Tissue Culture Production Lead

Position Title: Tissue Culture Production Lead

Location: South San Francisco, CA

Type: Full-time

Ohalo™ is seeking a motivated Tissue Culture Production Lead to contribute to advancing plant variety development by leading the Tissue Culture production line during a day or a night shift. The successful candidate will be creative and passionate about discovery, pushing science forward. Furthermore, the successful candidate will be well-organized, detail-oriented, and work independently as well as in a team environment. The candidate will spend approximately 80% of their time on plant tissue culture and regeneration and 20% on data management and analysis.

Our tissue culture lab production runs two shifts per 24-hour cycle.  The Lead will be responsible for the work completed during both shifts, though they will delegate responsibilities to team members on each shift.

Responsibilities:

• Leading a Tissue Culture production line covering both day and night shifts
• Responsible for ensuring high work quality and performance of shift team
• Responsible for meeting shift team production metrics 
• Responsible for shift member training 
• Ensuring high shift team morale and engagement
• Oversee day shift and provide instruction for night shift team
• Media Prep and Inventory 
• Managing  a variety of media formulations made to stock  to support production activities
• Overseeing and maintaining sterilization, washing and dispensing equipment
• Culture and Subculture Maintenance
• Direct expansion and subculturing efforts through the plant lifecycle
• Train and assure aseptic techniques are followed
• Culture protoplasts to regenerate callus
• Contribute to the continuous improvement and documentation of SOPs 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.
• 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
• Callus Culture:
• Manage protoplast callus culture
• Identify regenerated plantlets to sample for molecular analysis
• Molecular Analysis:
• Analyze sequencing data, identifying regenerated plantlets to advance to greenhouse and field trials.  
• Cross-Functional Support and Collaboration:
• Manage and collaborate with other Technicians, Research Associates, and Scientists on workflows, ensuring that critical processes are completed.
• Participate in planning and coordination meetings to align on timelines and resource needs
• Manage production timelines and resource needs

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Microbiology, Plant Science, or related field with 2-3 years of experience OR a Master’s degree in Biology, Microbiology, Plant Science, or related field with 0-2 years of experience.  
• Ability to accurately follow verbal and written instructions as well as make suggestions to optimize methodologies 
• Ability to ask clarifying questions, articulate challenges, and suggest solutions
• 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

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of plant science, plant breeding, and molecular biology
• Experience working in a lab including sterile technique, micropropagation, media preparation, microscopy, and DNA extraction
• Proficiency in MS Office (Excel, Powerpoint and Word) OR Google Suite (Mail, Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Drive)
  
  

The anticipated pay range for this role is $75K - $90K per year for our South San Francisco, CA 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.

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.