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Salary: USD 100,000 - 130,000 / annual
Ohalo Genetics seeks a Seed Production Research Lead to design and execute research programs that improve seed yield, genetic purity, quality, and production efficiency. This role bridges plant biology, agronomy, and operations, conducting experiments in greenhouse and field environments to develop scalable production practices.
Key responsibilities include designing multi-season research plans focused on seed production constraints (seed set, flowering synchronization, fertility, harvest timing, shattering, dormancy); building robust Design of Experiments (DOE) and field trial plans with clear success metrics; and translating production challenges into testable hypotheses. You will develop and optimize protocols for pollination and isolation, flowering and reproductive management, and harvest and post-harvest handling to improve seed lot outcomes including purity, moisture targets, germination, vigor, and storability.
The role requires strong data analysis capabilities using statistical tools (R, Python, JMP) to quantify effect sizes and operational tradeoffs, producing clear technical reports and decision-ready summaries for cross-functional stakeholders. You will present findings and influence adoption of improved practices in production settings.
Cross-functional collaboration is essential: partnering with Breeding to align production methods with germplasm characteristics, collaborating with Agronomy and Production teams to transition methods from R&D plots to pilot to commercial scale, and supporting troubleshooting of real-time production issues with data-grounded recommendations.
You will ensure best practices for genetic stewardship, contamination prevention, and traceability; maintain high-quality documentation including notebooks, protocols, datasets, and sample tracking; and follow biosafety, phytosanitary, and regulated material handling procedures.
Required qualifications: BS in Plant Science, Agronomy, Horticulture, Genetics, Biology, or related discipline with significant commercial experience (MS preferred); demonstrated experience designing and executing plant research trials with rigorous data collection; strong understanding of seed production fundamentals including reproductive biology, pollination, seed development, and seed quality; direct experience in seed production R&D for hybrid or open-pollinated systems; familiarity with production-scale constraints and process control; proficiency with experimental design and statistics; excellent communication skills; ability to manage multiple projects with competing seasonal timelines; expertise in seed quality testing; knowledge of GxE impacts and multi-location trialing; familiarity with LIMS/data pipelines; and comfort working in office, lab, greenhouse, and field settings with flexibility during critical windows.
