Job Description

Lili’uokalani Trust (LT) seeks to hire an Executive Director for the Lili’uokalani Center (LC).

Summary
Informed by a deep understanding of the adolescent experience and grounded in Hawaiian culture, LC is actively creating opportunities for Hawaiian youth to connect with peers and mentors, access supportive services, and explore pathways toward passion, purpose, and prosperity. LC serves as LT’s newest signature youth development hub for culture, creativity, technology, and play, continually growing as a resource center where youth build connections to supports and a vibrant community. Located in urban Honolulu, LC is a safe and evolving space where youth are encouraged and inspired to pursue their dreams—exploring pathways in the arts, sports, technology, and entrepreneurship—while engaging with wraparound supports that help them move toward their goals and into thriving adulthood. At its core, LC is continuously shaping an environment where young people can play, learn, build meaningful connections, and experience joy.

Reporting directly to the LT President & CEO, the ED will be responsible for leading overall programming, facility operations, and other administrative functions at LC. The ED will seek to promote creative, innovative, and entrepreneurial learning environments, ensuring the steady flow of operations through proper staffing and administrative plans, including developing budgets, and implementing strategies to optimize programs resources. The role will provide visionary leadership in the evolution of Liliʻuokalani Trust’s youth development practices, ensuring safe spaces and welcoming environments conducive to creation, innovation, and growth.

Essential Responsibilities

Innovative Program Leadership

• Oversees and leads the design and development of youth development programming from conception to evaluation, ensuring programs are effectively addressing the needs of kamalei, preparing them with the right keenness to seize opportunities and realize their greatest potential.
• Provides guidance and mentorship to LC’s programming leadership, seeking opportunities for the teams to build on their skills and hearten their relationships with the community they serve.
• Provides leadership and innovation in the enhancement of teaching and learning techniques through proper identification, assessment, and integration of effective innovative practices that advance positive outcomes for Native Hawaiian kamalei. 
• Develops a strategic roadmap with overarching institutional goals and objectives that align with LT’s 25 year strategic plan. 
• Partners with internal and external experts and resources to create diverse college and career pathways that align with our program goals and meet the needs of kamalei in their continued development and success.
• Identifies and creates opportunities for new learning experiences including, but not limited to, experimentation with alternative learning environments, blended learning, experiential learning, and other innovative learning strategies.
• Identifies program opportunities and engages in cultivating new and continued partnerships with national and regional educational innovators.
• This role collaborates with LT’s program leadership and external networks to allow greater reach in the community.

Facility Administration and other responsibilities

• Oversees the overall usage of LC’s spaces, through LT networks and external partnerships (rentals).
• Ensures LC has continuous security and facility management, supporting and guiding a plan to safeguard equipment and resources around the clock.
• Provides strategic leadership for facilities maintenance, ensuring a clean, safe, secure, and healthy environments that are conducive to optimal educational and productive outcomes for youth, teammates, and visitors.
• Continues to review and revise safety plans, emergency procedures, and preventative and recovery programs as needed to meet the changing needs of LC
• Oversees activity and performance reports on a quarterly basis and /or as required by Executive Leadership and Trustees.
• Attends all designated meetings for LC, as well as the Trust.
• Understands and upkeeps compliance with LT’s policies and procedures, ensuring new ones developed for LC align with LT’s overall mission and culture.
• Stays updated with latest youth development inititiaves as well as state and federal laws and regulations to ensure LC’s services remain pedagogically competitive and legally compliant. Partners with Risk and Compliance to manage risk and safety practices.
• Contributes to LT’s success through collaboration, communication, and knowledge-sharing with all teammates to improve team and organizational results.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in education, business, political science, public administration, social work or other field preferred.
• At least 5 years of experience managing complex, multi-faceted organizations, including oversight of large teams, diverse programs, partnerships and significant budgets, while navigating operational, financial, and stakeholder complexity.
• Requires 7+ years of experience working with youth.
• At least 5 years of experience preferred managing and developing a high performing team.
• Must be culturally competent with strong business acumen. Demonstrated creative and innovative thinking is needed for the successful administration of LC.
• Ability to lead with purpose and a visionary approach ensuring teammates at LC are consistently engaged and inspired to perform above expectations, producing exceptional outcomes for and from Kamalei.

