Position Details
Proposed Start Date
09/02/2025
Classification Title
Field, Research, and Outreach Services
Rank
N - No Rank
Working Title
Innovation Hub Program Navigator
Department
400311 - STP Ctr f/Innovatn & Entrepreneursp
Position Number
D93501
Representation
AU - AAUP
Renewable
Renewable
End date, if applicable
06/30/2027
Position FTE
1
Tenure Status
F - Fixed Term
Position Summary
Brief Description of PSU/School/Dept
Portland State University is on the frontline of developing new ideas, technologies and programming that focus on addressing the major issues of the 21st century. Propel PSU believes entrepreneurship and commercialization increase the impact of innovative ideas. That’s why we partner with students, faculty members and client companies—to provide the wrap-around = resources and support that grow ideas into positive impacts that transform Portland and beyond.
Position Summary
Portland State University facilitates and hosts the Metro Region Innovation Hub (the Hub), which launched in Summer 2024. Funded by Business Oregon and other community partners, the Hub serves the tri-county Metro area and provides regional entrepreneurs from all sectors, backgrounds, and business stages with accessible paths to all existing regional resources in networking, coaching, education, and capital access in order to foster and grow innovation-based businesses. An invisible driver of success for many entrepreneurial ecosystems is local connectors who know what resources are available and the criteria for accessing them, and who regularly talk to entrepreneurs and provide intros to access those resources. For many communities, however, there are too few of those people, disparities in who can access those people (e.g. in terms of race and gender), and the labor for people who take on those roles is often informal and uncompensated. The Hub directly invests in that driver with a closely coordinated team of visible and knowledgeable Navigators that any entrepreneur can easily and equitably access.
The Hub Navigators will fill this role for the Hub. Navigators will, at a high level, acquire and maintain relationships with and knowledge of regional ecosystem resources and providers, meet and assess the needs of individuals and small companies in the region, refer or case-manage those entrepreneurs to regional resources and providers, and follow up with these engagements to ensure and “map” out what is most effective. They will also drive resource deployment in other Hub programs by uncovering emergent needs among entrepreneurs in the region. Navigators should be familiar with the Hub’s service priorities for both innovation-based, traded sector businesses and for equity and accessibility for communities who may not have known about or taken advantage of regional resources. Navigators should have excellent cross-cultural communication competence.
Navigators serve as leaders and experts for the Hub programs, managing unique and challenging issues that have significant impact on the Hub and the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem. They may lead other employees and students in executing these programs. Their work will be guided by overall objectives but may have minimal day to day supervision, and they will need to make decisions with a high level of professional judgment based on loose guidelines. Keeping a current inventory of ecosystem resources and guiding people and small companies through them requires complex and specialized knowledge and execution, and each task and engagement may be diverse and unpredictable. The ability to flexibly and creatively adapt technical know-how to novel situations is a must. They will help set Hub objectives and related milestones in collaboration with the Hub director and oversight board. Successful navigators will be highly organized and milestone-driven, but also natural connectors and able to easily translate between “entrepreneurship”, “business”, and “normal” ways of addressing innovative and business ideas.
The Hub Navigators will fill this role for the Hub. Navigators will, at a high level, acquire and maintain relationships with and knowledge of regional ecosystem resources and providers, meet and assess the needs of individuals and small companies in the region, refer or case-manage those entrepreneurs to regional resources and providers, and follow up with these engagements to ensure and “map” out what is most effective. They will also drive resource deployment in other Hub programs by uncovering emergent needs among entrepreneurs in the region. Navigators should be familiar with the Hub’s service priorities for both innovation-based, traded sector businesses and for equity and accessibility for communities who may not have known about or taken advantage of regional resources. Navigators should have excellent cross-cultural communication competence.
Navigators serve as leaders and experts for the Hub programs, managing unique and challenging issues that have significant impact on the Hub and the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem. They may lead other employees and students in executing these programs. Their work will be guided by overall objectives but may have minimal day to day supervision, and they will need to make decisions with a high level of professional judgment based on loose guidelines. Keeping a current inventory of ecosystem resources and guiding people and small companies through them requires complex and specialized knowledge and execution, and each task and engagement may be diverse and unpredictable. The ability to flexibly and creatively adapt technical know-how to novel situations is a must. They will help set Hub objectives and related milestones in collaboration with the Hub director and oversight board. Successful navigators will be highly organized and milestone-driven, but also natural connectors and able to easily translate between “entrepreneurship”, “business”, and “normal” ways of addressing innovative and business ideas.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field of study and 4 or more years of professional experience, or Master’s degree with 2+ years within functional area, or equivalent experience.
Preferred Qualifications
- Deep experience within the metro region entrepreneurial ecosystem.
- Experience with coaching entrepreneurs and/or small companies
- Experience in high volume customer service roles
- Demonstrated organizational skills
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 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, 8am - 5pm, and some nights and weekends
Total Compensation Range & Benefits Statement
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 approved starting salary range for this position is between $63,816 and $80,000.
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.
The approved starting salary range for this position is between $63,816 and $80,000.
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.
Application Instructions
Additional Information
This position may be renewed, contingent upon funding.
Additional Application Instructions (deadlines, etc.)
Please list the names, telephone numbers and email addresses for three professional references.
Does this position require the employee to drive a motor vehicle?
No
Background Check Required
Yes
Position End Date (if applicable)
06/30/2027
If you have questions
Please contact Asad Butt at [email protected]
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