Principal Broker

Location: Remote (with periodic travel)

Employment Type: Full-time, salaried, exempt

Schedule: 32-hour work week, 4-day full-time position

Pay Range: $115,000-$125,000/annually

 

About Hawaiian Community Assets

Hawaiian Community Assets (HCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to building the capacity of low- and moderate-income communities to achieve and sustain economic self-sufficiency, with a particular focus on Native Hawaiians. Through housing counseling, financial education, lending partnerships, housing initiatives, and innovative programming, HCA works to create long-term pathways toward economic resilience and housing stability across Hawaiʻi. 

As a Native Hawaiian-focused organization, HCA is committed to fostering a positive and respectful environment, advancing community innovation and growth, collaborating across teams and partnerships, communicating with integrity, and demonstrating drive and accountability. We operate in an evolving environment that requires cultural grounding, mission alignment, continuous learning, and a shared commitment to delivering meaningful results for our communities. 

Position Summary

The Principal Broker will be HCA's first real estate hire and will lead the development and operation of HCA's real estate brokerage and property management services. 

This role is responsible for the direct management and supervision of HCA's licensed brokerage firm and its licensees, oversight of all real estate transactions conducted through the brokerage and Ua Hale Aʻela program, and the development and launch of property management services for affordable housing. 

The Principal Broker will balance two primary responsibilities: protecting the brokerage through compliant, well-documented, and financially sound operations, while advancing HCA's vision for community-centered real estate. This includes developing approaches that help Native Hawaiian and local families remain in or return to Hawaiʻi.
 

Reporting Structure

Reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer. 

Essential Duties

Core Accountability 

1. Brokerage Leadership and Compliance

• Serve as the Principal Broker for HCA's licensed brokerage. 
• Directly manage and supervise brokerage operations and associated real estate licensees. 
• Ensure brokerage operations comply with Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes and Hawaiʻi Administrative Rules. 
• Develop policies and procedures governing real estate transactions and the conduct of associated licensees and other staff, including education and enforcement of those policies and procedures. 
• Maintain brokerage records, contracts, and documents, and review and retain all real estate contracts handled by associated licensees. 
• Review and approve transaction files to ensure compliance with Hawaiʻi real estate law, brokerage policies, and disclosure requirements established by the Hawaiʻi Real Estate Commission. 
• Identify and address brokerage risks, compliance issues, and disputes, and coordinate with legal counsel on regulatory compliance and risk management. 
• Oversee client trust accounts, disbursements from those accounts, and brokerage accounting practices. 
• Properly handle commission applications, real estate license applications, and renewal applications that the Principal Broker or brokerage expressly agrees to handle on behalf of an applicant. Verify completeness and applicable fees and deliver documents to the Commission by the required deadlines. 
• Establish policies for continuing education requirements for all associated licensees in compliance with statutory requirements. 
• Ensure the licenses of all associated licensees and the brokerage firm's license remain current and active. 
• Establish and maintain a training program for associated licensees, including updates to real estate licensing laws, rules, and other related laws and regulations. 
• If management or supervision duties are delegated to one or more brokers in charge, provide written policies and procedures. Retain responsibility for the required education, enforcement, and records. 

2. Mission-Driven Real Estate and Ua Hale Aʻela

• Pilot and implement real estate approaches that help keep homes in local hands, including pathways from renting to homeownership, partnerships with land trusts and community developers, and strategies that help families remain in their communities. 
• Apply an anti-displacement approach to brokerage decisions. 
• Work closely with HCA's financial education and housing counseling teams to connect clients through a coordinated path from credit and savings to homeownership readiness and closing. 
• Bring new ideas to the CEO, test them responsibly, and measure whether they help families stay housed. 
• Oversee all real estate transactions involving the purchase or sale of Ua Hale Aʻela homes, including initial program acquisitions and transactions supporting Ua Hale Aʻela clients purchasing homes from HCA. 
• Ensure transactions meet disclosure, escrow, and regulatory requirements and align with program timelines for readiness and closing. 
• Coordinate with the Housing Division on listing schedules, buyer readiness, and closing timelines for Ua Hale Aʻela units. 
• Supervise market transactions outside the Ua Hale Aʻela program, ensuring they are conducted professionally, reflect HCA's values, and contribute toward brokerage revenue goals. 
• Ensure agents clearly communicate HCA's mission and help clients understand how brokerage revenue supports programs that allow Native Hawaiian families and Hawaiʻi residents to remain in or return to Hawaiʻi. 

