Grants & Program Operations Specialist

About VLP Therapeutics VLP Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation vaccines and immunotherapies. We operate with a lean, highly collaborative team, and this role will sit at the intersection of sponsored research, scientific programs, CRO/vendor coordination, Finance, and day-to-day program execution.

The Role

We are seeking a Grants & Program Operations Specialist to help keep funded programs, external partners, contracts, budgets, and deliverables moving. This is not a traditional grant-writing role. The primary focus is post-award grant administration and research-program operations, including CRO/vendor coordination and grant/research-related procurement and contract follow-through.

What You’ll Do

Maintain grant calendars, deliverables, reporting requirements, milestones, amendments, and audit-ready documentation.

Coordinate scientific, clinical, Finance, and operational inputs for sponsor reports, budget updates, and other post-award requirements.

Track grant expenditures and funding status with Finance and flag deadlines, variances, or documentation gaps.

Coordinate CRO and external research activities, including timelines, deliverables, sample shipments, reports, invoices, scopes of work, budgets, and change orders.

Support procurement and vendor administration for grant and research/program work, including quote collection, purchase requests, contract/SOW tracking, and vendor follow-through.

Maintain complete contract records and support company-wide visibility through VLP’s Contract Register.

Run action trackers, status updates, and cross-functional follow-up so commitments are completed on time.

What We’re Looking For

Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, public health, research administration, business, finance, project management, or a related field.

Approximately 2+ years of relevant experience in grants, sponsored research, biotech/pharma operations, CRO coordination, procurement/contracts, or program administration.

Strong project-tracking, written communication, organization, and attention to detail.

Comfort working with budgets, invoices, contracts, deadlines, vendors, scientists, and cross-functional stakeholders.

Life-sciences experience and exposure to NIH, BARDA, DoD, Gates, GHIT, or other sponsored research programs are preferred.

Ability and willingness to work primarily on-site in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Compensation & Benefits VLP’s good-faith salary range for this position is $80,000–$90,000 annually. Actual base salary will depend on relevant experience, depth of sponsored-research/program-operations experience, and internal equity. Eligible employees have access to a benefits package that includes medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability benefits, a 401(k) retirement plan, and paid time off. Plan terms and eligibility are governed by the applicable plan documents. Other compensation: none currently proposed; VLP to confirm before posting.

VLP Therapeutics is an equal opportunity employ