Departmental Research Administration; DRA Manager

Position Summary

Portland State University is Oregon’s most affordable public research university, located in the heart of one of America’s most dynamic cities. Our mission to “let knowledge serve the city” reflects our dedication to turning ideas into action — in Portland and around the world. The city is our campus, giving students unmatched access to career connections, a vibrant cultural scene and hands‑on learning experiences with hundreds of community partners.

More than 20,000 students from all backgrounds bring diverse perspectives to our classrooms and campus life, from the tree‑lined Park Blocks to the bustling Urban Plaza and state‑of‑the‑art science labs. We are proud of our world‑class faculty, groundbreaking research and international reputation for excellence in sustainability, community engagement and innovation.

The Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) unit within Research and Strategic Partnerships (RSP) serves as the central administrative unit at PSU responsible for assisting faculty and staff with activities related to the lifecycle of sponsored project administration. The mission of Departmental Research Administration Support is to facilitate research and provide research administration expertise to principal investigators for the entire lifecycle of sponsored projects, by reducing administrative burdens and navigating institutional, state, sponsor and federal policies and regulations.

The Departmental Research Administration (DRA) Manager is a professional staff member of Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA), the centralized administrative unit at Portland State University (PSU) responsible for University‑wide administration of external funding received by the University in the form of grants and contracts for research and other scholarly activity. SPA staff provide expertise and professional support to faculty and staff throughout the sponsored projects lifecycle.

The DRA Manager leads a team of Departmental Research Administrators responsible for providing financial and budget administration support to Principal Investigators of sponsored projects. In addition to supervising, training, and mentoring DRAs and managing the team’s workload, the DRA Manager resolves complex issues escalated from other team members and works to ensure the fulfillment of post‑award obligations, compliance and commitments.

• Supervise, train, and mentor a team of Departmental Research Administrators.
• Manage the team’s workload and resolve complex issues escalated from team members.
• Ensure the fulfillment of post‑award obligations, compliance and commitments for sponsored projects.
• Collaborate with faculty, administrators and sponsors to navigate institutional, state, sponsor and federal policies.
• Support flexible scheduling and limited remote work in accordance with university policy.

Bachelor’s degree and three or more years of related experience*

• A Master’s Degree may substitute for a portion of the experience requirement.

• Interpreting and applying federal and state laws and regulations, including experience in financial management of sponsored awards.
• Experience using financial accounting systems or fund accounting systems.
• Working knowledge of federal regulations governing research (e.g., OMB Uniform Guidance, Federal Acquisition Regulations, and sponsor policies).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to learn quickly, apply creativity, understand complex processes and procedures, prioritize workload, set and meet deadlines, and perform well with a minimum of direct supervision.
• Demonstrated commitment to excellent customer service and focus on customer support.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to learn quickly, apply creativity, and manage complex processes and deadlines.
• Demonstrated commitment to excellent customer service.
• Ability to monitor and communicate project status and keep multiple projects on track.
• Interpersonal skills for inter‑departmental communication and team‑building in a complex institutional setting.
• Technical…