Office & Operations Manager

Position Title: Office & Operations Manager 

Location: Watsonville, CA (onsite role, 5 days per week) 

The Opportunity: 

Ohalo™ is seeking a scrappy, agile, and fiercely dedicated Office & Operations Manager to join our growing team. This is a critical, hands-on role in our Operations organization, responsible for ensuring our facilities run seamlessly during a period of rapid growth. Based 5 days a week out of one of our three Watsonville greenhouse facilities, and reporting to our Greenhouse Operations Lead, you will manage daily operations, lead visitor and employee experience, support a key executive, and help build and maintain the infrastructure that keeps Ohalo operating at scale.

You will be joining a purpose-driven team at a pivotal moment as we scale our operations. This is a unique opportunity to take ownership of office management and support operations in a high-impact company with a long-term vision for sustainability and innovation in food systems.

Key Responsibilities:

Office Management & Operations

• Work onsite 5 days a week at our Watsonville greenhouse to keep operations running smoothly: order supplies, coordinate meals, and ensure a clean, well-maintained workspace.  You are responsible for ensuring a high-functioning and positive working environment for our team members working in the offices and in the greenhouses at our Watsonville locations. 
• Support the Greenhouse facilities team on more complex operational activities as well, as projects arise.  
• Partner with the People team to organize in-office employee events (happy hours, All Hands meetings, company celebrations).   
• Support safety and compliance programs, ensuring documentation, inspections, and trainings are up to date.
• Manage vendor relationships and service agreements (janitorial, HVAC, landscaping, waste, pest management, etc.).
• Act as the go-to critical thinker for building and office needs in Watsonville, figuring out solutions on your own and liaising with property management and external vendors.
• Serve as onsite point of contact for recruiting interviews, new hires, and guest visits to the site, ensuring seamless logistics and a professional and friendly onsite experience.  Sit at the receptionist desk and serve as point of contact for all shipping and receiving.
• Manage seating plans, desk setups, and an organized system for incoming/outgoing mail and packages.  Coordinate with the IT team for technology needs for new hires and team members.
• Provide supplementary office management activities for our Aptos location, including managing pest control, snack ordering, maintenance requests, and partnering with building management to resolve issues.

About You:

Required:

• 3-5+ years experience in facilities management, office management, or operations(biotech/ag-tech/lab/greenhouse exposure a plus).
• You have a relentless work ethic, a relentlessly positive attitude, and are eager to jump in, help the team, and take on more.  You are a scrappy, agile doer.
• You are a critical thinker and independent problem solver.  You are an eager learner who can be handed a complex problem, figure it out on your own, and deliver a practical solution with minimal direction.
• You are driven, focused, eager to work hard, and have the tenacity to work until the job is done right.
• You are energized by and genuinely enjoy tackling new projects and challenges in areas that are completely new to you.
• You are detail-oriented and highly organized, with exceptional time management skills, seamlessly balancing greenhouse operations with executive scheduling.
• Note: this is not a traditional 9-5 job. As part of a fast-moving startup, this role calls for a “do what it takes, as long as it takes” mindset.

Nice-to-Haves:

• Experience providing ad hoc executive support, to collaborate with, and fill in for, our executive support team when they’re out of office.
• Spanish language skills a plus

Pay Range: The anticipated pay range for this role is $75,000 - $105,000 per year for our Watsonville 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.


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. 

No recruiters, please.