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 late-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 investigational 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 Specialist, Logistics ensures the secure and timely transport of donor cells and drug products between Orca Bio’s manufacturing sites and transplant centers. This role is responsible for scheduling couriers, coordinating logistics with internal stakeholders and external donor and recipient organizations, and maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements. The ideal candidate is proactive, solutions-oriented, and able to work independently in a fast-paced environment, with strong attention to detail, a sense of urgency, and the ability to troubleshoot issues in real time.

Physical Demands

Production Associate Roles: Must have visual acuity of 20/20 (corrected or uncorrected) and normal color vision to safely perform critical tasks such as visual inspection of materials, equipment, and labeling, including distinguishing color-coded components in a GMP environment.
Most roles must be able to meet cleanroom gowning requirements, including wearing full gowning (face coverings, gloves, hoods, goggles) for extended periods, as needed. Use of cosmetics (makeup, painted nails), jewelry, or facial piercings is not permitted in the cleanroom, and any skin conditions that cause shedding must be disclosed.

Work Conditions

Many roles must be able to work at either Orca Bio Sacramento location (3400 Business Dr. or 7910 Metro Air Pkwy) based on operational needs, as well as regularly participate in video-based meetings. Also, may be required to work scheduled overtime, weekends, or holidays based on business needs.

Key Responsibilities

Schedule couriers to facilitate donor cell pickups and deliveries to Orca Bio manufacturing sites in Sacramento.
Coordinate outbound shipments of patient drug products to recipient sites.
Manage flight and travel logistics for couriers, liaising with airlines and travel providers.
Actively monitor shipments and proactively resolve any delays or issues in real time.
Communicate changes urgently and professionally with all impacted stakeholders.
Partner with clinical schedulers and commercial case managers to troubleshoot and triage non-routine issues during transports.
Ensure all documentation and compliance requirements for pickups and deliveries are met.
Support communication flow between internal teams, couriers, and external partners to ensure secure and timely deliveries.
Liaise with third-party couriers and troubleshoot transportation issues as they arise.
Review and approve courier invoices; assist in performance tracking and optimization.
Contribute to training materials and ensure the courier team remains compliant and current.
Continuously evaluate and improve logistics workflows to support operational scalability.
Participate in on-call coverage during active courier transports to handle non-routine issues.
Assist with additional logistics and operations-related projects as needed.

Education & Experience

Bachelors degree and 2–3 years of relevant logistics experience required. B.S. in biology, life sciences, or logistics preferred.
Proven success in logistics coordination, preferably in a regulated environment.
Familiarity with handling biological materials and associated transportation regulations is a plus.
Proficiency in logistics tracking systems or software required.

Preferred Experience

Logistics or courier coordination in fast-paced, time-sensitive industries (e.g., healthcare, biotech, or medical transport).
Working with regulated materials, such as biological specimens or pharmaceuticals, with knowledge of chain-of-custody, IATA, or DOT compliance.
Real-time problem-solving and communication during transport disruptions or delays.
Managing relationships with vendors, third-party couriers, airlines, and internal stakeholders simultaneously.
Exposure to continuous improvement efforts, workflow scaling, or SOP development.
Familiarity with logistics tools and platforms such as shipment tracking systems, Google Workspace, Smartsheet, or equivalent.

Personal Qualities

Highly detail-oriented, with an unwavering commitment to quality, safety, and compliance.
Takes ownership and drives forward without waiting for instruction.
Is naturally curious, eager to learn, and energized by solving problems.
Brings creative solutions to unexpected challenges.
Is comfortable juggling multiple priorities in a fast-paced, startup environment.
Communicates clearly and professionally with internal and external stakeholders.
Works both independently and collaboratively with a team-first mindset.
Stays calm under pressure and adapts quickly to change.
Embraces a positive attitude, a collaborative spirit, and a good sense of humor.
Can work flexible or off-shift hours to support urgent logistics needs.

The anticipated annual salary range for this job is based on prior experience in the role/industry, education, location, internal equity, and other job-related factors as permitted by law. For remote-based positions, this range may vary based on your local market. Full-time employment positions will also be eligible to receive pre-IPO equity and annual bonus, in addition to competitive medical, dental, and vision benefits, PTO, 401(k) plan, life and accidental death and disability coverage, and parental leave benefits. Other perks include subsidized daily lunches and snacks at our on-site locations.

Who we are

We are driven by a passion for science and compassion for patients. We act with urgency to ensure our treatments are one day accessible to all who need them.

We live by our core values of passion, courage, and integrity. Excellence in our work means the chance to unlock a better quality of life for our patients, and with that comes tremendous responsibility.

We innovate on a path that hasn’t been paved. We embrace an entrepreneurial spirit and take calculated risks to achieve our mission. We aren’t afraid to ask “why not” and challenge the status quo.

We maintain a start-up culture of camaraderie and leadership by example, regardless of title.

We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and recognize that celebrating our differences creates stronger, lasting solutions that better serve our team, our patients and their healthcare providers.

Notice to staffing firms

Orca Bio does not accept resumes from staffing agencies with which we do not have a written agreement and specific engagement for a particular opening. Our employment activities, inquiries and offers are managed through our HR/Talent team, and all candidates are presented through this channel only. We do not accept unsolicited resumes, and we rarely outsource recruitment.

Specialist, Logistics Program