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Production Manager
$110k – $140k/yr South San Francisco, US on-site full time manager Feb 26, 2026
Skills
About this role
Position: Production Manager: Gene Editing and Tissue Culture Production
Location: South San Francisco, CA
About the Role:
We are seeking a highly driven Production Manager to lead multi-shift operations across gene editing, media formulation/production, and plant tissue culture. This role is responsible for delivering against ambitious throughput, turnaround time (TAT), and quality targets while building and developing strong frontline leaders.
You will oversee shift leads and technical teams, drive operational excellence, and ensure safe, compliant, and high-quality production at scale. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, biotech production environment. You will be responsible for all aspects of day to day production operations as well as reporting KPIs to the organization.
What You’ll Do:
Lead & Develop High-Performing Teams
Directly manage shift leaders and supervisors across multiple shifts
Train, mentor, and hold leaders accountable to clear performance expectations
Build bench strength through structured onboarding, skills development, and succession planning
Foster a culture of ownership, urgency, quality, and continuous improvement
Drive Operational Execution
Own daily production across gene editing, media formulation, and tissue culture workflows
Deliver on throughput, TAT, yield, and quality targets
Optimize labor, materials, and equipment utilization
Identify bottlenecks and implement process improvements to increase capacity, and optimize resources and cost.
Report out KPIs weekly
Partner with Engineering to define automation improvements and software to define MES tracking and dashboards requirements
Build and Manage daily production trackers and lead standups across the organization
Ensure Quality, Compliance & Safety
Maintain strict adherence to SOPs, quality systems, and biosafety standards
Partner with Quality and EHS to resolve deviations and drive corrective actions
Champion contamination control and operational discipline
Build systems and trackers as needed to support and document compliance
Scale for Growth
Lead continuous improvement initiatives (Lean/Six Sigma mindset preferred)
Support process transfer, scale-up, and operational readiness initiatives
Collaborate cross-functionally with R&D, Supply Chain, Engineering, and Quality to bring new production processes online, provide input to MES, and assure all end to end production stability.
What You Bring
Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Biotechnology, Plant Science, Bioengineering, or related field (advanced degree preferred)
5+ years of experience in Ag, biotech or life sciences manufacturing
Experience leading multi-shift production teams
Strong background in plant tissue culture, sterile workflows, or cell-based production
Demonstrated success improving throughput and reducing turnaround time
Data-driven mindset with strong operational discipline
Proven ability to coach leaders and build accountable teams
The anticipated base pay range for this role is $110,000 - $140,000 per year for our South San Francisco location, which represents multiple levels for this function. 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 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.
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.
No visa sponsorship is available for this position at this time.
This organization participates in E-Verify. Posters linked https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/IER_RightToWorkPoster%20Eng_Es.pdf
No recruiters, please.
Offices: (Ohalo Genetics South San Francisco);