PLEASE READ THE JOB DESCRIPTION THOROUGHLY. THIS POSITION IS REMOTE WITH REQUIRED TRAVEL AND THE APPLICANT MUST RESIDE IN HAWAII.

Chief Financial Officer

Job Description

Reports to the Chief Executive Officer

Overview

The Chief Financial Officer of Hawaiʻi Community Lending, Inc (HCL) serves as the executive responsible for directing the organization’s lending, technical assistance, administration, human resources, information technology, external partnerships, and marketing and outreach.

Over the last 20 years, HCL has established itself as a highly respected native community development financial institution that was certified by the US Department of the Treasury in November 2014. Prior to 2014, HCL functioned as a program of its parent corporation, Hawaiian Community Assets, Inc. (HCA), specifically as a mortgage broker and microlender.

The organization’s mission is to increase access to credit and capital for Native Hawaiians and other underserved populations in the State of Hawaii. Its philosophy – kahua waiwai (foundation of wealth) – espouses a sense of place in which it is viewed that every family needs a home, or stable foundation (kahua), in order to share their culture, traditions, spiritual teachings, social networks, connection to the land, and financial resources (waiwai). Foundations, if built properly, will serve and empower our families and communities for generations to come.

We are rooted by a vision that all Native Hawaiians will own a home and reconnect to ʻāina for spirituality, food security, economic self-sufficiency, and healing of generational trauma from the systematic separation of our people from our ancestral lands. When we realize this vision together, our ʻohana will anchor a 21st century Hawaiian economy centered on Hawaiian values, equity, and collective well-being throughout diverse and inclusive communities.

HCL administers two primary funds – the Hawaiʻi Emergency Loan Program and the Hawaiʻi Affordable Housing Fund. HCL originates, processes, underwrites, closes, and services all loans as well as provides mortgage brokering and packaging services to its borrowers. HCA provides development services to all HCL borrowers including financial education, credit counseling, and homebuyer education and pre-purchase counseling. Together, HCL and HCA provide community members with both financial education and the opportunity to act, also known as financial capability. The organizations’ accomplishments have been recognized by Brandeis University as “Empowerment Economics”, a national best practice for native communities and communities of color.

Since its inception in 2002, the organization has served more than 3,000 Hawaii households with grants, loans, and mortgage brokering and packaging services, assisting underserved low- and moderate-income communities access more than $180 million for affordable housing and community development.

HCL is currently governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the HCA Board of Directors. The Boards and Executive Directors of HCL and HCA work closely together to develop and implement shared, culturally-relevant, and comprehensive affordable housing and community development strategies. HCL operates with full-time staff who work remotely and co-locate with HCA at its Financial Opportunity Centers strategically placed in or near undeserved communities within Hawaii’s four counties.

Collaborate and Execute Vision and Strategy

Partner with the CEO, COO, and Board to develop annual and long-term financial strategies to achieve HCL’s strategic objectives and capitalization goals.
Manage strategic financial initiatives with a focus on continuous improvement and cross-department implementation.
Develop and implement financial dashboards, KPIs, and reporting systems for accounting, servicing, compliance, and portfolio management.
Lead implementation of the organization’s capitalization plan including multi-year projections and capital deployment targets tied to strategic lending goals.
Build and maintain financial projections that align with the Strategic Plan and Business Plan assumptions for loan production and earned revenue.
Co-lead planning and execution of major financial systems and software upgrades to improve reporting efficiency, servicing automation, and data integrity across accounting, loan servicing, and compliance functions.
Direct the allocation of financial resources, including departmental budget and staffing, to maximize impact, scalability, and mission success.
Translate strategic vision into financial action plans and production and performance metrics across finance, servicing, compliance, and risk.
Oversee financial policies and controls to manage fiscal, regulatory, institutional, and portfolio risk in partnership with the COO and compliance division.
Participate in monthly strategic partnership meetings to monitor mortgage lending and loan servicing compliance and risk exposure.
Represent the CEO when assigned, ensuring alignment of financial decision-making with HCL’s mission and Hawaiian values.
Provide financial reporting on strategic and fiscal goals, financial risks, loan fund performance, and key performance indicators to the CEO and Board of Directors.
Ensure alignment between HCL and Hawaiian Community Assets, Inc. through joint planning, collaboration, and implementation of services and products.

