Director of Placemaking Ventures

The Opportunity

We are seeking a creative, entrepreneurial, and P&L-minded Director of Placemaking Ventures to build and lead a portfolio of regenerative, visitor-focused businesses across MLP’s lands and places. Reporting to the SVP of Community & Place, this position will operate MLP’s existing brand licensing, events and activation businesses, community activations at its town centers, and its Kapalua retail space while developing new experiential ventures.

This is a rare opportunity for a founder-operator who wants to build more than one business. The Director will conceive, test, launch, and scale experiences centered on regenerative ecotourism, agritourism, outdoor recreation, retail, events, and place-based programming that connect visitors and residents with Maui’s land, culture, and food.

This is not a traditional corporate events role. The ideal candidate is equal parts business operator and curator, with the ability to move from a creative concept to a disciplined business case, negotiate commercial agreements, manage operations, and ensure that every detail of the guest experience reflects the character of the place. Each venture should generate recurring income, create local jobs, support Maui businesses, and leave the land and community stronger.

Key Responsibilities

• Business Leadership & Growth: Own the strategy, budget, P&L, and performance of MLP’s experiential and placemaking ventures. Develop annual business plans and growth roadmaps, evaluate new concepts using disciplined business cases and low-capital testing, and drive approved opportunities from pilot through scale.
• Regenerative Ecotourism & Agritourism: Build visitor-focused businesses on MLP lands, including guided land and cultural experiences, farm and ranch tours, farm-to-table concepts, agricultural experiences, stewardship programs, and nature-based recreation. Design experiences that support conservation, restoration, responsible visitation, and meaningful connections with Maui’s land, culture, and food.
• Brand Licensing: Run and grow MLP’s brand licensing business, including the iconic Kapalua butterfly and related marks. Source, negotiate, and manage licensees and agreements; oversee royalty reporting, collections, and compliance; and identify new categories, partners, and channels that build brand equity and income.
• Events & Activations: Lead recurring events, one-of-a-kind experiences, and community activations at Kapalua Village, Hāliʻimaile Town, and other MLP places. Oversee programming, budgets, sponsorships, ticketing, permitting, insurance, safety, logistics, and partner coordination.
• Retail & Experiential Locations: Operate and reimagine MLP’s Kapalua retail space as both a place-based destination and a successful business. Oversee merchandising, product development, vendors and makers, pricing, inventory, staffing, and customer experience, and develop new pop-up or permanent concepts across MLP’s portfolio.
• Partnerships & Commercial Agreements: Structure and manage partnerships, joint ventures, operators, sponsors, vendors, and local entrepreneurs. Negotiate licensing, sponsorship, vendor, operator, and partnership agreements and coordinate with company leadership and legal counsel as appropriate.
• Community, Culture & Collaboration: Build strong relationships with local makers, farmers, cultural practitioners, nonprofits, resort partners, and community organizations. Ensure ventures reflect Maui’s culture, history, and values, create opportunities for local businesses and residents, and align with MLP’s broader real estate, development, agriculture, asset-management, marketing, and company goals.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business, hospitality, marketing, real estate, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 5–10+ years of experience in experiential businesses, hospitality, ecotourism, agritourism, retail, events, brand licensing, destination development, or placemaking, including leadership responsibility.
• A demonstrated record of starting, building, or growing businesses as a founder, intrapreneur, or new-venture operator, with P&L ownership.
• Experience negotiating and managing commercial agreements, including licensing, sponsorship, vendor, operator, or partnership agreements.
• Strong operational skills across events, retail, or hospitality, with the ability to plan, budget, and deliver at a high standard.
• An entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to test ideas, learn from results, and scale successful concepts.
• Exceptional creative judgment and a strong eye for design, curation, and guest experience.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and leadership skills, with the ability to work independently and across teams.
• Experience building or operating ecotourism, agritourism, outdoor recreation, or regenerative tourism businesses is preferred.
• Experience with resort, destination, master-planned community, or mixed-use town-center environments is preferred.
• Background in brand licensing, consumer products, merchandising, retail concept development, festivals, markets, food and beverage events, or cultural programming is a plus.
• Familiarity with Maui and a deep respect for Hawai‘i’s communities, culture, and sense of place is preferred.
• Experience with permitting, insurance, and operational requirements for events and temporary uses in Hawai‘i, as well as managing small teams, contractors, or operating partners, is a plus.

How to Apply

Please submit your resume with professional references and a cover letter outlining your relevant experience and interest in the role to employment@mauiland.com .

More information on Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc.

Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc. (NYSE: MLP) is a historic and significant landowner on the island of Maui, with a legacy of stewardship and a vision for a sustainable future. Our operations span real estate development, sales, and commercial and agricultural leasing. We are dedicated to creating and managing a diversified portfolio of assets that honor our connection to the land, our community, and our shareholders.

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person