The Seed to Sale IT Consulting and Support Analyst serves as the operational linchpin connecting technology, compliance, and commerce within a cannabis enterprise. This specialist designs, deploys, and manages the complex ecosystem of software required to track every gram of cannabis from genetic inception to final consumer purchase. The role operates at the critical intersection of state-mandated tracking systems like Metrc or BioTrack and internal Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platforms such as LeafLogix or MJ Freeway. The primary function is to ensure flawless data integrity across the entire supply chain. A single discrepancy in data, such as a mismatched plant tag or an incorrect product weight, can trigger regulatory audits, hefty fines, or the suspension of an operating license. This position is the architect of the digital audit trail, building and maintaining the systems that make scalable, compliant operations possible in a highly fragmented and regulated industry.
The day's operations begin with a critical systems health check. The analyst logs into the company's primary seed-to-sale ERP and reviews the Application Programming Interface (API) logs for the overnight data synchronization with the state's compliance portal, Metrc. The system flags a reconciliation error: five plant tags reported as destroyed in the ERP were rejected by Metrc because they were still assigned to active, immature plants in the state system. The analyst initiates a support ticket and contacts the cultivation manager. The investigation reveals a procedural error during plant culling where staff scanned the wrong tags. The analyst guides the manager through the process of correctly identifying the plants in the grow room, voiding the incorrect destruction report in the ERP, and submitting the accurate data to Metrc, thereby closing a potential compliance gap before it becomes an audit finding.
Mid-morning focus shifts to a major project: the go-live for a new dispensary. The analyst leads a virtual meeting with the retail operations team to finalize the system configuration of the Point-of-Sale (POS) system, Dutchie. They perform a series of tests, including processing a mock transaction for a medical patient to ensure the system correctly verifies their allotment limit and applies the appropriate tax exemptions. Next, they confirm that the product data, including SKUs, lab testing results, and cannabinoid profiles, has correctly migrated from the central ERP to the POS database. This data mapping is crucial, as an error could lead to a customer purchasing a product with incorrect THC potency information displayed on the label, creating significant legal and reputational risk.
The afternoon is dedicated to data analysis and process improvement. The Head of Manufacturing reports that inventory levels for distillate are consistently inaccurate, causing production delays. The analyst queries the production database, tracing several recent batches of distillate from their source material. The analysis reveals that the system's conversion ratio for trim-to-distillate, configured six months ago, does not account for the higher yields from a new extraction machine. The analyst collaborates with the extraction team to establish a new, accurate yield metric. They update the Bill of Materials (BOM) within the ERP, creating a new standard operating procedure (SOP) for technicians to follow. This adjustment immediately improves inventory accuracy, optimizes production scheduling, and provides more reliable data for financial forecasting.
The operational day concludes with a support function. A support ticket arrives from the packaging department. An employee is unable to print compliant labels for a new batch of vape cartridges. The analyst remotely accesses the user's workstation and identifies the issue: the label template is pulling data from a deprecated field in the product database following a recent software update. The analyst corrects the template's data source, runs a test print to verify the fix, and then updates the system-wide label templates to prevent recurrence. This immediate fix ensures that thousands of dollars in product can be packaged and transported to dispensaries without delay, directly protecting revenue.
The Seed to Sale IT Analyst's responsibilities are divided into three critical domains that directly influence the company's operational viability and profitability:
The Seed to Sale IT Analyst's work directly impacts the financial health and strategic growth of the cannabis organization:
| Impact Area | Strategic Influence |
|---|---|
| Cash | Directly prevents catastrophic cash losses from regulatory fines, which can reach tens of thousands of dollars per infraction for inventory tracking violations. |
| Profits | Maximizes revenue by ensuring systems are always operational, preventing dispensary downtime. Improves margins by providing data to optimize inventory levels and reduce waste. |
| Assets | Protects the company’s most critical asset: its operating license. Maintains the integrity of inventory, another key asset, by ensuring it is accurately tracked and accounted for. |
| Growth | Creates the scalable, replicable technology blueprint required for rapid multi-state expansion, reducing the time and risk of opening new locations. |
| People | Reduces employee frustration and errors by providing reliable, user-friendly software and effective training, leading to higher morale and operational efficiency. |
| Products | Guarantees product traceability for safety and recalls. Ensures product data (e.g., potency, ingredients) is accurate at the point of sale, protecting consumers and the brand. |
| Legal Exposure | Builds a defensible, immutable digital record of all operations, significantly mitigating legal risk in the event of regulatory investigation or litigation. |
| Compliance | This role is the embodiment of digital compliance. It translates complex regulations into functional system rules and ensures the company's adherence to them every minute of every day. |
| Regulatory | Acts as the key technical liaison with state regulators and software vendors, ensuring the company's technology stack evolves in lockstep with the regulatory landscape. |
Reports To: This role typically reports to the Director of IT, Director of Operations, or Chief Compliance Officer, reflecting its blend of technical expertise, operational process, and regulatory oversight.
Similar Roles: Professionals with experience as an ERP Consultant, Business Systems Analyst, Supply Chain Analyst, or Salesforce Administrator in other industries possess the core skills for this position. The fundamental competencies of requirements gathering, system configuration, data analysis, and user support are directly transferable. The key differentiator is the application of these skills within the unique, high-stakes compliance framework of the cannabis industry.
Works Closely With: Daily collaboration is essential with the Compliance Manager (to ensure system adherence to regulations), Head of Cultivation (to track plant lifecycle data), Manufacturing Manager (to manage inventory conversion), and Head of Retail (to ensure POS functionality and sales data integrity).
Proficiency with a specific stack of technologies is central to success in this role:
Candidates from several regulated and technology-driven sectors are positioned for success:
The role demands a unique blend of technical and soft skills:
The daily work of the analyst is directly shaped by these key organizations:
| Acronym/Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| API | Application Programming Interface. A software intermediary that allows two applications, such as an ERP and Metrc, to talk to each other. |
| ERP | Enterprise Resource Planning. A centralized software system used to manage day-to-day business activities such as inventory, manufacturing, and sales. |
| Data Mapping | The process of creating data element mappings between two distinct data models, for example, matching product fields in an ERP to product fields in a POS system. |
| Metrc | Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting Compliance. A widely used state-mandated seed-to-sale tracking system. |
| POS | Point of Sale. The system used in a dispensary to conduct retail transactions, manage customer data, and track sales inventory. |
| S2S | Seed-to-Sale. The business process and associated software that tracks the entire lifecycle of a cannabis product from cultivation to final sale. |
| SKU | Stock Keeping Unit. A unique code used to identify a specific product, essential for accurate inventory management. |
| SOP | Standard Operating Procedure. A set of step-by-step instructions for routine operations, critical for ensuring consistent and compliant use of technology. |
| UID | Unique Identifier. A specific tag number (e.g., a Metrc plant or package tag) that is physically and digitally attached to a cannabis item to ensure its traceability. |
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