[Remote] Program Operations Specialist

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. The Non-GMO Project is a mission-driven nonprofit advancing food integrity through product verification, education, and food-system programming. The Program Operations Specialist coordinates technical initiatives across the Non-GMO Project Verified and Non-UPF Verified programs, manages stakeholders and workstreams, supports standards development, and builds operational processes and guidance materials.

Responsibilities

• Plan, organize, monitor and report on strategic technical initiatives across both verification programs, coordinating with individuals and task teams doing the work
• Maintain momentum by anticipating obstacles and opportunities and adapting plans accordingly
• Look for places where the two programs can share resources or approaches rather than duplicate effort
• Provide regular status updates to the Director of Standards & Program Integration and serve as a connection point among project stakeholders
• Support — and over time take on full project management of — revisions to our Standards
• Track and support technical workstreams focused on specific ingredient categories
• Reach out to and coordinate with subject matter experts outside the organization to continue expanding internal knowledge on food processing
• Schedule meetings, capture notes, track follow-up items through to resolution, and maintain those relationships over time
• Build and maintain a reference library of sector-specific food processing information
• Organize and share what you learn so colleagues working on related efforts can use it
• Help create and maintain a development plan and schedule for materials that support technical understanding and implementation of our standards (i.e. “technical guidance”)
• Keep guidance development efforts coherent across the different teams and working groups, including internal partners and external consultants
• Contribute directly to drafting, design, and review of guidance materials where it makes sense
• Provide direct support to the Director of Standards & Program Integration: tracking open action items, following up on communications, planning and facilitating meetings, and coordinating across functions
• Develop standard operating procedures
• Support relationships with stakeholders consulting on standards development and with brands participating in pilots
• Contribute to evolving the program structure for Non-UPF Verified
• Execute work through effective and engaged processes in order to deliver the highest quality outcomes
• Act in the best interest of the organization using sound judgment and discretion in day-to-day decision making while adhering to policies and procedures
• Employ sound judgment and discretion to understand and take calculated risks with appropriate mitigation strategies in place

Skills

• * Organized in a way other people can feel. You track commitments, close loops, and keep work visible so nobody has to wonder where things stand
• * Curious about food production and biotechnology. You may already have experience/education in these areas, or an abiding interest and thirst to learn more
• * Comfortable engaging with complex material and driven to achieve fluency. You are excited to read and absorb our Non-GMO and Non-UPF Standards and master the technical understanding of our certification programs
• * A strong communicator. You write clearly, summarize complexity without flattening it, and adjust how you explain things depending on who's listening
• * Collaborative and relational. You build trust across teams and with people outside the organization, and you're comfortable coordinating work you don't directly control
• * A self-starter. You see what needs doing before you're asked and you're willing to build the process rather than wait for one
• * Adaptable. You're at ease with ambiguity and shifting priorities, and you can hold the big picture while managing details
• * Self-reflective. You reflect on your contributions individually and with the team, sit with this honestly, and grow from this reflection
• * **Committed and engaged with issues of social justice, diversity, equity, inclusiveness, and belonging
• * Experience coordinating or managing projects with multiple contributors and moving deadlines — roughly three years, though we're more interested in what you've done than in how long you've done it
• * Experience writing for a professional audience: summaries, process documentation, meeting notes, or guidance materials
• * Comfort working with project tracking tools. We use Smartsheet, Salesforce, Sharepoint, and the Google suite; if you've used comparable systems, we'll get you up to speed
• * Experience coordinating with people outside your own organization — partners, consultants, technical experts, or similar
• * Familiarity with food manufacturing, ingredient sourcing, or supply chains
• * Experience with certification, standards development, or third-party verification
• * Experience supporting governance processes such as committees, working groups, or advisory bodies

Benefits

• 100% employer-paid base Aetna HSA medical plan
• Choice of Aetna or Kaiser plans with upgrade options at your own cost
• Vision & dental options
• 50% employer-paid dependent coverage (transferable to upgraded plans)
• $500 annual contribution to Medical or Limited Purpose FSA
• $500 annual contribution to Dependent Care FSA
• 11 paid holidays + your birthday off
• 8 paid care days for health, family, or personal needs
• Accrued paid vacation starting at 10 days/year (increasing annually)
• 36-to-40-hour workweek and flexible schedules
• Annual training & development budget
• Annual variable pay (individual bonus)
• 401(k) with 3% company match
• $500/year work-from-home benefit
• Flexible schedule and remote-first culture
• Engage in meaningful, mission-oriented work in a values-focused environment

Company Overview