Description

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled


Portland State University


Position Details
Position Details Proposed Start Date02/02/2026RankK1 - Senior research Asst IWorking TitleSenior Research Assistant 1Position NumberD97347RepresentationAU - AAUP Faculty TypeFixed Term Research/GrantFixed Term End Date:12/31/2026Position FTEVariable between .5 and 1.0, starting at .8 FTE (32 hours per week)Term of Service12 month

Position Summary Brief Description of PSU/School/DeptPortland State University (PSU) is Oregon's most affordable public research university, located in the heart of one of America's most dynamic cities. Our mission to "let knowledge serve the city" reflects our dedication to turning ideas into action — in Portland and around the world. The city is our campus, giving students unmatched access to career connections, a vibrant cultural scene and hands-on learning experiences with hundreds of community partners.

More than 20,000 students from all backgrounds bring diverse perspectives to our classrooms and campus life, from the tree-lined Park Blocks to the bustling Urban Plaza and state-of-the-art science labs. We are proud of our world-class faculty, groundbreaking research and international reputation for excellence in sustainability, community engagement and innovation.


Position SummaryThe Institute on Aging (IOA) is a research unit at Portland State University that conducts research, provides education, and collaborates with community partners on activities that promote the well-being of older adults.

Within the IOA, the Oregon Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health & Aging (OCEBHA) has a mission to improve care and services for older adults with behavioral health needs by educating, promoting, and maintaining the behavioral health workforce in Oregon.

The Older Adult Behavioral Health Training Program Manager will, in partnership with the OCEBHA Workforce Development Lead Coordinator and wider OCEBHA leadership team, lead the Center's mission to improve care and services for older adults with behavioral health needs by educating, promoting, and maintaining the behavioral health workforce in Oregon.

This position involves assisting with the development of training curriculum, planning training events with other trainers across the state, as well as identifying and cataloguing existing training resources. Developing and maintaining community engagement and partnerships are vital components of this position. The faculty member will meet with collaborators and potential collaborators and others providing or looking for training and workforce development. This position involves developing and maintaining partnerships with organizations across the state.

Primary ActivityR - ResearchMinimum Qualifications

• Graduate degree in social work, public health, psychology or related field(s) or comparable work experience, and
• 2 or more years as a Research Assistant or equivalent and demonstrated ability to perform focused research or evaluation tasks as follows:
  • Gathering research or evaluation data using a predetermined protocol,
  • Carrying out routine procedures,
  • Gathering materials for reports,
  • Performing routine data processing or lab work,
  • Data management, and basic qualitative or quantitative data analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to perform focused research or evaluation tasks, and
• Ability to develop training materials for professionals in behavioral health and aging services, and
• Experience collaborating with community partners in behavioral health and aging services, including those who provide culturally-specific services (e.g., community mental health programs, senior centers), and
• Knowledge of behavioral health needs of older adults, and
• Experience planning training for professionals, and
• Experience planning training for students, and
• Ability to travel to different locations across the state, approximately once per quarter, and
• Demonstrated ability to communicate with local and national community and interdisciplinary collaborators.

Preferred Qualifications

• Training/experience in behavioral health topics such as substance use disorders.
• Experience planning in-person training events (e.g., conferences, webinars).
• Knowledge of evidence-based practices pertaining to older adult behavioral health.
• Experience working with clinical interest groups.
• Experience developing training materials such as toolkits, factsheets or newsletters using published literature and Center reports.
• Ability to work with OCEBHA staff to develop workforce-specific deliverables for the funding agency and community partners.

Key Cultural Competencies

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

Environmental StewardshipContributes to a culture of environmental stewardship, practices resource conservation, and actively works toward achieving long-term sustainability goals.Professional Standards of ConductAt Portland State University, all employees are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner which maintains a safe, respectful, and productive environment for faculty, students, administrators, and staff. It is the responsibility of every member of the Portland State University community to conduct themselves in accordance with our PSU Professional Standards of Conduct which are available at https://www.pdx.edu/human-resources/professional-standards-conduct-policy.Total Compensation Range & Benefits StatementSalary 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 $69,216 (at 1.0 FTE on a 12-months term of service). The salary may be negotiated above this rate dependent upon the factors above, the budget of the hiring department, and approval from HR.

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.


Supplemental Questions

Reference Requests

Reference Requests Accept ReferencesYesMinimum Number of References2Maximum Number of References3Cutoff DateSpecial Instruction for Reference Provider

Applicant Documents

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

1. * What is your highest degree earned?

   (Open Ended Question)

2. * Please name the specific field/discipline in which you received your degree.

   (Open Ended Question)

3. * Do you have the ability to travel to different locations across the state, approximately once per quarter?
   • Yes
   • No
4. * How did you first find out about this position?
   • PSU website
   • Indeed
   • Chronicle of Higher Education
   • Higher Ed Jobs
   • HERCJobs
   • Referral
   • Professional Listserv- please specify in comment box in the next question
   • Professional Journal- please specify in comment box in the next question
   • Other- please specify in comment box in the next question
5. If you selected Other, please describe.

   (Open Ended Question)

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