TERA Hub Launch Manager

OSU Oregon State University; Corvallis (OR); On-site; USD 78,000 - 86,000; Full time

Job summary

OSU Oregon State University in Corvallis is seeking a TERA Hub Launch Manager to steer startup activities for large, complex, multi-institutional research awards. You will lead team onboarding, hiring, procurement, documentation, and cross-unit coordination to ensure rapid transition from award to operation.

The role emphasizes collaboration with faculty, administrators, and external partners, managing multiple projects, and promoting equitable engagement while maintaining compliance and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; one year of professional experience in operational leadership or research administration.
• Two years of professional experience coordinating complex projects or programs.
• Experience managing multiple priorities and coordinating across units.
• Ability to work with diverse internal and external partners and promote equitable engagement.
• Experience developing project plans, timelines, monitoring systems, and reports.
• Ability to work independently while coordinating across multiple units.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to interpret and implement complex information.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary launch coordinator for newly funded large, multi-institutional awards.
• Develop startup and implementation plans to move projects from award to operation.
• Create and maintain project timelines, milestones, and governance structures.
• Coordinate hiring, onboarding, procurement, contracting, and labor distribution.
• Facilitate team onboarding, partner engagement, and transition of responsibilities.
• Collaborate with Principal Investigators and institutional partners to remove launch barriers.
• Support collaboration among faculty, staff, students, and external partners; organize meetings and workshops.
• Contribute to hub tools, workflows, and best practices; document lessons learned.

Skills

Operational leadership

Research administration

Project coordination

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Independent decision making

Prioritization

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

Job description

Job Summary

The Division of Research and Innovation is seeking a TERA Hub Launch Manager. This is a full-time (1.00 FTE), 12-month, professional faculty position. The TERA Solutions Hub within the Division of Research and Innovation is seeking a dynamic Launch Manager to provide specialized startup support for newly funded large, complex, and multi-institutional research awards. This role will be focused on supporting research teams as they transition rapidly from award notification to project execution. Working as part of the TERA (Transdisciplinary, Translational, and Engaged Research Advancement) Solutions Hub, this position coordinates critical project launch activities including team formation, project planning, hiring, onboarding, procurement, partner engagement, project documentation, communications, compliance processes, and operational readiness. The TERA Hub is a resource for all faculty, students, industry, government, and community members to collectively innovate to address Oregon’s most pressing problems via co-developed, team-based research. TERA is designed to empower teams to quickly move from idea to application by providing leadership training, space for transdisciplinary collaboration, and project management training and tools. The Launch Manager serves as a key resource during the highest-risk startup phase of a project, maintaining a portfolio of multiple awards (3-5 concurrent projects for 3-12 months per project) and establishing the systems, administrative and fiscal management structures, and relationships needed for success before transitioning responsibilities to permanent project staff or long-term project managers. This position develops and maintains systems, processes, and procedures to ensure timely and effective workflow on the projects they support. This role also focuses on collaboration and maintaining relationships with internal and external stakeholders to facilitate program compliance support and promotion.

Key Responsibilities

• Research Project Launch and Startup Planning – Serve as the primary launch coordinator for newly funded large, complex, and multi-institutional research awards, developing startup and implementation plans to move projects efficiently from award to operation.
• Project Management and Tracking – Develop and maintain project timelines, milestones, governance structures, communication plans, tracking systems, and project management tools that support successful project implementation.
• Operational and Administrative Coordination – Coordinate startup activities including hiring, onboarding, procurement, contracting, labor distribution, documentation, compliance, reporting systems, and access to facilities and research infrastructure.
• Team Formation, Onboarding, and Transition – Coordinate project kickoff meetings, team onboarding, partner engagement, and team alignment, and support the transition and handoff of responsibilities to permanent project personnel.
• Cross-Unit and Institutional Coordination – Partner with Principal Investigators, the OSU Division of Research and Innovation, colleges and administrative units, and other institutional partners to identify and address barriers affecting project launch and execution.
• Collaboration and Partnership Facilitation – Coordinate communication and collaboration among faculty, staff, students, community partners, industry, government agencies, sponsors, and collaborating institutions; facilitate meetings, workshops, project reviews, and partnership discussions.
• Team Effectiveness and Collaborative Practices – Help project teams establish shared goals, communication structures, roles, governance practices, and collaborative ways of working that strengthen team performance and project delivery.
• TERA Solutions Hub Development, Assessment, and Capacity Building – Contribute to TERA Solutions Hub tools, templates, workflows, and best practices; document lessons learned; support assessment and professional development; contribute to training; and assist with metrics, case studies, and reports demonstrating the impact of TERA Launch services.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree AND one (1) year progressively responsible professional experience in operational leadership, research administration, facilitating industry and community partnerships, higher education operations, or related environment.
• Two years of professional experience coordinating complex projects, programs, strategic initiatives, or research activities.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple priorities, expectations, needs simultaneously.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with internal and external partners from a variety of backgrounds, and a demonstrable commitment to promoting and enhancing equitable engagement in teams.
• Experience developing project plans, timelines, monitoring systems, and reports.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently while coordinating across multiple organizational units.
• Strong organizational skills with the demonstrated ability to be proactive, prioritize work across multiple projects, and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret, explain, and implement complex information.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills with strong attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to make independent decisions and recommendations which align with policies, and act as a resource to a wide variety of constituents.
• This position is designated as a critical or security-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a criminal history check and be determined to be position qualified as per University Standard: 05-010 et seq. Incumbents are required to self-report convictions and those in youth programs may have additional criminal history checks every 24 months.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree.
• Five years of professional experience coordinating complex projects, programs, strategic initiatives, or research activities.
• Experience supporting federally funded research and/or infrastructure programs and projects.
• Experience facilitating collaboration among diverse partners, including industry, government, nonprofit, tribal, and community groups.
• Experience in higher education, research administration, research development, sponsored programs administration, or project management.
• Experience supporting multi-institutional, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, or community-engaged initiatives.
• Knowledge of federal funding agencies and sponsored project requirements.
• Experience coordinating hiring, procurement processes, budget management, or project operations.

