Proposal Manager

About the role

The Proposal 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 in the form of grants and contracts for research and other scholarly activities. SPA staff provide expertise and professional support to investigators and staff throughout the sponsored projects lifecycle. The Proposal Manager leads a team of Proposal Analysts who support Principal Investigators in the development and submission of sponsored project proposals. This role is responsible for supervising, training, and mentoring staff; managing team workload and priorities; resolving complex or escalated issues; and providing guidance on the proper preparation of proposals to ensure successful and compliant submissions.

Responsibilities

• Leads a team of Proposal Analysts who support Principal Investigators in the development and submission of sponsored project proposals.
• Serves as an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) for PSU with delegated authority to legally bind the institution in grants administration matters and certify compliance with federal regulations on behalf of the university.
• Manages team workload and priorities; resolves complex or escalated issues; and provides guidance on the proper preparation of proposals to ensure successful and compliant submissions.
• Provides day-to-day operational management of proposal services, including oversight of workflows, workload distribution, and process consistency.
• Promotes consistent, high-quality support through structured coordination, standardized processes, and clear communication with investigators and departments.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and three or more years of related experience*
• A Master’s Degree may substitute for a portion of experience requirements
• Related experience includes: Experience reviewing, and interpreting to funding opportunity announcements and preparing compliant proposals for submission to federal and non-federal sponsors, including application of sponsor policies and requirements
• Experience preparing budgets and reviewing budgets to ensure accuracy, allowability, allocability, and alignment with project scope and sponsor guidelines
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required to Perform the Duties of the Position:
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Quickly learn, interpret, and consistently apply complex processes and procedures; apply creativity in problem-solving; prioritize workload; set and meet deadlines; and perform effectively with minimal direct supervision
• Demonstrated commitment to high-quality customer service and support in a complex institutional environment
• Manage and monitor multiple projects simultaneously, communicate status clearly, and ensure work progresses on schedule
• Strong interpersonal skills to support effective collaboration, team-building, and communication across departments and stakeholder groups
• Computer and technical proficiency, including Google and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel), email and scheduling systems, and financial or research administration systems; ability to troubleshoot and learn new applications quickly
• Clearly and diplomatically communicate ideas, positions and decisions to a wide range of audiences, including faculty and staff, sponsors, and audit entities
• Exercise independent judgment and apply problem solving and decision-making skills in complex or ambiguous situations, anticipate implications of decisions, and proactively identify and implement solutions
• Manage diverse personnel situations with tact, diplomacy, and appropriate assertiveness; ability to foster positive working relationships, maintain morale, and support team productivity
• Demonstrated coaching skills, including developing team dynamics, facilitating collaboration, promoting empowerment, and fostering creativity

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and three or more years of related experience*
• A Master’s Degree may substitute for a portion of experience requirements
• Related experience includes: Experience reviewing, and interpreting to funding opportunity announcements and preparing compliant proposals for submission to federal and non-federal sponsors, including application of sponsor policies and requirements
• Experience preparing budgets and reviewing budgets to ensure accuracy, allowability, allocability, and alignment with project scope and sponsor guidelines
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required to Perform the Duties of the Position:
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Quickly learn, interpret, and consistently apply complex processes and procedures; apply creativity in problem-solving; prioritize workload; set and meet deadlines; and perform effectively with minimal direct supervision
• Demonstrated commitment to high-quality customer service and support in a complex institutional environment
• Manage and monitor multiple projects simultaneously, communicate status clearly, and ensure work progresses on schedule
• Strong interpersonal skills to support effective collaboration, team-building, and communication across departments and stakeholder groups
• Computer and technical proficiency, including Google and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel), email and scheduling systems, and financial or research administration systems; ability to troubleshoot and learn new applications quickly
• Clearly and diplomatically communicate ideas, positions and decisions to a wide range of audiences, including faculty and staff, sponsors, and audit entities
• Exercise independent judgment and apply problem solving and decision-making skills in complex or ambiguous situations, anticipate implications of decisions, and proactively identify and implement solutions
• Manage diverse personnel situations with tact, diplomacy, and appropriate assertiveness; ability to foster positive working relationships, maintain morale, and support team productivity
• Demonstrated coaching skills, including developing team dynamics, facilitating collaboration, promoting empowerment, and fostering creativity

Skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Quickly learn, interpret, and consistently apply complex processes and procedures; apply creativity in problem-solving; prioritize workload; set and meet deadlines; and perform effectively with minimal direct supervision
• Demonstrated commitment to high-quality customer service and support in a complex institutional environment
• Manage and monitor multiple projects simultaneously, communicate status clearly, and ensure work progresses on schedule
• Strong interpersonal skills to support effective collaboration, team-building, and communication across departments and stakeholder groups
• Computer and technical proficiency, including Google and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel), email and scheduling systems, and financial or research administration systems; ability to troubleshoot and learn new applications quickly
• Clearly and diplomatically communicate ideas, positions and decisions to a wide range of audiences, including faculty and staff, sponsors, and audit entities
• Exercise independent judgment and apply problem solving and decision-making skills in complex or ambiguous situations, anticipate implications of decisions, and proactively identify and implement solutions
• Manage diverse personnel situations with tact, diplomacy, and appropriate assertiveness; ability to foster positive working relationships, maintain morale, and support team productivity
• Demonstrated coaching skills, including developing team dynamics, facilitating collaboration, promoting empowerment, and fostering creativity

Benefits

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. Please visit our total compensation calculator to see the full value of our benefits package.

Pay

Salary is dependent on several factors, and new employees will typically start around the Q1 level to allow for later growth within the salary band. PSU has a structured process for determining starting compensation, taking into account years of related experience, applicable skills, knowledge and abilities, market parity, and internal equity. The starting annual salary for this position will be between $65,100 and $81,000, but may be negotiated above this range dependent upon the factors above, the budget of the hiring department, and approval from HR.

Schedule

Monday - Friday, 40hrs per week