Department Manager

Career Center at Portland State University; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 58,956 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits

Retirement plan

Tuition remission for employee/spouse/

Vacation / leave benefits

Job summary

Career Center at Portland State University seeks a Department Manager to lead operations for the Department of Economics. The role supervises admin staff, manages budgets and HR, and coordinates marketing and student success initiatives within a complex university environment.

The position reports to the Department Chair, collaborates with the Assistant Dean, and serves as a key operations liaison across PSU.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree plus 2+ years minimum work-related experience.
• Minimum 1 year supervising and managing support staff and/or student employees.
• Demonstrated ability in program management and project coordination.
• Ability to problem-solve and collaborate across a large organization.
• Self-starter, able to work independently as well as with teams/committees.
• Excellent oral and written communication; strong customer service to internal/external partners.
• Ability to plan and organize activities to meet deadlines and ensure accuracy.
• Experience with data analysis, complex databases, reporting tools, and producing reports/recommendations.
• Successful completion of a background check.

Responsibilities

• Lead administrator in the academic unit responsible for operations, budget management, HR, marketing, and student success initiatives.
• Supervise department administrative staff and ensure policy compliance in a complex university environment.
• Coordinate with Department Chair, Finance & Administration, Dean’s Office, and campus staff.
• Provide oversight for all administrative components within the department to ensure continuous operations.

Skills

Supervise staff

Program management

Data analysis

Customer service

Communication skills

Project coordination

Attention to detail

Independent work

Planning & organizing

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Banner

Datamaster/Cognos

Graphic design software

Web CMS

Excel

Job description

Position Summary

Position Announcement

The Department Manager position is the lead administrator in the academic unit responsible for operations, budget management, HR, marketing, and student success initiatives, while supervising department administrative support staff. The role provides oversight for all administrative components within the department to ensure continuous operations and policy compliance in a complex university environment. The position reports directly to the Department Chair and works closely with the Assistant Dean for Finance & Administration, staff in the Dean’s Office, other Department Managers within CUPA, and campus staff.

Domain: Department of Economics, Portland State University. For more information about the department, see https://www.pdx.edu/economics/.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree plus 2+ years minimum work-related experience
• Minimum 1 year successfully demonstrated ability to supervise, train, and manage support staff and/or student employees
• Demonstrated ability in program management/project coordination skills
• Ability to successfully problem‑solve and collaborate with colleagues at all levels within a large organization
• Self‑starter, able to work independently as well as participate effectively with teams and/or committees
• Effective oral and written communication skills; demonstrated ability to provide excellent customer service to internal and external partners
• Demonstrated ability to effectively plan and organize activities within a unit to meet deadlines and follow‑through on commitments
• Demonstrated ability to perform very detailed work with a high level of accuracy
• Experience with performing appropriate data analysis, working with complex databases, reporting tools/techniques, and producing reports and/or recommendations
• Successful completion of a background check.

Preferred Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience working in higher education
• Experience managing budgets
• Experience working with Banner, Datamaster/Cognos or similar enterprise systems
• Experience with graphic design software and web CMS
• Intermediate level (or higher) expertise with Excel.

Key Cultural Competencies

• Create an environment that acknowledges, encourages, and celebrates differences.
• Function and communicate effectively and respectfully within the context of varying beliefs, behaviors, orientations, identities, and cultural backgrounds.
• Seek opportunities to gain experience working and collaborating in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive settings with a willingness to change for continual improvement.
• Adhere to all of PSU’s policies including the policies on Prohibited Discrimination & Harassment and the Professional Standards of Conduct.

Environmental Stewardship

Contributes to a culture of environmental stewardship, practices resource conservation, and actively works toward achieving long‑term sustainability goals.

Work Days/Hours

Monday‑Friday, 40 hours per week, schedule to be determined.

Total Compensation and Benefits

Salary is dependent on several factors; new employees will typically start around the Q1 level to allow for later growth. The starting annual salary for this position will be between $58,956 and $62,000, but may be negotiated above this range based on experience, budget, and HR approval.

An excellent benefits package includes 95% premium‑paid healthcare; a generous retirement and vacation package; and reduced tuition rates for employee, spouse, or dependent at any of the Oregon University System schools.

For a full view of the benefits package, see our total compensation calculator.

Position Details

• Proposed Start Date: 08/03/2026
• Classification Title: Administrative Support; Rank: N – No Rank
• Position Number: D93453
• FTE: 1.0; Tenure Status: N – not applicable
• Renewable: Yes; End date if applicable: (not specified)

Job Duration

12‑month appointment, renewable.

Notes

This position is a full‑time, campus‑based role and is eligible for the benefits described above. Applications will be accepted until the posting closes.