3. Property Management Services

• Build and launch HCA's property management service model, policies, and systems in line with HCA's vision, focusing on affordable housing for Ua Hale Aʻela and partner organizations that develop or own affordable housing. 
• Create a tenant-centered approach that combines professional property management with support for residents to remain stably housed, including connections to HCA financial coaching and homeownership preparation. 
• Develop service offerings, pricing, and agreements that are financially sustainable for HCA and affordable for nonprofit and community partners. 
• Ensure property management services meet Hawaiʻi licensing and landlord-tenant requirements and, where applicable, the income, rent, and reporting requirements of affordable housing programs. 
• Oversee property management for Ua Hale Aʻela units in rental status, ensure management aligns with program standards, and coordinate tenant transitions as units move toward sale. 
• Recruit and supervise the Property Manager and future property management staff responsible for tenant communication and maintenance coordination. 
• Build relationships with affordable housing partners and grow the property management portfolio over time. 

4. HOA and Community Association Coordination

• Pursue opportunities for HCA to provide property management or HOA management services when requested by associations created through the Ua Hale Aʻela program. 
• Support newly formed homeowner associations as they transition to independent governance by connecting them with appropriate management services. 
• Help ensure buildings are professionally managed while generating sustainable program revenue for HCA. 

5. Supervision and Team Development

• Supervise, mentor, and train licensed agents operating within the brokerage and provide professional development opportunities. 
• Serve as the escalation point for transaction disputes, contract issues, and client concerns, and provide resolution strategies that protect clients and the organization. 
• Set expectations for professional conduct, transaction management, and mission alignment across the brokerage team. 
• Foster a positive, respectful, and collaborative environment for all agents and staff consistent with HCA's core values. 
• Lead with clear communication, accountability, and support so agents feel respected and motivated in their work. 
• Over time, grow the brokerage into a preferred home for local agents who want their work to strengthen their communities. 

6. Marketing, Partnerships, and Revenue Development

• Work with HCA's communications & marketing team to effectively promote Ua Hale Aʻela and brokerage properties in compliance with Hawaiʻi Real Estate Commission advertising guidelines. 
• Provide accurate, up-to-date information on units preparing for sale, including property details, photos, pricing, and anticipated listing timelines. 
• Coordinate listing materials and disclosures with agents. 
• Ensure Ua Hale Aʻela and external listings align with HCA branding standards. 
• Keep the Housing Division and marketing team current on property availability, listing launches, and sales. 
• Build long-term financial sustainability for brokerage and property management services through responsible transaction volume and management contracts that complement Ua Hale Aʻela. 
• When appropriate, represent buyers or sellers in transactions outside the Ua Hale Aʻela program in alignment with HCA's mission. 
• Monitor the pipeline, including Ua Hale Aʻela sales, external transactions, and property management contracts, to ensure revenue targets and organizational KPIs are being met. 
• Work with the CEO to establish annual performance goals. 
• Support the reinvestment of revenue into HCA's financial education and housing counseling services. 

Additional Duties 

This position description outlines the general responsibilities of the role. Additional duties may be assigned as needed to support the mission and evolving operations of the brokerage, property management services, and Hawaiian Community Assets. 

Measures of Success

• The brokerage is fully compliant, well-managed, and trusted by the Hawaiʻi Real Estate Commission, clients, and partners. 
• Ua Hale Aʻela families move successfully from renting to homeownership readiness and purchase. 
• HCA property management services are launched and serving Ua Hale Aʻela and at least one external affordable housing partner. 
• Brokerage and property management revenue grows and contributes to sustaining HCA programs. 
• Agents and staff work in a positive, collaborative environment and are aligned with HCA's mission. 

Decision Authority & Role Boundaries

This position works closely with the CEO to establish priorities and align brokerage and property management activities with HCA’s mission and organizational goals. Specific decision rights, approval requirements, and role boundaries will be defined with the CEO as the role and services develop.