Job Competencies

• Aloha: awareness and approach to the work with compassion, empathy, and kindness.
• ‘Imi Naʻauao: a constant desire for seeking knowledge; lifelong learner.
• Poʻokele: desire to perform in excellence.
• Wiwoʻole: maintain a courageous, brave, and fearless mindset.
• Pono: understand the appropriateness of time, place, reason, people, and tools
• Kuleana: bring a deep sense of responsibility and accountability
• Collaboration: Ability to interact effectively with youth, community partners, and multi-disciplinary teams. Knowledge of community resources and services
• Ethical Practice: Model the highest level of ethical behavior, integrity, and social responsibility Uphold and embody all LT values.
• Communication: Clearly convey and receive information and ideas. Engage the listener and invite response and feedback. Demonstrate strong written, oral, and listening skills.
• Cultural Competence: Respect and relate well to people from varied backgrounds and sensitive to group differences. Experience working with at-risk youth and ability to apply positive youth development principles to that work.
• Relationship Management: Experience working with staff at all levels in a collaborative environment; ability to promote and sustain positive workplace values and relationships.
• Interpersonal Skills: Ability to work well under pressure and to remain calm and controlled when faced with challenging situations.

Organization Competencies

• Alignment with Queen’s legacy: Understanding and appreciation of Queen Liliuokalani’s story, her legacy and the Hawaiian Culture is foundational to staff’s commitment to working with our Hawaiian children, families and communities. Demonstrates respect for and appreciation of Hawaiian values history, and culture, understanding its implication in one’s work, in fostering meaningful relationships, and in embracing the community served.
• Ho`omau i ka `imi Na`auao (Continuous Learning and Improvement): Committed to creating and reinforcing an environment of continuous learning and improvement.
• Ho`ike i na Mana`o Pono (Effective Communication): Communicates with those we serve and each other in a consistent manner that results in mutual understanding, harmony, and action.  
• No'ono'o loi (Critical Thinking and Problem Solving): Actively and skillfully understands, conceptualizes, applies, analyzes, synthesizes, and/or evaluates information and develops and supports fact-based analyses and recommendations
• Ho'o kumu a'e or `Imi hakuhia (Innovation):  Identifies and integrates creative ideas into new or existing services and promotes effective problem-solving.
• Pilina Ho`ohana a me ka Hana Hilina`i (Building Relationships and Creating Trust): Manages relationships to create optimal opportunities and move the organization forward.
• Alu Like I ka Hana (Teamwork): Works cooperatively and collaboratively with others throughout the organization in alignment with the organization's objectives.
• Ho`onui I ka `Ike (Capacity Building): Encourages personal growth by exhibiting trust and a belief in the capacity of others.

Mental and Physical Demands:

• Perform light physical work, including climbing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, and lifting weight of up to 25 pounds. Exposed to outdoor climate and diverse terrain. Availability to work during nights, weekends, and certain holidays is required.

Application Process

Kumabe HR, LLC, an executive search firm, is assisting Lili’uokalani Trust with this important search. All calls and inquiries should be made through the search firm. Applications will be held in confidence. For priority consideration, resume and cover letter must be submitted by May 21, 2026. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. The complete job description with the essential competencies is available at www.kumabehr.com.

Compensation

Compensation will be commensurate with qualifications. The total compensation package includes a salary range of $148,000 to $180,000 and a comprehensive benefits package.

Non-Discrimination

Lili’uokalani Trust and Kumabe HR, LLC firmly support the principle and philosophy of equal opportunity for all individuals, regardless of age, race, gender, creed, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other protected category pursuant to applicable federal, state or local law. Together, Lili’uokalani Trust and KHR are committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion.