Controller

Position: Controller

Location: South San Francisco, CA

Type: Full-time

Desired start date: ASAP

The Opportunity:

Ohalo™ is seeking a hands-on, experienced, and strategically-minded Controller to join our growing team. This is a critical role in our Finance organization, responsible for leading and maturing our accounting function during a period of rapid growth and global expansion. Reporting to the Chief Administrative Officer and working closely with Finance and all other teams across the company, the Controller will ensure the integrity of Ohalo's financial reporting, optimize systems and processes, and manage external accounting and tax partners.

With strategic investor support and a strong balance sheet, Ohalo is continuing to grow its world-class Commercial, R&D, and Product Development teams and operations across the San Francisco Bay Area, including South San Francisco, the Santa Cruz area, and Watsonville, and is entering an exciting phase of scale-up and commercialization.  You will be joining a purpose-driven team at a pivotal moment as we scale our operations and prepare to bring transformational agricultural products to global markets. This is a unique opportunity to shape the accounting foundation of a high-impact company with a long-term vision for sustainability and innovation in food systems.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and oversee all accounting operations, including general ledger, month-end and year-end close, consolidations, and internal controls.
• Own the development, documentation, and enforcement of scalable accounting policies, procedures, and controls in line with U.S. GAAP, including capitalization policies for engineering, R&D, and internal software projects.
• Own internal controls, focused on both financial transactions and inventory management with robust training and documentation for employees.
• Partner with the CAO and other stakeholders to select and implement next-generation accounting systems to support fixed asset accounting, revenue recognition, inventory costing, and COGS accounting processes.
• Oversee preparation of financial statements and internal reporting packages to support board reporting, investor relations, and executive decision-making.
• Ensure timely and accurate preparation and filing of tax returns and compliance with federal, state, and international tax regulations.
• Support audit readiness and eventually lead interactions with Ohalo’s independent auditors.
• Collaborate closely with FP&A on budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, and financial modeling.
• Manage and enhance the relationship with Ohalo’s outsourced accounting and tax partners, ensuring high-quality service delivery, compliance, and alignment with internal priorities.
• Partner cross-functionally with Commercial, Product Development, Legal, Procurement, HR, and other teams to support business operations with high-integrity financial information.
• Provide leadership and mentorship as the accounting function scales, including hiring and managing future internal accounting staff.
• Implement and manage an efficient monthly close cycle, incl use of AI tools and other forms of automation
• Utilize and manage co-sourced accounting partners as appropriate
• Optimize structures in support of Ohalo's global operations and go-to-market strategies
• Efficient working capital manage and optimization of operating cash flow

Candidate Profile 

• CPA required, Big 4 preferred
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field; Master’s degree a plus.
• 8+ years of progressive accounting experience, including public accounting and industry experience.
• Experience in high-growth environments; familiarity with scaling accounting operations in startups, agricultural biotechnology, life sciences, or manufacturing.
• Extensive experience delivering efficient working capital management and optimized operating cash flow
• Expertise and experience in operational expense management.
• Demonstrated expertise in U.S. GAAP, technical accounting, and financial reporting.
• Proven success managing outsourced accounting and tax firms.
• Strong systems experience; proven ability to lead accounting software upgrades and implementations (e.g., NetSuite, Intacct, SAP).
• Deep understanding of inventory, cost accounting, revenue recognition, and international operations.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to clearly convey financial information to non-financial stakeholders.
• High integrity, attention to detail, and commitment to operational excellence.
• Collaborative leadership style and experience working cross-functionally in dynamic, mission-driven organizations.

The anticipated pay range for this role is $120,000 - $250,000 per year for our South San Francisco 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.

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. 

No recruiter submission, please.