Associate Director of Soil Science

EarthOptics•Emeryville, CA

8d•$122,000 - $139,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Join EarthOptics as an Associate Director of Soil Science! 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 ~100 individuals spread across 25 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. The Associate Director of Soil Science will join our Soil Science team to impact our mission through people manager and individual contributor responsibilities. The Associate Director of Soil Science leads day-to-day operations and continuous improvement across EarthOptics’ soil labs, with a primary focus on high-throughput soil chemistry and carbon analysis, lab automation, and rigorous data quality control. This role bridges strategic leadership and hands-on technical work, managing multi-site teams (chemistry, carbon, and production) and partnering closely with cross-functional stakeholders in Data Science, Engineering, and Hardware. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in soil chemistry and/or carbon analysis, experience scaling laboratory operations, and a strong track record of implementing automation, robust QC frameworks, and data analysis workflows. They are also an advanced user of modern AI tools for personal task automation and efficiency, and they actively coach others to leverage these tools in responsible and productive ways. Our Associate Director of Soil Science will join our Soil Science team to impact our mission through people manager and individual contributor responsibilities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or higher in soil science, soil chemistry, agronomy, environmental science, chemistry, or a closely related field required
6+ years of experience in soil chemistry, carbon analysis, or related laboratory operations, including at least 2–3 years in a leadership or supervisory role.
Experience managing high-volume laboratory operations in an agricultural, environmental, or similar industry strongly preferred.
Hands-on experience with elemental analyzers, spectroscopic or ICP-based instruments, and other core soil lab equipment.
Prior exposure to lab automation (e.g., robotics, conveyance systems, automated sample exchange) is strongly preferred.
Strong leadership and people management skills, including experience supervising lab teams and seasonal workforces in a fast-paced, high-throughput environment.
Deep knowledge of soil chemistry and/or carbon analysis, including techniques such as dry combustion, inorganic/organic carbon determination, and nutrient analyses (e.g., pH, buffering capacity, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, micronutrients).
Demonstrated ability to design, implement, and improve lab workflows, with a focus on automation, throughput, and quality.
Proficiency with laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and related software for sample tracking, QC, and reporting.
Strong quantitative skills and comfort working with large datasets (BigQuery/SQL), including use of statistical and visualization tools to monitor performance and quality.
Advanced user of AI tools for personal productivity and lab operations (e.g., AI-assisted scripting, workflow automation, document generation, and data exploration), with a demonstrated track record of creating and maintaining practical automations.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex data and technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Proven ability to multitask, prioritize, and remain effective in a fast-paced environment with changing demands across multiple sites.
Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to troubleshoot equipment, processes, and data anomalies under time constraints.
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.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in Soil Science, Soil Chemistry, Agronomy, Environmental Science, Chemistry, or a closely related field
Prior experience in a fast-paced, start-up environment

Responsibilities

Recruit, interview, hire, and train staff
Provide effective leadership to the Soil Science team, including setting clear goals, defining roles and responsibilities, and fostering a positive and collaborative work environment.
Assign tasks and projects to team members based on their skills, expertise, and workload capacity. Ensure that tasks are distributed equitably and aligned with organizational priorities.
Develop and implement efficient workflows and processes for managing the Soil Science team.
Ensure that all employees are aware of company policies by providing clear communication and access to policy documents and monitor employee behavior to ensure compliance with company policies.
Maintain accountability for the Soil Science team delivering quality work in adherence to designated protocols, on schedule, and budget.
Work with direct reports to identify and develop professional development opportunities and paths. Provide mentorship, coaching, and constructive feedback to help team members enhance their skills and capabilities.
Model and encourage behaviors consistent with our cultural concepts of autonomy, accountability, recognition, respect, information sharing and assuming best intent.
End-to-end ownership of lab throughput and turnaround time (TAT) across all soil chemistry and carbon programsAccountability for meeting commercial SLAs, seasonal demand spikes, and peak-volume periods.
Oversee daily lab operations across soil chemistry and carbon analysis, including sample preparation, elemental analysis, and nutrient profiling.
Forecasting and planning for weekly/monthly sample volume
Develop seasonal staffing plans, including temporary labor, cross-training and overtime strategy.
Own and continually improve workflows for sample receiving, processing priorities, chain-of-custody tracking, and shipping/receiving of samples.
Maintain and improve operations of the soil library, ensuring samples are well-organized, traceable, and readily accessible.
Uphold and enforce a safety-first culture, including appropriate PPE use, equipment safety, and compliance with USDA/APHIS, environmental, and other regulations without throughput disruption.
Partner with hardware automation engineers and software teams to deploy, maintain, and optimize lab automation solutions.
Design and oversee robust automated QC frameworks for all soil assays, including controls, rerun criteria, and QC checks within LIMS and analytics tools.
Monitor instrument performance, throughput metrics, and error rates, using dashboards and data analysis to drive continuous improvement initiatives.
Ensure calibration, maintenance, and troubleshooting plans are in place for all key instruments (e.g., dry combustion elemental analyzers, MIR spectrometers, ICP-OES, FIA, and other soil chemistry instruments).
Collaborate with Data Science and Software teams to improve data pipelines, from raw instrument output to final client-ready reports and internal model inputs.
Act as a champion for responsible use of AI tools within the Soil Science team, demonstrating how to use AI for workflow automation, documentation, SOP drafting, experiment planning, and exploratory data analysis.
Build and maintain lightweight automations (e.g., scripts, AI-assisted templates, or workflow tools) that reduce manual data wrangling, reporting, and scheduling overhead for the team.
Train and mentor team members on using AI tools effectively (and within company guidelines) to improve personal productivity, decision-making, and communication.
Work closely with the CTO to translate company strategy and commercial demand into lab capacity plans, staffing models, and capital needs.
Partner with Engineering and Hardware teams to ensure lab workflows and instrumentation align with field sensing and digital products.
Collaborate with Product and Commercial teams to understand client expectations, interpret lab data, and improve the clarity of reports delivered to customers.
Contribute to R&D programs that develop and test novel soil protocols, methods, and assays, bringing promising innovations into production.
Develop and manage budgets for assigned lab functions, ensuring efficient use of resources while meeting throughput and quality goals.

Benefits

Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance - 95% funded by EarthOptics for benefit-eligible employees and 55% for dependents
Company-paid LTD, STD, and Life Insurance
Meaningful equity option grants
401k Plan + Employer Match up to 4%
17 days of paid time off, plus 10 additional company holidays
Parental Leave
Professional Development Stipend + access to learning platforms
Candidate Referral Program
Above and Beyond Bonus Program
Flexible Schedule & Hybrid/Remote Work Environment
Regular opportunities to give feedback on our benefits offerings