--- title: 'Seed Supply Operations Lead at Ohalo' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/seed-supply-operations-lead-ohalo-south-san-francisco-091tvwh54fky' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-11-02' --- # Seed Supply Operations Lead at Ohalo - **Company:** Ohalo - **Location:** South San Francisco, CA - **Posted:** 2026-10-29 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-02 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/ohalogenetics/jobs/4748889005 ## Job description Location: South San Francisco, CA Type: Full-time Reports to: VP, Global Production & Supply The Opportunity: Ohalo is seeking an agentic AI-capable, hands-on, first-principles leader to plan and manage seed production and supply as the company scales. This person will connect production, R&D, Commercial, and customer delivery around one reliable view of what we expect to produce, what is available to commit, and when customers can receive it. This is a build role. The Seed Supply Operations Lead will establish the processes, data, systems, and decision rules that connect bioreactor output through seed delivery. The goal is a planning capability that detects changes early, evaluates feasible responses, automates repeatable work, and gives people clear choices when judgment is required. We want someone who can use AI where it improves speed or decision quality, and can demonstrate when a simpler approach works better. The role has high visibility with Ohalo’s leadership team. Its success will be measured by better supply decisions and more reliable customer commitments, not by the number of meetings, dashboards, or AI tools introduced. Responsibilities: - An integrated supply picture: Build a planning model that connects demand, production capacity, expected yield, batch timing, quality status, usable inventory, logistics, and customer commitments. Make uncertainty visible rather than presenting a single forecast as a certainty. - The planning operating model: Establish practical short-, medium-, and long-range planning and decision processes. This may include S&OE and S&OP disciplines, but you will design the cadence around the decisions Ohalo needs to make, rather than inherit a standard meeting structure. - Supply and customer commitment decisions: Create a dependable view of available and projected supply, including the assumptions and release gates behind it. Identify shortages and competing demands early; present allocation and recovery options with their customer and operational consequences. Work with the VP, Global Production & Supply Chain, and Commercial leadership to define who recommends, approves, and communicates consequential commitments and allocation decisions. - Scenario planning: Model the effect of changes in demand, yield, capacity, batch timing, quality release, and logistics. Show leaders the feasible options, trade-offs, and time available to act. - AI-enabled workflows: Identify and deploy specific uses of AI, machine learning, and automation across forecasting, exception detection, scenario analysis, and planning coordination. Define the data, rules, approval points, and performance measures for each use case. Keep people accountable for decisions that require commercial, technical, or operational judgment. - Data and systems: Define the planning data model and the flow of information from source systems into decisions. Partner with technology and functional leaders to select and implement appropriate tools, including APS (Advanced Planning Scheduling), ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), or demand-planning capabilities where justified. Build a foundation that can evolve with Ohalo rather than assuming one system will solve the planning problem. - Exceptions and execution: Establish a clear way to detect, prioritize, assign, and resolve issues such as supply shortfalls, demand changes, batch delays, and quality holds before they become customer-facing problems. - Cross-functional alignment: Bring Production & Supply, R&D, and Commercial together around shared assumptions, a coherent plan, and explicit decisions. Make disagreements and trade-offs visible so leaders can resolve them promptly. - Planning performance: Define and review measures such as forecast accuracy and bias, supply reliability, performance against committed delivery dates, inventory exposure, and exception resolution time. Use the initial operating period to establish baselines and set improvement targets. - Capability building: Develop the processes, documentation, skills, and team structure needed for planning to scale from pilots to commercial volumes. Candidate Profile - Significant experience in supply, demand, production, or integrated planning, including responsibility for improving a planning process across functions. We value demonstrated ability to build and change an operating model more than years spent running an established one. - Evidence of designing and deploying a data-driven or AI-enabled operational workflow that changed how decisions were made. You can explain the problem, the data and tools used, what was automated or supported, how people adopted it, and what results were achieved. - Strong understanding of capacity, inventory, demand, and service trade-offs. Able to translate uncertain production outcomes into realistic plans and commitments. - Comfortable working with biological or process variability, including yield uncertainty, batch timing, and quality release gates. - Strong systems and data fluency. Able to work from source data through planning logic to operational decisions, and to partner effectively with technical teams. - Excellent cross-functional leadership. Able to align Production, R&D, and Commercial stakeholders, challenge assumptions constructively, and drive decisions without relying solely on formal authority. - Comfortable building in an early-stage, fast-moving company. Willing to work directly with data and processes while developing a capability that others can operate and improve. - Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, operations, engineering, a quantitative discipline, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience. Desired Skills/Experience - Experience in agribusiness, seed production, biotechnology, biomanufacturing, or another supply chain with uncertain yields and quality release requirements. - Experience designing AI agents, copilots, or automated workflows for planning or operations, including defining what the system may recommend or do and when a person must approve its actions. - Experience with production scale-up, batch variability, and the transition from pilot operations to commercial volumes. - Experience building demand-sensing, statistical forecasting, or scenario models. - APICS/ASCM certification, such as CPIM, CSCP, or CPF, or equivalent experience. The anticipated base pay range for this role is $155,000 - $185,000 per year for our South San Francisco location. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, budget availability, internal equity, geographic location and external market pay for comparable jobs. 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). Ohalo is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. Ohalo is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process 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. 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