Who is USP?
The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is an independent scientific organization that collaborates with the world’s leading health and science experts to develop rigorous quality standards for medicines, dietary supplements, and food ingredients. At USP, we believe that scientific excellence is driven by a commitment to fairness, integrity, and global collaboration. This belief is embedded in our core value of Passion for Quality and is demonstrated through the contributions of more than 1,300 professionals across twenty global locations, working to strengthen the supply of safe, high-quality medicines worldwide.
At USP, we value inclusive scientific collaboration and recognize that attracting diverse expertise strengthens our ability to develop trusted public health standards. We foster an organizational culture that supports equitable access to mentorship, professional development, and leadership opportunities. Our partnerships, standards, and research reflect our belief that ensuring broad participation in scientific leadership results in stronger, more impactful outcomes for global health.
USP is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer (EEOE) and is committed to ensuring fair, merit-based selection processes that enable the best scientific minds - regardless of background - to contribute to advancing public health solutions worldwide. We provide reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities and uphold policies that create an inclusive and collaborative work environment.
Brief Job Overview
The Program Associate is a non-supervisory position that will provide program management and operational support to the Program Delivery and Business Development (BD) teams within the Global Health and Manufacturing Services (GHMS) Division. The role will work closely to support the Program Manager with overall project management activities, such as coordinating procurements, consultants, and meeting/travel logistics to support the project remains within scope, timeframe, and budget while delivering timely, high-quality project deliverables. This position facilitates strong coordination between project start-up, implementation, and close-out, particularly in procurement and consultant/vendor management, and supports the smooth coordination of operational logistics to facilitate effective technical implementation. In addition, the Program Associate will provide support to the BD team across the business development lifecycle. S/he will serve as an important liaison with other USP operational units, such as Legal, Global Finance/Operations, and Global Compliance & Ethics as well as technical teams to support timely completion of tasks associated with project implementation and business development opportunities.
How will YOU create impact here at USP?
As part of our mission to advance scientific rigor and public health standards, you will play a vital role in increasing global access to high-quality medicines through public standards and related programs. USP prioritizes scientific integrity, regulatory excellence, and evidence-based decision-making to ensure health systems worldwide can rely on strong, tested, and globally relevant quality standards.
Additionally, USP’s People and Culture division, in partnership with the Equity Office, invests in leadership and workforce development to equip all employees with the skills to create high-performing, inclusive teams. This includes training in equitable management practices and tools to promote engaged, collaborative, and results-driven work environments.
The Program Associate has the following responsibilities:
Program Delivery (60-70%)
- Contribute to project start-up activities in close coordination with designated Program Manager to ensure a smooth transition from project start-up to implementation and close-out, and serve as an integral member of the project management team throughout the project implementation lifecycle.
- Support the Program Manager with key project management functions (e.g., coordinating meetings, supporting workplan implementation and deliverable tracking, assisting with budget monitoring, coordinating staff/technical resource needs, drafting donor reporting, inputting and tracking M&E data etc.).
- Coordinate all operational logistics to support seamless delivery of technical activities, including coordinating travel arrangements, workshop/training venues, catering needs and per diems.
- Coordinate procurement requests, consultant/vendor onboarding, and invoice/contract administration activities in consultation with the Program Manager to include liaising with Procurement and Global Finance staff to facilitate proper supplier set up and timely invoice payments.
- Draft consultant/vendor contracts, upload documents to contract repository, and coordinate reviews and approvals through contract execution and PO issuance.
- Liaise with other USP operational units, such as Global Finance, Procurement, Legal, etc. to follow up on project requests or resolve issues to avoid impact to project implementation.
- Maintain project documentation and good records management, according to USP and donor policies.
- Participate in key project management meetings, including project & Project Management Unit (PMU) kick-off/closeout meetings and regular PMU meetings, and follow up on PMU meeting action items.
- Contribute to the maintenance and continuous improvement of project management tools, systems, databases, dashboards, and knowledge management resources, including Salesforce and other enterprise systems, to support efficient program delivery and business development activities.
Business Development (30-40%)
- Support opportunity tracking, capture planning, partner outreach, proposal coordination, and production activities across the business development lifecycle.
- Support business development team, particularly through capture to proposal submission to include assisting with execution of non-disclosure agreements and teaming agreements, contributing to research, and contributing to and/or formatting of proposal related documents.
- Assist in maintaining various BD tracking systems and contribute to process improvements, as requested.
Who is USP Looking For?
The successful candidate will have a demonstrated understanding of our mission, commitment to excellence through inclusive and equitable behaviors and practices, ability to quickly build credibility with stakeholders, along with the below competencies and experience
- Bachelor’s degree in relevant field required or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
- 2-4 years of experience supporting project management and operations, business development, grants management, contracts administration or related operational functions.
- Familiarity with donor-funded project implementation, including procurement, consultant management, reporting, and compliance requirements preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively across cross-functional teams and build productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to high-quality deliverables.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills and conscious of cultural and political sensitivity.
- Excellent writing skills, meeting documentation and reporting skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and experience working with CRM, project management, or enterprise systems (e.g., Salesforce, SharePoint, databases, or similar platforms).
Additional Desired Preferences
- Experience supporting programs related to public health preparedness, health security, pharmaceutical manufacturing, supply chain resilience, pharmaceutical quality, regulatory strengthening, global health, or international development strongly preferred.
- Familiarity with programs funded by US Government donors, such as BARDA, ASPR, ARPA-H, and NIH and/or international donors, such as Unitaid, World Bank, Global Fund or similar organizations is desirable.
- Ability to prepare reports and provide clear and succinct information to management in a timely manner.
- Experience supporting project budget tracking, financial monitoring, or invoice management.
- Ability to work independently as well as part of a team.
- Excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills and ability to implement corrective action, as needed.
- Ability to support domestic and international travel logistics and occasional travel, as needed, to support project implementation and business development activities.
Supervisory Responsibilities
None, this is an individual contributor role.
Benefits
USP provides the benefits to protect yourself and your family today and tomorrow. From company-paid time off and comprehensive healthcare options to retirement savings, you can have peace of mind that your personal and financial well-being is protected.
Compensation
Base Salary Range: USD $71,421.00 – $93,726.00 annually.
Target Annual Bonus: % Varies based on level of role.
Individual compensation packages are based on various factors unique to each candidate’s skill set, experience, qualifications, equity, and other job-related reasons.
Third-Party Recruiters: USP does not accept unsolicited resumes from 3rd party recruitment agencies and is not responsible for fees from recruiters or other agencies except under specific written agreement with USP.
Note: As part of the recruitment process, USP's Global Talent Acquisition team may contact candidates through a variety of communication channels, including Microsoft Teams, telephone, email, and WhatsApp (voice calls and text messages). These communications may be used to schedule interviews, provide updates on application status, discuss career opportunities, and answer questions about employment with USP.
To help ensure timely communication, candidates are encouraged to keep their contact information current and to engage only with individuals who clearly identify themselves as authorized USP representatives. USP will never request payment, banking details, or other financial information as part of the hiring process.
Fraud Alert: USP is committed to protecting job seekers from recruitment fraud. Legitimate employment-related communications will come only from authorized USP representatives. If you are unsure whether a communication is authentic, please verify it through USP’s official careers website before sharing personal information.
