SEM Specialist (Contract)

Description

Who is USP?

The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is an independent scientific organization that collaborates with the world's top authorities in health and science to develop quality standards for medicines, dietary supplements, and food ingredients. USP's fundamental belief that Equity = Excellence manifests in our core value of Passion for Quality through our more than 1,300 hard-working professionals across twenty global locations to deliver the mission to strengthen the supply of safe, quality medicines and supplements worldwide.

At USP, we value inclusivity for all. We recognize the importance of building an organizational culture with meaningful opportunities for mentorship and professional growth. From the standards we create, the partnerships we build, and the conversations we foster, we affirm the value of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in building a world where everyone can be confident of quality in health and healthcare.

USP is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer (EEOE) and affirmative action employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment in all aspects of our work—an environment where every employee feels fully empowered and valued irrespective of, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, physical and mental abilities, education, religion, gender identity, and expression, life experience, sexual orientation, country of origin, regional differences, work experience, and family status. We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities.

Brief Job Overview

USP is seeking a strategic, hands on, and results driven SEM & SEO Specialist to join our growing Digital Marketing Center of Excellence. This role will lead integrated paid and organic search strategies to drive visibility, findability, and sustainable sales growth for USP’s eCommerce platform. The ideal candidate combines strong technical SEM and SEO knowledge with the mindset to translate USP’s scientific value propositions into high intent digital demand. The ideal candidate brings both operational mastery, intimate knowledge of platform mechanics, troubleshooting expertise, and precision execution, and strategic vision to identify growth opportunities, test new channels, and unlock revenue streams.

This position offers an exciting opportunity to take ownership of USP’s paid search initiatives (50%), while also developing foundational organic programs (50%) to strengthen discoverability and conversion across the customer journey.

How will YOU create impact here at USP?

In this role at USP, you contribute to USP's public health mission of increasing equitable access to high-quality, safe medicine and improving global health through public standards and related programs. In addition, as part of our commitment to our employees, Global, People, and Culture, in partnership with the Equity Office, regularly invests in the professional development of all people managers. This includes training in inclusive management styles and other competencies necessary to ensure engaged and productive work environments.

Success requires balancing precise execution with innovative experimentation combining data driven SEM optimization and emerging SEO strategies with a growth-oriented eCommerce mindset.

Primary Responsibilities

Search Engine Marketing (50%)

• Manage and scale SEM campaigns across Google Ads and Bing, including keyword research, ad copywriting, bidding strategies, and performance analysis.
• Apply best practices in audience segmentation, remarketing, structured campaign frameworks, and data driven bidding (target ROAS, CPA, or conversion-based optimization).
• Collaborate with analytics and product teams to align SEM with USP’s business and eCommerce objectives, driving traffic and conversions to the USP store.
• Test and implement new formats and campaign types (Performance Max, video ads, dynamic search ads) to capture qualified demand.
• Diagnose and resolve technical campaign issues (feed mismatches, attribution discrepancies, tracking conflicts) and continually optimize ROAS.
• Pilot AI-driven tools for automation, creative variation, and advanced targeting within paid search channels.

Search Engine Optimization (50%)

• Develop and implement USP’s early-stage SEO roadmap for our ecommerce website laying the foundation for technical, on-page, and content optimization.
• Conduct keyword and competitive research to identify organic growth opportunities aligned with USP’s product categories and store content.
• Partner with content and web teams to align product descriptions, category pages, and landing pages to search intent and USP’s brand voice.
• Improve site structure and crawlability, leveraging SEO tools such as Google Search Console, SEMrush, and Google Analytics/GA4.
• Explore AI-driven search visibility opportunities by optimizing content for emerging AI-powered search experiences, including generative answers, structured content, and entity-based discoverability.
• Coordinate with IT, product, and digital teams to ensure SEO best practices are embedded in USP’s store development and cross channel experiences.

Analytics, Reporting, and Optimization

• Monitor key SEM and SEO KPIs CTR, CPC, ROAS, keyword ranking, session duration, conversion rate and provide clear insights on performance trends and opportunities.
• Use tools such as Google Analytics/GA4, Adobe Analytics,Excel and Tableau for reporting, visualization, and decision support.
• Document processes, optimizations, and learnings to establish knowledge sharing practices across the digital marketing team.

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 following competencies and experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, or related field.
• 5+ years of professional experience managing SEM and/or SEO campaigns; experience across both disciplines preferred.
• Proven expertise driving performance metrics through Google Ads,Bing, GA4, Google Search Console, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Google Merchant Center.
• Strong understanding of SEM and SEO mechanics UTM structures, naming conventions, bidding, linking strategy, keyword mapping, and technical troubleshooting.
• Creative and analytical mindset with the ability to recommend actionable optimizations backed by data.
• Experience or interest in eCommerce growth through search strategies (no deep experience required; growth mindset and curiosity are key).
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with cross functional teams.
• Detail oriented, organized, and comfortable managing multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.

Additional Desired Preferences

Desired preferences are to showcase any additional preferred levels of expertise to perform the role.

• Google Ads or Bing certification.
• Familiarity with AI driven ad or SEO automation tools.
• Working knowledge of product feed optimization and Merchant Center integrations.
• Prior exposure to eCommerce analytics or conversion funnels preferred.

Supervisory Responsibilities

No

Note: 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.

Job Category Contingent Staff

Job Type Full-Time