---
title: 'Gene Editing Lab Technician (1st Shift) at Ohalo'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/gene-editing-lab-technician-1st-shift-ohalo-south-san-francisco-wtjwhtfy1fsx'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-19'
---

# Gene Editing Lab Technician (1st Shift) at Ohalo

- **Company:** Ohalo
- **Location:** South San Francisco, CA
- **Posted:** 2026-10-06
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-19
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/ohalogenetics/jobs/4741042005

## Job description

Position:  Gene Editing Lab Technician

Shift: 1st Shift (7am - 3pm)

Location: SSF

Type: Full-time

The Opportunity:

Ohalo Genetics is seeking a motivated Gene Editing Lab Technician who will contribute to the advancement of plant variety development. The successful candidate will be detail-oriented, enthusiastic about hands-on work, and responsible. Prior experience in a sterile work environment, plant breeding or gene editing is a plus, but is not required. The Gene Editing Lab Technician will assist in specific duties to ensure the overall success of the gene editing laboratory. This role will involve additional responsibilities related to lab operations, plant inventory maintenance, and process development. This role is not limited to only lab work, and offers opportunities to contribute to various aspects of our lab's growth.

Responsibilities:

- Protoplast Isolation, Transfection, and Culture:
- Perform enzymatic digestion of plant tissues (e.g., leaf, root, or callus) to isolate viable protoplasts.
- Transfect protoplasts using PEG-mediated transfection or electroporation methods.
- Culture transfected protoplasts to regenerate callus
- Contribute to the continuous improvement and documentation of SOPs for protoplast workflows.
- Microscopy and Imaging:
- Assess protoplast yield, viability, and cell health using fluorescence and confocal microscopy and viability dyes (e.g., FDA staining).
- Data Recording and Analysis:
- Maintain accurate and detailed electronic lab notebooks (ELN) and batch records.
- Compile and analyze experimental data using tools such as ImageJ, GraphPad Prism, or Excel.
- Sample Preparation:
- Prepare samples for downstream molecular analyses, including RNA extraction, protein extraction, and genomic DNA isolation.
- Cross-Functional Support and Collaboration:
- Collaborate with other Technicians, Research Associates, and Scientists on workflows, ensuring that critical processes are completed.
- Lab Maintenance and Compliance:
- Follow safety protocols and institutional guidelines for working with plant tissue and enzymes.
- Perform all tasks in a manner consistent with and in support of all company policies and practices related to safety and compliance.
- Performs other duties as assigned

Candidate Profile:

- Ability to accurately follow verbal and written instructions as well as make suggestions to optimize methodologies
- Ability to sit for extended periods of time and do repetitive motions
- Ability to take a proactive approach to routine tasks
- Must be passionate about learning and enthusiastic about plants and hands-on work
- Must have a positive attitude and good interpersonal skills
- Ability to ask clarifying questions
- Ability to work independently and in a team environment with multiple departments
- Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds on intermittent basis and possess the ability to sit for extended periods of time
- Candidate must prioritize safety

Desired skills/experience:

- Experience working in a lab including sterile technique, micropropagation, media preparation, microscopy, and DNA extraction

Below is the pay range for this position that we reasonably expect to pay. Individual compensation is based on various factors including experience, education, skillset, and other relevant qualifications. This range is for the South San Francisco, California location and may be adjusted to the labor market in other geographic areas.

Anticipated Compensation: $29.50/hr

About Ohalo:

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](https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4172870-1&h=3148035140&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ohalo.com%2F&a=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.

This organization participates in E-Verify. Posters linked [here.](https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/IER_RightToWorkPoster%20Eng_Es.pdf)

No recruiters, please.

## About Ohalo

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Ohalo develops novel plant breeding systems, primarily its Boosted Breeding™ technology, to dramatically increase crop yields, resilience, and genetic diversity while reducing resource use for global agriculture.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series B)
- **Headquarters**: South San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2019
- **Founders**: David Friedberg (CEO), Jud Ward (Chief Technology Officer)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Agricultural Biotechnology, Plant Breeding, AgTech
- **Target customers**: B2B — global seed companies, commercial growers, and agricultural supply chain partners (e.g., strawberry, potato, almond, corn, and berry producers).
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "Accelerating evolution to unlock nature's potential" — aiming to sustainably feed a growing population by shrinking the environmental footprint of agriculture through faster, more efficient plant breeding.

