Research Project Manager

Oregon Health & Science University; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 72,000 - 121,000; Part time

Job summary

Oregon Health & Science University seeks a Research Project Manager to oversee a diverse portfolio of cannabis, sleep, and occupational health studies under the direction of Dr. Bowles.

The RPM translates study priorities into coordinated activities for the research team and ensures timeliness across projects. The role requires managing IRB, regulatory processes, start-up to close-out, recruitment, data management, and coordination with cores and external vendors.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in a relevant field with 3 years of clinical or human-subjects research experience.
• Equivalent combination of Bachelor's in a relevant field with training and experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee a portfolio of research projects and staff under the PI.
• Translate study priorities into coordinated team activities and timelines.
• Manage start-up, active studies, and close-out; ensure IRB and regulatory compliance.
• Coordinate recruitment, data collection, and regulatory requirements (FDA/IND, controlled substances).
• Provide on-site leadership, set expectations, and support staff across concurrent studies.
• Coordinate interactions with research cores, vendors, and regulatory groups.
• Assist with grant submissions, progress reports, manuscripts, and project implementations.
• Ensure SOPs and staff training; manage scheduling and resources.

Skills

Project management

Regulatory knowledge

Team coordination

Grant writing

Data management

Education

Master's degree

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Research Project Manager

US-OR-Portland

Requisition ID: 2026-41808

Position Category: Research

Job Type: Research

Position Type: Regular Part-Time

Posting Department: Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences

Posting Salary Range: $72,446 - $120,764 per year, with offer based on experience, education and internal equity (prorated for part-time)

Posting FTE: 0.50

Posting Schedule: Monday - Friday

Posting Hours: Days (occasional schedule flexibility may be needed)

HR Mission: Research

Drug Testable: No

Department Overview

The Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences is an independent research institute within OHSU that is dedicated to health and safety in the workplace. The Institute receives its base funding from the Oregon Workers' Compensation Fund and leverages this base funding to secure federal government grants in basic, clinical, and applied research. We perform biomedical/occupational research and innovation for a healthy workforce, aimed at promoting health and reducing disease and disability among workers across the nation, particularly in Oregon.

Function/Duties of Position

The research project manager (RPM) will oversee a diverse portfolio of research projects and a team of research staff under the direction of Dr. Nicole Bowles (PI and supervisor).

• The laboratory's research spans two primary areas:
  • Studies examining the interrelationships among cannabis and related substances, sleep, circadian rhythms, and health; and
  • Occupational health research with firefighters, first responders, and other high-risk worker populations, with a focus on sleep, circadian disruption, and modifiable working conditions.
• Projects include longitudinal observational and field-based studies, controlled human laboratory studies, and translational research requiring coordination across human, preclinical, and regulatory activities.
• The principal responsibility of this position is providing operational leadership across the laboratory's research portfolio by translating study and program priorities into coordinated activities for the research team.
• Working with the PI, the project manager will establish project plans, timelines, responsibilities, and milestones; delegate activities to research staff; and ensure that required activities are completed on schedule and to appropriate standards.
• This includes oversight of new study start-up, active studies, and study close-out; IRB and regulatory requirements; recruitment and participant scheduling; data collection and management; and FDA/IND and controlled-substance requirements as applicable.
• The project manager will anticipate deadlines and resource needs, identify operational barriers, and work with staff and the PI to resolve or elevate issues as appropriate.
• The position provides indirect leadership and daily oversight to research staff, students, and volunteers, including setting clear expectations, helping staff prioritize competing responsibilities for projects, providing timely and constructive feedback, and holding team members accountable for assigned work and study milestones.
• The RPM will ensure appropriate staff training and protocol adherence and coordinate staffing and resources across concurrent studies as directed by the PI/supervisor.
• The RPM will also coordinate interactions with research cores, external vendors, and regulatory groups and ensure that resulting activities, documentation, and deliverables are completed as required.
• Additional responsibilities include coordinating materials and staff activities needed for grant submissions and progress reports, manuscripts and presentations, study documentation, and the implementation of newly funded projects.
• By coordinating people, resources, regulatory activities, and study timelines across the laboratory's research portfolio, the RPM will provide the operational structure necessary to advance an interdisciplinary research program spanning mechanistic, clinical, and applied occupational science.

Required Qualifications

• Master's in relevant field AND 3 years ofrelevant experience in clinical or human-subjectsresearch. OR
• Equivalent combination of Bachelor's in relevantfield in conjunction with training and experiencemay be considered.
• Experience in clinical or human-subjects research,including experience with complex, longitudinal,interventional, and/or federally funded researchstudies), and understanding of human-subjectregulatory requirements, such as GCP (Good
  Clinical Practice), FDA/ICH requirements, IRBprocesses, and HIPAA.
• Experience performingresearch project, program, or laboratorymanagement functions, including coordinatingday-to-day operations across multiple concurrent
  studies or projects.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant fieldand at least 5 years ofprogressively responsible
  experience in clinical or human subjects research, includingexperience with complex,
  longitudinal, interventional, and/orfederally funded research studies,as well as at least 2 years ofexperience performing researchproject, program, or laboratory
  management functions, includingcoordinating day-to-day operationsacross multiple concurrent studiesor projects.
• Experience in research involvingsleep/circadian rhythms, cannabisor substance use, occupationalhealth, or first-responderpopulations.
• Formal training certificate (e.g.,SoCRA, CRA), coursework, and/orexperience in project management.
• Knowledge/use of project management approaches and toolsfor tracking responsibilities,dependencies, timelines,milestones, and deliverables.
• Experience in data collection,management, and processing,including computing descriptivestatistics and making charts andgraphs.
• Prior involvement in studiesregulated under an FDA IND orIDE (Investigational DeviceExemption.
• Understanding of DEA controlled substance regulations, including storage, security, inventory, andrecordkeeping.
• Ability to draft, implement, andoversee standard operatingprocedures (SOPs) for handlingSchedule I substances.
• Prior experience with grant writing,progress reports, or manuscriptpreparation.

Additional Details

Working hours are typically weekday daytime hours. This is a 0.5 FTE position with work hours distributedacross at least four weekdays to provide continuity for research operations, staff coordination, and projectoversight.

Occasional schedule flexibility may be required for time-sensitive study or regulatory needs; however, routine evening, overnight, and weekend work is not expected. The position requires regular on-site work and may require occasional travel. Some teleworking may be negotiated.

Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

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