Seed Production Lead
Ohalo Genetics
Position Title: Seed Production Lead
Location: South San Francisco, CA with frequent travel (~30%)
Type: Full-time
Ohalo is hiring a Seed Production Lead to build, run, and scale our early-stage true potato seed production system. This is a hands-on execution role — blending startup urgency, manufacturing operations rigor, and seed system problem-solving.
You will be directly responsible for producing true potato seed for field-readiness, including managing parent plant crossings, berry harvest, cleaning, pelletization and treatment, packaging, and delivery to requisite stakeholders.
This is not a planning desk role — you will design, build, and deliver the operational workflows and lead end-to-end processes from tissue culture to field delivery of seed.
Responsibilities:
End-to-End Seed Operations
- Own and manage the entire seed production chain: parental crossing, berry harvest, extraction, fermentation, drying, seed cleaning, pelleting, treating, QC, packaging, and shipment.
- Develop and optimize standard operating procedures for each stage — balancing quality, throughput, and cost.
- Operate across internal greenhouse sites and third-party production environments.
- Manage operation workflows to achieve target outcomes, on time and with budget.
Capacity Planning & Ramp-Up
- Build and execute a scale plan across multiple hybrids, seasons, geographies, and facilities.
- Implement production redundancy and resiliency through capacity planning and external partner diversification.
Infrastructure & Facilities Buildout
- Lead the design and installation of core production infrastructure: drying rooms, extraction lines, pelleting stations, seed treatment lines, packaging systems, and clean space workflows.
- Manage contractors, vendors, and procurement of seed-specific processing equipment.
- Collaborate closely with internal facilities and engineering teams to meet evolving operational needs.
Supply Chain & Fulfillment
- Develop a seed fulfillment model to ensure reliable, direct-to-grower delivery.
- Own inventory systems, lot traceability, buffer stock protocols, and integration with internal systems. Ensure accurate production to demand planning and influence ongoing genetics refinement to maximize efficiency and continuously reduce COGS.
Quality Assurance & Regulatory Compliance
- Partner with internal teams to implement robust QC, germination, and seed health testing standards.
- Ensure full compliance with APHIS, USDA, and phytosanitary regulations for interstate and international seed movement.
Cross-Functional & Commercial Integration
- Act as the primary P&S liaison between Breeding Program leads, Legal and Regulatory, Commercial, Finance, and Leadership teams.
- Lead risk assessment and mitigation planning for commercial-scale seed production.
- Help define the standard for TPS seed quality in a first-of-its-kind commercial system.
Qualifications:
- 5+ years of hands-on experience in seed production, agricultural manufacturing, or ag supply chain leadership.
- Background in vegetable seed, hybrid corn, seed potato, or other horticultural crops preferred.
- Demonstrated success working across R&D to commercial production volumes.
- Proven ability to build first-generation SOPs and operational systems in novel settings.
- Lean mindset — thrives in resource-constrained, fast-moving environments.
- Strong vendor and contractor management skills; knows how to get things done on-site and remotely.
- Familiarity with seed treatment, pelleting, packaging systems, and controlled environment agriculture is a plus.
- Exceptional project management and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- Comfortable owning the plan, making decisions, and driving practical results in ambiguous environments.
About Ohalo Genetics:
Ohalo™ aims to accelerate evolution to unlock nature's potential. Founded in 2019, Ohalo develops novel breeding systems and improved plant varieties that help farmers grow more food with fewer natural resources, increasing the yield, resiliency, and genetic diversity of crops to sustainably feed our population. Ohalo's breakthrough technology, Boosted Breeding™, will usher in a new era of improved productivity to radically transform global agriculture. For more information, visit www.ohalo.com.
Notes: If you previously applied for a job at Ohalo Genetics, we encourage you to restate your interest in the position by submitting your application.
No visa sponsorship is available for this position at this time.
No recruiters, please.