Associate Director of Soil Science

Overview

Join Earth Optics 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 Earth Optics 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 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.

• Job Type: Full‑Time, Exempt
• Work Location:
  
  Emeryville, CA
• Travel: ~10% of the time
• Target
  
  Start Date:
  
  ASAP
• Compensation: $122,000 – $139,000 annually (base pay depends on skills, experience, and education)

• Recruit, interview, hire, and train staff.
• Provide effective leadership to the Soil Science team, setting clear goals, defining roles, and fostering a positive collaborative environment.
• Assign tasks and projects based on skills and workload, ensuring equitable distribution aligned with organizational priorities.
• Develop and implement efficient workflows and processes for managing the team.
• Ensure all employees are aware of company policies and maintain compliance.
• Maintain accountability for delivering quality work on schedule and within budget.
• Work with direct reports to identify professional development opportunities and provide mentorship, coaching, and feedback.
• Model and encourage behaviors consistent with autonomy, accountability, recognition, respect, information sharing, and best intent.

• Lab & Operational Leadership
  • End‑to‑end ownership of lab throughput and turnaround time across all soil chemistry and carbon programs; accountability for meeting commercial SLAs, seasonal demand spikes, and peak‑volume periods.
  • Oversee daily lab operations across chemistry and carbon analysis, including sample preparation, elemental analysis, and nutrient profiling.
  • Forecast sample volume and develop seasonal staffing plans, including temporary labor, cross‑training, and overtime strategy.
  • Own and continually improve workflows for sample receiving, processing, chain‑of‑custody tracking, and shipping/receiving of samples.
  • Maintain and improve the soil library, ensuring samples are well‑organized and traceable.
  • Uphold a safety‑first culture with appropriate PPE, equipment safety, and regulatory compliance.
• Lab Automation, Data Quality & Analysis
  • 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.
  • Ensure calibration, maintenance, and troubleshooting plans for key instruments.
  • Collaborate with Data Science and Software teams to improve data pipelines from raw output to client‑ready reports and internal model inputs.
• AI, Analytics & Personal Productivity
  • Champion responsible use of AI tools within the team…