## Products & Services
- **Boosted Breeding™**: A proprietary breeding platform that suppresses meiotic recombination, allowing offspring to inherit the complete genome from both parents (2x + 2x = 4x™). This creates "Boosted" plants that contain all beneficial traits from each parent, accelerating genetic gain and delivering predictable heterosis without multi-year selection cycles.
- **Agile Breeding™**: A service that applies the Boosted Breeding platform across multiple crops to rapidly develop improved varieties.
- **True Seed™**: A plant-breeding service delivering uniform, disease-free seedlings directly to growers — ready to sow, right out of the packet. Applied to crops like strawberries and potatoes.
- **FruitionOne™**: The world's first self-fertile Nonpareil almond variety, eliminating the need for traditional bee pollination and cross-variety planting.
- **Value-Added Traits**: Custom-developed traits (e.g., improved sustainability, better taste, longer shelf life, disease resistance) integrated into existing varieties for supply chain improvements.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed.
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of approximately $100M (USD 99,999,969) across multiple rounds:
  - Seed (2019): Not disclosed
  - Early-stage venture (2021): $3.7M
  - Venture round (2024-01-25): $40.0M (2 investors)
  - Venture round (2024-05-01): $60.0M
  - Series B (2025-01-01): 1 investor
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Incubated by The Production Board (venture firm founded by David Friedberg). Partners include University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc., Florida Strawberry Growers Association, and the Ohalo Strawberry Consortium.
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount grew 40% YoY to 85 employees (with 17 active job postings as of mid-2025).
  - Recognized on the "50 by 2050" list by Congruent Ventures and Silicon Valley Bank for climate tech innovation.
  - Launched FruitionOne™ (self-fertile almond) and the Ohalo Strawberry Consortium in 2025.
  - Expanding into Brazil and United Arab Emirates.
  - CEO David Friedberg has appeared on the All-In Podcast with the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, signaling high-level policy engagement.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Proprietary technology moat**: Boosted Breeding™ is a breakthrough approach that fundamentally changes plant reproduction — enabling entire genome inheritance from both parents. This is a patentable, hard-to-replicate scientific platform applicable to nearly every crop.
- **Speed to market**: Traditional breeding can take decades; Ohalo's method can deliver improved varieties in a fraction of the time, with predictable outcomes.
- **Broad crop applicability**: The platform works across potatoes, corn, berries, almonds, and more — not limited to a single crop.
- **Strong investor & partner network**: Backed by The Production Board and partnered with major agricultural research institutions and grower consortia.
- **Sustainability angle**: Higher yields with fewer inputs (water, land, pesticides) aligns with global climate and food security trends.

## Strategic Focus
- **Commercial expansion**: Scaling the Ohalo Strawberry Consortium and potato programs, with plans to enter corn, berries, and other row crops.
- **Partnership development**: Collaborating with seed companies, grower groups, and research institutions to license Boosted Breeding™ and distribute True Seed™.
- **R&D pipeline**: Developing new self-fertile and disease-resistant varieties (e.g., FruitionOne™ almonds) and integrating value-added traits.
- **Global footprint**: Building operations in Brazil and UAE to address international agricultural markets.
- **Talent acquisition**: Actively hiring across engineering, plant breeding, commercial sales, and operations — with 17 open roles as of mid-2025.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven work**: Directly contribute to solving global food security and sustainability challenges through cutting-edge science.
- **Innovative culture**: Described as "Farmers First," with a bias toward action, iteration, and finding truth — a fast-paced, science-first environment.
- **Talent & team**: Employees come from top institutions (UC Davis, Iowa State, North Carolina State) and companies (Driscoll's, Zymergen, Inari). The team includes 29 researchers (26% of workforce) and 20 technical staff (18%).
- **Growth trajectory**: 40% YoY headcount growth and $100M in funding signal a well-resourced, scaling company with career advancement opportunities.
- **Diverse roles**: Openings range from Senior Full Stack Engineer and Quantitative Geneticist to Technical Sales Representatives and Greenhouse Technicians — appealing to both technical and commercial talent.
- **Location & flexibility**: Headquarters in South San Francisco, CA, with remote roles available for some positions (e.g., Technical Sales Representatives across multiple US regions). Presence in Brazil and UAE offers global exposure.
- **Perks**: Not explicitly listed, but as a well-funded private company, competitive compensation and equity are likely. The company emphasizes "improving the lives of farmers" and a collaborative, truth-seeking culture.

## Sources
1. [ohalo.com](https://www.ohalo.com/)
2. [ohalo.com/about](https://www.ohalo.com/about)
3. [Greenhouse Careers](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/ohalogenetics)
4. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohalo_Genetics)
5. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ohalo-genetics)

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