Managing Director, People Operations.

About Liliʻuokalani Trust

Liliʻuokalani Trust (LT) is a private operating foundation committed to the social, physical, and spiritual well-being of Native Hawaiian youth and their ʻohana. LT delivers culturally grounded, healing-centered programs across the pae ʻaina through a range of service settings meet youth and families where they are. Trust programs reflect an assets-based philosophy that honors Hawaiian values, elevates youth strengths, and builds pathways to passion, purpose, and prosperity for all youth we serve.

Reporting directly to the Chief People Officer, The Managing Director, People Operations leads the delivery and continuous improvement of LT’s people systems, programs, and services. This role translates people strategy into scalable, equitable, compliant, and data-informed practices across the teammate lifecycle; strengthens organizational health; and develops a high-performing People Operations team.

Essential Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop the People Operations team, establishing clear priorities, accountabilities, service standards, and measures of success.
• Partner with the CPO to translate LT’s organizational vision and people strategy into annual and multiyear priorities, implementation plans, measurable outcomes, and clear ownership.
• Design and continuously improve an equitable, accessible, and consistent teammate experience across the full lifecycle, from workforce planning and onboarding through development, engagement, retention, advancement, and transition.
•  Lead integrated talent, performance, learning, succession, compensation, benefits, employee relations, and workforce planning strategies that attract, develop, engage, and retain a diverse, high-performing workforce.
• Partner with leaders to assess organizational needs and implement organization development, organizational design, leadership development, team effectiveness, and change-management strategies that strengthen LT’s capacity to deliver its mission.
•  Establish people metrics, workforce insights, and reporting practices that support evidence-based decisions, identify organizational risks and opportunities, and measure program effectiveness.
•  Lead the governance and optimization of HR technology, employee data, records, workflows, controls, and service standards to strengthen data integrity, privacy, compliance, efficiency, and the teammate experience.
• Design, document, and continuously improve scalable, compliant, and teammate-centered People Operations policies, processes, and services.
• Align people, technology, vendors, and resources to improve organizational capacity, service quality, efficiency, and sustainability.
• Collaborate with senior leaders to simplify cross-functional processes, strengthen accountability, and provide timely, practical, and teammate-centered solutions.
• Build trusted internal and external relationships and promote collaboration, communication, and knowledge-sharing across LT.
• Contribute to the Trust’s success by accepting new assignments, supporting teammates, learning new skills, and continuously improving team and organizational results.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience, with at least eight years of progressive leadership in Human Resources, People Operations, Organization Development, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success leading teams and enterprise-wide people, operational, or change initiatives; nonprofit leadership experience is preferred.
•  Broad knowledge of employment practices, employee relations, performance management, compensation, benefits, talent management, workforce planning, HR technology, people analytics, policy administration, and applicable employment laws.
• Strong business judgment, systems thinking, quantitative aptitude, and ability to convert strategy into practical execution.
•  Exceptional written, verbal, facilitation, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex people matters clearly and credibly to varied audiences.
•  Demonstrated alignment with LT’s values and ability to contribute effectively in a collaborative, low-ego culture that values candor, accountability, learning, and respect.

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 November 7, 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

Compensation

Compensation will be commensurate with qualifications. The total compensation package includes a salary range of $130,000 to $160,000 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.