmatic events, documenting all associated expenses and any potential revenues or program-generated support.
• Client Support and Program Management Identify a clear point of contact for clients entering the financial wellness and homeownership pathways to ensure consistent communication and support.
• Provide targeted, one-on-one financial coaching, credit-building guidance, and homebuyer readiness counseling to help clients overcome financial barriers, supporting direct service staff as needed.
• Lead coordination, scheduling and facilitation of group financial education workshops, homebuyer training cohorts, and seasonal IRS VITA tax preparation events tailored to the unique needs of American Indian communities.
• Streamline the transition of financial wellness and homebuying clients into the lending pipeline, preparing comprehensive pre-loan and pre-purchase packages that improve clearance rates and accelerate the timeline from initial readiness to homeownership or consumer capital disbursement.
• Collaborate across departments to seamlessly connect clients with internal wraparound services, integrating consumer loans, business assistance programming, and commercial lending pathways into a cohesive client journey.
• Partner with External Affairs and department leadership to track and report on grant-specific performance metrics—including coaching hours, tax returns filed, credit scores increased, and home purchases completed—ensuring full compliance with funder expectations and grant requirements.
• Continuous Client and Community Support Maintain active engagement with clients post-service completion, providing ongoing advisory support, monitoring long-term financial stability, and securing continuous feedback to reduce barriers and foster lasting success.
• Act as a liaison for external financial education, housing, and tax partnerships, connecting urban and regional clients with external capital, housing programs, and asset-building opportunities.
• Contribute to Mni Sota Fund's broader systems change initiatives by translating on-the-ground client needs into practical program designs, research insights, and policy advocacy that shape a responsive statewide economic ecosystem for Native people.
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of proven experience in developing and implementing financial education and first time home buying education programs or similar that reflect community needs, strengths, and goals
• 3-5 years proven success in managing client-facing programs, developing efficient internal workflows, scaling operations, and tracking deliverables or milestones tied to external grants
• Demonstrated proficiency in managing client data systems and CRMs (e.g. HomeKeeper, Acuity), tracking programmatic outcomes over time, and compiling accurate compliance or grant performance reports
• Familiarity with credit-building principles and pre-loan underwriting pipelines or the ability to learn to explain options clearly and support clients without judgement as they pursue their goals
• Exceptional communication abilities, with experience designing and facilitating workshops, cultivating trust with diverse communities, and coordinating across cross-functional teams
• Demonstrated proficiency with Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 products
• Proven ability to learn new software and technologies quickly

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a mission-driven organization or CDFI
• Demonstrated commitment to Indigenous community wealth building and economic sovereignty
• Understanding of the historical, economic, and social contexts of American Indian communities
• Lived experience or demonstrated cultural humility working with American Indian communities

Benefits

• Employer provided medical, dental and vision group plans
• 401K with employer match up to 5%
• PTO, Sick and Bereavement leave
• Office hours: Monday-Thursday 9:00am-5:00pm
• 10 paid holidays per year, plus 1 week paid break in summer and winter

To apply: Send a resume and cover letter with the subject Financial Wellness Program Director to hr@mnisotafund.org