Logistics Planner

More than one million people in the United States today are fighting blood cancer. While a traditional allogeneic stem cell transplant has been the best hope for many, the transplant itself can prove fatal or lead to serious conditions, such as graft vs. host disease. Orca Bio is a commercial‑stage biotechnology company redefining the transplant process by developing next‑generation cell therapies with the goal of providing significantly better survival rates with dramatically fewer risks.
With our purified, high‑precision cell therapies we hope to not only replace patients' blood and immune systems with healthy ones, but also restore their lives.

We have built a state‑of‑the‑art, 100,000‑square‑foot manufacturing facility in Sacramento, CA (7910 Metro Air Pkwy) to ensure the consistent and reliable delivery of our high‑precision cell therapy products. This site is essential to advancing our clinical pipeline and supporting future commercial availability of our life‑saving therapies.

The Logistics Planner is the administrative and coordination backbone of Orca Bio’s vein‑to‑vein logistics operation. Working alongside the Logistics Program Manager and site‑based Orca Porter teams, this role keeps the daily machinery of patient‑connected transport running: scheduling and adjusting runs, coordinating porters and third‑party couriers, preparing time‑critical batch paperwork, and maintaining the calendars, trackers, and communications that keep production planning and field teams aligned.

This is a role with real operational responsibility — and an excellent launch point for a career in cell‑therapy supply chain and logistics operations. The core of the role is administrative coordination, but the Planner also cross‑trains to serve as the designated backup for the Specialist, Logistics, independently managing live run operations, courier escalations, and time‑critical decisions during Specialist absences and peak coverage periods.

Every run this role touches is connected to a patient, so precision and follow‑through matter from day one. No prior biopharma experience is required — comprehensive training is provided on all internal systems, courier protocols, and documentation requirements.

The schedule for this position is as follows:

Monday - Friday (onsite) 8:00am - 5:00pm

• Reschedule, cancel, or delay runs in response to clinical, manufacturing, or transport changes, ensuring all downstream stakeholders are notified promptly.
• Prepare and send porter availability requests ahead of each scheduling cycle; consolidate responses to support run assignments.
• Schedule Orca Porters against confirmed runs, balancing coverage, qualifications, and site‑specific requirements.
• Complete Orca Link entries for scheduled runs, ensuring records are accurate, current, and audit‑ready.
• Manage sample loop scheduling, including verifying bookings and handling ad‑hoc vendor communication to resolve gaps or conflicts.

• Submit 3PC requests for runs requiring third‑party courier support, providing complete and accurate shipment details.
• Follow up on outstanding 3PC requests and confirm assignment of Orca Identifiers, escalating unresolved requests before they become time critical.
• Review NMDP itineraries for accuracy, feasibility, and alignment with batch timelines, flagging discrepancies for correction.

• Prepare and submit batch paperwork, including itineraries and TSA letters, ensuring documents are complete, compliant, and delivered ahead of transport windows.
• Create calendar tracking events for each batch to give production planning clear visibility into upcoming logistics activity.
• Track weather for the upcoming week across relevant routes and sites, surfacing risks that may require contingency planning or run adjustments.

• Draft and send weekly Orca Port email program updates covering training announcements, operational reminders, and personnel updates.
• Serve as a reliable communication point between porters, vendors, and internal teams for routine scheduling and administrative matters.