Financial Management and Administrative Oversight

Oversee all financial functions, including accounting, portfolio management, compliance and reporting, risk management, servicing, and cash and investment management.
Develop predictive financial models tied to loan growth scenarios, portfolio risk thresholds, liquidity requirements, and reserve policies as outlined in the Business Plan.
Develop, implement, and continually refine financial policies, SOPs, internal controls, and reporting procedures that reflect best practices, compliance needs, and borrower-centered systems.
Supervise and mentor Finance Director, Servicing Director, and Compliance & Reporting Manager to ensure performance, efficiency, and accountability.
Lead annual audit preparation, 990 filing, and funder and investor reporting responsibilities.
Oversee loan servicing operations, loan portfolio monitoring, investor covenant tracking, loan loss mitigation, and liquidity and reserve modeling.
Develop financial plans, budgets, forecasts, and investment strategies that support organizational growth and sustainability.
Ensure HCL’s data management infrastructure supports accurate reporting of financial impacts and lending performance, including loan production, leverage metrics, and portfolio health indicators.
Direct the evaluation, selection, and implementation of financial systems, loan servicing software, general ledger tools, and data management platforms.
Manage implementation of integrated financial dashboards used by senior leadership and the Board for performance monitoring and decision-making.
Review departmental budgets and oversee costs to meet financial targets; provide financial guidance to senior directors and department heads.
Receive reports from Finance, Servicing, and Compliance leadership and provide updates to the CEO, COO, and Board.

Compliance, Risk, and Loan Portfolio Management

Function as HCL’s risk manager, implementing systems that prevent loan portfolio losses, ensure audit readiness, and meet investor requirements.
Create and maintain a comprehensive internal audit and compliance calendar for funders, investors, lenders, and federal reporting cycles.
Ensure compliance with capital covenant requirements related to loan fund investments and federal grant obligations, reducing financial and reputational risk.
Establish and monitor portfolio risk thresholds for delinquency rates, charge-offs, reserve ratios, and loan concentration limits based on Strategic Plan objectives.
Oversee design and administration of risk mitigation tools, including risk pools, reserve funds, and insurance or reinsurance strategies for course-of-construction, hurricane, and natural disaster lending.
Protect organizational assets by maintaining internal controls, examining financial and loan commitments, performing due diligence, and implementing insurance coverage as appropriate.
Ensure legal and regulatory compliance for all financial functions, including GAAP, federal and state nonprofit law, loan servicing regulations, mortgage broker requirements, and CDFI reporting mandates.
Oversee cash flow modeling, reserves, capital structures, loan fund liquidity, and risk mitigation strategies for portfolio stability.
Develop and maintain responsive financial information systems, including loan databases, general ledger structures, fund accounting frameworks, and grant or contract reporting requirements.
Ensure the timely preparation, accuracy, and usefulness of financial statements, investor reports, grant reports, and Board reporting.

External Relations and Financial Partnerships

Cultivate and steward strong relationships with investors, funders, lenders, financial institutions, philanthropic partners, auditors, rating entities, and government agencies.
Assist CEO with implementation of the organization’s annual capital plan and strategies.
Serve as primary financial liaison to financial partners, public agencies overseeing CDFIs and lending programs, and HCL fund investors.
Develop financing partnerships with public and private housing entities statewide to expand subsidy availability and construction capital.
Lead financial due diligence for grants, loans, investments, insurance mechanisms, and strategic partnerships designed to expand capital access.
Assist with annual investor and funder recognition activities, including the Hui Waiwai investor event and related reporting packages.
Support the CEO and Board in identifying, securing, and structuring new funding and capitalization opportunities, including loan participations, revolving loan funds, and public–private finance structures.
Represent HCL in presentations to the Board finance committee, funders, investors, and public-sector partners to communicate financial performance and risk.

