Navigating Career Opportunities at Portland State University
Portland State University (PSU), Oregon’s urban public research university, offers a diverse range of job opportunities, reflecting its commitment to academic excellence, community engagement, and a vibrant urban environment. With a motto of "Let Knowledge Serve the City," PSU seeks talented individuals who align with its mission, values, and strategic goals. This article provides an overview of the types of positions available at PSU, spanning from faculty and administrative roles to support staff and adjunct positions.
Leadership and Administrative Roles
PSU frequently seeks visionary and strategic leaders to guide various departments and initiatives. These roles often involve overseeing operations, managing staff, and driving the university's mission forward.
- Executive Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (ED of DEI): This role requires a visionary, relational, and strategic leader to champion diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across the university.
- Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs: PSU seeks nominations and applications for this position, which involves providing academic leadership and strategic direction for the university.
- Vice Provost for Strategic Enrollment & Student Engagement (VPSESE): Reporting to the Provost, the VPSESE provides vision, leadership, and strategic direction for Portland State University’s efforts to attract, retain, and graduate a diverse and thriving student body.
- Director of Research Integrity and Compliance Programs: This director oversees the operations and supervises staff supporting specific research integrity and regulatory compliance programs housed in the office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies (RGS) at PSU.
- Departmental Research Administration (DRA) Manager: This professional staff member of Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) is 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.
- Manager, Financial Services Center: This leadership role, reporting to the Assistant Controller, is dedicated to driving operational excellence within PSU’s Financial Service Center. The Manager directly oversees the Financial Service Center team responsible for Accounts Payable and Procurement Card processes, as well as certain aspects of Vendor Management and Travel.
- Native American Student & Community Center (NASCC) Assistant Director (AD): The AD provides leadership to the NASCC and is responsible for the hiring, evaluation, and supervision of center staff. The AD manages the center’s daily operations, including public relations efforts and helping leadership with fundraising efforts and strategic initiatives.
- Campus Police Chief: The Campus Police Chief administers, plans, and directs all services provided by the Campus Public Safety Office as a model of 21st Century community policing.
- Director of Ticket Sales and Service: Under the direction of the Associate AD for External Affairs, the Director of Ticket Sales and Service will provide leadership and strategic direction for the ticket sales and service unit within Athletics.
- Agreements Specialist: This professional staff member in the office of Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) is responsible for University-wide administration of external funding received by the University in the form of grants and agreements for research and other scholarly activity.
- Coordinator of the Basic Needs Hub: Situated within the Division of Student Affairs, the Coordinator of the Basic Needs Hub serves as a primary point of contact for PSU students facing housing insecurity, food insecurity, and other basic needs barriers.
Faculty Positions
PSU offers a variety of faculty positions across its diverse academic departments, seeking educators and researchers committed to innovative teaching and scholarly activity.
- Assistant Professor Positions: PSU frequently seeks full-time Assistant Professors in various disciplines, such as Architecture (Tectonics, Building Construction, and Materials; Architectural Theory and History; Sustainable Design and Technology) and Electrical and Computer Engineering.
- Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in Architecture: The School of Architecture seeks to hire a full-time tenure-track Assistant Professor to teach structures with building technology and architectural design studio. Candidates will be expected to embrace the culture of making at the heart of our pedagogy through creative teaching strategies, critical perspectives and innovative practices.
- Non-Tenure Track Faculty (NTTF) Assistant Professor of Practice in Power Systems: The Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department seeks outstanding candidates for a Non-Tenure Track Faculty (NTTF) Assistant Professor of Practice in Power Systems. This teaching position focuses teaching in both undergraduate and graduate courses in a broad range of courses in electrical engineering.
- Adjunct Instructors: PSU's academic departments, including Applied Linguistics, Speech and Hearing Sciences, History, Environmental Science and Management (ESM), Gender, Race, and Nations, and Mechanical & Materials Engineering, often seek part-time Adjunct Instructors with expertise in specific areas to teach undergraduate and graduate courses.
Other Academic Opportunities
- Technical and Professional Writing Instructors: Qualified instructors are needed to teach undergraduate and graduate level courses in Technical and Professional Writing through its online option and statewide through its on campus and satellite options.
- Clinical Adjunct Instructors: Portland State University’s Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences is seeking local Clinical Adjunct Instructors to join our instructional team. In this role, you will contribute to graduate-level supervision of clinical practica, helping to train future speech-language pathologists in real-world clinical skills.
- Comics Studies Program Instructors: The Comics Studies Program is looking for qualified instructors to teach a variety of courses including the specialties of Publishing Editing.
Staff Positions
PSU also offers a range of staff positions that support the university's operations and provide essential services to students, faculty, and the community.
- Campus Police Officers: Portland State University Campus Police Officers are responsible for maintaining peace and public safety through enforcement of laws, performing traffic control, and providing emergency services on the Portland State University campus, to include the adjacent community.
- Banquet Attendants: University Place Hotel and Conference Center is seeking three (3) On-Call Intermittent Banquet Attendants at 0.4 FTE each to join our in-house team. In this role, you will ensure the seamless execution of events throughout the year.
- Carpentry Construction, Maintenance and Repair: This position performs journey-level commercial carpentry construction, maintenance and repair on the interior and exterior areas of campus buildings.
- Early Childhood Substitute Assistant Teacher: The Early Childhood Substitute Assistant Teacher works as needed across the programs as a support member of a teaching team in one of the Center’s classrooms. The Early Childhood Substitute Assistant works cooperatively with the other classroom teachers to plan and implement a model early childhood program.
Anticipated Future Openings
PSU frequently collects applications for future openings in various departments and programs. These include:
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- Business Administration Instructors: Applications are collected for future openings to teach courses in management, in either the School of Business undergraduate or graduate programs. Courses are offered in person, online, and/or in a hybrid format.
- Business Technology & Analytics Instructors: Applications are collected for a future part-time position to teach Business Technology & Analytics courses in the School of Business undergraduate or graduate programs. Classes are taught in person, online, and/or in a hybrid format.
- Real Estate Instructors: Applications are collected for a future position to teach Real Estate courses in the School of Business undergraduate or graduate programs. Classes are taught in person, online, and/or in a hybrid format.
- Art Practice, Art History, Graphic Design and the CORE program Instructors: This posting represents a pool for new potential part time instructors to fill course openings in 2025-26 academic year. This posting should be used by new applicants applying to Art Practice, Art History, Graphic Design and the CORE program.
- Psychology: The Psychology department collects applications on an ongoing basis to fill vacancies throughout the academic year.
- University Studies Program: University Studies Program collects new applications throughout the academic year to fill vacancies.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Portland State University has an innovative approach to education that includes promoting access, inclusion and equity as pillars of excellence, and delivering on our access mission, contributing to a highly educated and diverse community. PSU seeks talented individuals who understand our mission, values and strategic goals and enjoy sharing ideas and collaborating in an environment of mutual respect to achieve those values and goals. We are committed to leading through engagement and seek individuals who support this strategy. The University's 49-acre downtown campus exhibits Portland State's commitment to sustainability with green buildings and many of the 124 bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees incorporate sustainability into the curriculum.
PSU’s BSW Program emphasizes critical thinking, innovative pedagogy, anti-oppressive, equity-aligned, and transformative social work practice. The Child, Youth, and Family Studies program (CYFS) uses a justice-minded orientation to understand both the history and contemporary social positions of children, youth, and families.
Read also: Exploring the University of Portland
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