Working Conditions/Schedule

This position typically requires in-person presence, though a hybrid or remote work agreement with occasional travel may be considered for the right candidate. This position may arrange a flexible work schedule (https://hr.oregonstate.edu/remote-work) as agreed upon by the employee and supervisor. The position manages a portfolio of multiple projects simultaneously, requiring flexibility, adaptability, and the ability to respond effectively to changing project needs and timelines. Occasional evening or weekend work may be required to support project launches, stakeholder meetings, or special events. Limited in-state or out-of-state travel may be required.

Salary Range

$78,000 - $85,740

Background Check Requirement

If this position has “critical or security-sensitive” responsibilities and/or driving duties and you are selected as a finalist, your initial job offer will be contingent upon the results of a job‑related pre‑employment check (such as a background check, motor vehicle history check, sexual misconduct reference check, etc.). Background check results do not automatically disqualify a candidate. Take a look at our Background Checks website including the for candidates section for more details. If you have questions or concerns about the pre‑employment check, please contact OSU’s Employee and Labor Relations team at [e-mail].

Equal Opportunity Statement

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability, protected veteran, and other protected status. OSU will conduct a review of the National Sex Offender Public website prior to hire. OSU is a fair chance employer committed to inclusive hiring. We encourage applications from candidates who bring a wide range of lived experience including involvement with the justice system.

Locations

Locations: Oregon State has a statewide presence with campuses in Corvallis and Bend, the OSU Portland Center and the Hatfield Marine Science Center on the Pacific Coast in Newport. Oregon State’s beautiful, historic and state‑of‑the‑art main campus is located in one of America’s best college towns. Corvallis is located close to the Pacific Ocean, the Cascade mountains and Oregon wine country. Nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley, this beautiful city offers miles of mountain biking and hiking trails, a river perfect for boating or kayaking and an eclectic downtown featuring local cuisine, popular events and performances.

OSU Facts

• Top 1.4% university in the world
• More research funding than all public universities in Oregon combined
• 1 of 3 land, sea, space and sun grant universities in the U.S.
• 2 campuses, 11 colleges, 12 experiment stations, and Extension programs in all 36 counties
• 7 cultural resource centers that offer education, celebration and belonging for everyone
• 100+ undergraduate degree programs, 80+ graduate degrees plus hundreds of minor options and certificates
• 35k+ students including more than 2.3k international students and 10k students of color
• 217k+ alumni worldwide

Total Rewards Package

• Medical, Dental, Vision and Basic Life
• OSU pays 95% of premiums for you and your eligible dependents
• Free confidential mental health and emotional support services, and counseling resources
• Retirement savings paid by the university
• A generous paid leave package, including holidays, vacation and sick leave
• Tuition reduction benefits for you or your qualifying dependents at OSU or the additional six Oregon Public Universities
• Robust Work Life programs including Dual Career assistance resources, flexible work arrangements, a Family Resource Center, Affinity Groups and an Employee Assistance Program
• Optional lifestyle benefits such as pet, accident, and critical care insurance, giving you peace of mind and the support you need to thrive in all aspects of your life

Additional Employment Policies

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Policies

Oregon State University, in compliance with state and federal laws and regulations, including Title IX and its regulations, does not unlawfully discriminate and prohibits discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates, including in academic admissions and employment. The university prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin (including ancestry and ethnicity), citizenship, marital or family status, pregnancy or related conditions, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status / service in the uniformed service, or any other status protected by law or OSU policy. Inquiries about Title IX may be referred to OSU’s Title IX Coordinator, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (link to https://ocrcas.ed.gov/contact-ocr), or both. OSU’s Title IX Coordinator is the Executive Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (EOA). For information on OSU’s nondiscrimination policy and procedures, including how to report information about conduct that may constitute discrimination or make a complaint of sex discrimination under Title IX, contact EOA by phone: [phone], email: [e-mail], mail/location: 330 Snell Hall, Corvallis OR 97331, or visit EOA’s website: eoa.oregonstate.edu. Know Your Rights Oregon Family Leave Act: Department of Labor Family and Medical Leave Act: