Genomics Scientist

Join EarthOptics as a Genomics Scientist!

Our mission is to be the leading soil information company, delivering maps that growers, farmers, ranchers, and other stakeholders use to cost-effectively increase yields and improve soil health and the climate. We are creating a future where traditional sampling methods are obsolete.

With the recent merger of EarthOptics and Pattern Ag, we are combining cutting-edge genomic analysis, data science, microbiology, and remote sensing to revolutionize agriculture. Our unified mission is to help farmers and ranchers sustainably increase their yields and feed the growing world through all things soil.

We are a growing company with a passion for soil health, innovative technologies, and supporting all within the food value chain. We currently have ~140 individuals spread across 32 states and 2 countries, and they come from all walks of life, industries, and experiences. We are deeply focused on building the future of AgTech and sustainability and helping the world see soil differently.

Our Genomics Scientist will join our talented Genomics team to contribute to our mission through individual contributor responsibilities. We have certain criteria across all our hires at EarthOptics, no matter the position or team. Regardless of the role, our team embraces learning, craves collaboration, and is driven by a fast-paced environment. If you resonate with our values and goals, we encourage you to apply—even if you don't meet every requirement. You could be the perfect fit for this role or future opportunities.

The digs: 

• Job Type: Full-time, exempt

• Work Location: Onsite, Emeryville, CA

• Travel: Rare, potentially 1-2 times  per year

• Compensation: $105,000 to 145,000 annually*

*Your actual base pay will depend on your geographic location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. EarthOptics uses compensation regions that vary depending on location, so ask your recruiter to share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

What you’ll cultivate as a Scientist in our amazing genomics team:

• Design, build, and deploy new sequencing assays at scale
• Optimize processes with lab and industrial automation 
  • High throughput liquid handlers, Industrial robots, scheduling systems
• Lead product development activities across a highly diverse and interdisciplinary team
• Develop deep expertise in our customers’ needs and challenges
• Effectively manage multiple stakeholders throughout the product development lifecycle
• Improve the quality, reliability, and speed of our core products and services
• Partner with leadership to brainstorm and execute new opportunities (ie new products, markets, implementations, use cases)

Are you our soil-mate? You’ll bloom in this role if you have:

• 3+ years of industry experience
• Demonstrated success in designing, validating, and deploying high throughput NGS assays; hands-on experience with Oxford Nanopore and Pacbio Sequencing preferred
• Deep technical knowledge of molecular biology
• Excitement about using genomics and automation to improve farming. You should want to apply your skills in the service of a greater mission!
• Communicate effectively to a diverse audience of technical and non-technical backgrounds: you identify core challenges in complex situations, articulate trade-offs, and incorporate feedback to drive decisions

**We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor or transfer visas at this time.

Although not required, we’d love to see roots in:

• Prior experience in a fast-paced, start-up environment
• Bioinformatics knowledge and scripting expertise 
  • BWA, Bowtie, Python (Numpy, Pandas), C++, Unix, Command line
• Lab Automation or Embedded Systems Programming experience
  • Hamilton, Beckman, Agilent, SPT, Tecan liquid handlers

Aside from “the green”, we can offer you:

• Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance
• Company paid LTD, STD, and Life Insurance
• Meaningful equity option grants
• 17 days of paid time off, plus 9 additional company holidays
• Parental Leave
• Candidate Referral Program
• Above and Beyond Bonus Program
• Flexible Schedule & Hybrid/Remote Work Environment
• Regular opportunities to give feedback on our benefits offerings

How we stay grounded:

Although we have teammates working in the field, in-office, and at home, we aim to create a cohesive, diverse, and enriching environment for all of our employees. We embrace different tools to enhance our workflows and communicate intentionally, both live and asynchronously. A few quick facts you should know:

• We rely on Slack to communicate. Although there are a variety of team-specific systems to facilitate your work, this is our primary! 
• We love both food and emojis at EarthOptics. If hired, you’ll come to love (and use many) taco and donut emojis. 🌮🍩
• Our core business hours are Monday through Friday 11am-4pm EST. We have teammates in every time zone, and have some teams that operate outside of that timeframe. As a remote employee, you are asked to honor those hours to ensure enough time to overlap with key cross-functional teams.
• In order to maximize our remote culture, we host company-wide opportunities to connect (virtually and in-person) and create space for focus work. For example, we have a weekly all-hands stand-up meeting on Monday and reserve Fridays as a regular “No Meeting” day.
• Instead of values, we believe in actionable “cultural concepts”. Collectively, we hold one another to act and give feedback with these concepts in mind. Ours are information and intent, recognition and respect, and autonomy and accountability. 

Inclusion and Diversity at EarthOptics: 

At EarthOptics, we embrace diversity and equality, and stand against any form of discrimination or harassment. We base all hiring and promotion decisions on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, parental status, veteran status, or disability.

We are deeply committed to welcoming and including every qualified individual. As a part of this commitment, we ensure that persons with disabilities have access to reasonable accommodations. If you require assistance during the job application or interview process, need support to perform essential job functions, or seek other benefits and privileges of employment, please reach out to us at accommodations@earthoptics.com.