Human Capital and Culture

Build and sustain a culture of continuous improvement rooted in Native Hawaiian values and organizational integrity.
Support leadership development and succession planning across the finance, servicing, compliance, and reporting teams.
Provide financial and compliance training to build internal capacity among servicing, lending, and portfolio management staff.
Ensure transparent and equitable financial performance evaluation systems, compensation processes, and staff development opportunities.
Support cultural and community engagement priorities by providing financial information, impact data, and strategic financial context for community storytelling, investor communications, and Board messaging.
Identify and remove systemic barriers that impact operational efficiency and financial service delivery.
Support the COO and operations team in training, internal communications, and staff financial literacy capacity-building.

Technology, Systems, and Financial Infrastructure

Direct and oversee software upgrade planning for financial systems including loan servicing platforms, accounting systems, reporting dashboards, and integration with Salesforce, Asana, SharePoint, and cloud data storage in partnership with the COO.
Direct implementation and enhancement of accounting software, loan portfolio systems, financial data dashboards, compliance and reporting tools, and investor reporting platforms.
Ensure all financial technology upgrades include defined data quality controls, process mapping, and cross-department adoption training.
Ensure data integrity, security, and privacy across financial systems in partnership with the COO and IT oversight.
Lead vendor negotiation and contracts related to financial management systems, audits, servicing platforms, and investment management tools.
Implement system solutions to support rolling 12-month strategic finance planning and Business Plan performance tracking.

Perform other duties as assigned by the Chief Executive Officer

HCL uses a range of technology and software platforms to support its work including Salesforce, Asana, SharePoint, Microsoft Office, Teams, and OneDrive. The organization’s PEO, ALTRES, processes payroll through its HR Symphony system.

Qualifications

10+ years of progressive financial leadership, including 5+ years at the senior or executive level.
Demonstrated experience in nonprofit financial management, GAAP standards, fund accounting, risk mitigation, compliance and reporting, and/or lending.
Direct experience overseeing audits, managing budgets, and designing internal control systems.
Demonstrated ability to lead diverse teams, mentor directors, and strengthen financial infrastructure.
Experience in loan portfolio management, financial modeling, audits, complex financing, or asset-based lending preferred.
Demonstrated success supervising accounting, servicing, compliance, or portfolio teams.
Excellent analytical and strategic skills, with the ability to evaluate financial information, identify risk, and make actionable recommendations.
Experience working with Boards of Directors and finance committees.

Preferred

CPA, MBA, or master’s degree in finance, accounting, or related field.
Experience working in CDFIs, lending institutions, mortgage servicing, or financial risk environments.
Experience managing federal or state grant portfolios and reporting requirements.
Familiarity with financial technology integrations (loan management systems, GL systems, servicing platforms).

Values & Mission Fit

Commitment to Native Hawaiian values and community wealth building.
Ability to collaborate with partners, investors, funders, and government agencies.
Strong communication skills with ability to present complex financial data to non-financial audiences.
Understanding of Native Hawaiian values and willingness to advance a mission grounded in community self-determination.

Compensation

Salaried position starting at $165,000 annually, commensurate with experience.
Healthcare, Temporary Disability, Workers Compensation Insurance, Group Life Insurance
Paid Holiday Leave and Paid Time Off after 6 months of employment
401(k) match after 12 months of employment
Professional development trainings in Hawaiʻi and the continental United States

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $165,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k)
Dental insurance
Employee discount
Health insurance
Paid time off

Application Question(s):

Do you reside in the State of Hawaii?

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Hilo, HI 96720

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