diff --git a/src/main/groovy/io/seqera/wave/configuration/BlobCacheConfig.groovy b/src/main/groovy/io/seqera/wave/configuration/BlobCacheConfig.groovy
index 13935e6c0..39e3f5ab2 100644
--- a/src/main/groovy/io/seqera/wave/configuration/BlobCacheConfig.groovy
+++ b/src/main/groovy/io/seqera/wave/configuration/BlobCacheConfig.groovy
@@ -72,6 +72,9 @@ class BlobCacheConfig {
     @Value('${wave.blobCache.s5cmdImage}')
     String s5Image
 
+    @Value('${wave.blobCache.BackoffLimit:3}')
+    Integer BackoffLimit
+
     @Nullable
     @Value('${wave.blobCache.requestsCpu}')
     String requestsCpu
diff --git a/src/main/groovy/io/seqera/wave/service/blob/impl/KubeTransferStrategy.groovy b/src/main/groovy/io/seqera/wave/service/blob/impl/KubeTransferStrategy.groovy
index c73315fdc..00df69c0f 100644
--- a/src/main/groovy/io/seqera/wave/service/blob/impl/KubeTransferStrategy.groovy
+++ b/src/main/groovy/io/seqera/wave/service/blob/impl/KubeTransferStrategy.groovy
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import io.micronaut.context.annotation.Requires
 import io.seqera.wave.configuration.BlobCacheConfig
 import io.seqera.wave.service.blob.BlobCacheInfo
 import io.seqera.wave.service.blob.TransferStrategy
+import io.seqera.wave.service.blob.TransferTimeoutException
 import io.seqera.wave.service.k8s.K8sService
 import jakarta.inject.Inject
 /**
@@ -48,9 +49,14 @@ class KubeTransferStrategy implements TransferStrategy {
 
     @Override
     BlobCacheInfo transfer(BlobCacheInfo info, List<String> command) {
-        final podName = getName(info, "pod")
-        final jobName = getName(info, "job")
-        final job = k8sService.transferJob(jobName, podName, blobConfig.s5Image, command, blobConfig)
+        final name = getName(info)
+        log.info("command-> ${command.join(' ')}")
+        final job = k8sService.transferJob(name, name, blobConfig.s5Image, command, blobConfig)
+        final podList = k8sService.waitJob(job, blobConfig.transferTimeout.toMillis())
+        if ( !podList || podList.items.size() < 1 ) {
+            throw new TransferTimeoutException("Blob transfer job timeout")
+        }
+        final podName = podList.items[0].metadata.name
         final pod = k8sService.getPod(podName)
         final terminated = k8sService.waitPod(pod, blobConfig.transferTimeout.toMillis())
         final stdout = k8sService.logsPod(podName)
@@ -59,8 +65,8 @@ class KubeTransferStrategy implements TransferStrategy {
                 : info.failed(stdout)
     }
 
-    protected static String getName(BlobCacheInfo info, String type) {
-        return "transfer-$type-" + Hashing
+    protected static String getName(BlobCacheInfo info) {
+        return "transfer-" + Hashing
                 .sipHash24()
                 .newHasher()
                 .putUnencodedChars(info.locationUri)
diff --git a/src/main/groovy/io/seqera/wave/service/k8s/K8sService.groovy b/src/main/groovy/io/seqera/wave/service/k8s/K8sService.groovy
index 3098e99a3..06019861a 100644
--- a/src/main/groovy/io/seqera/wave/service/k8s/K8sService.groovy
+++ b/src/main/groovy/io/seqera/wave/service/k8s/K8sService.groovy
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import java.nio.file.Path
 import io.kubernetes.client.openapi.models.V1ContainerStateTerminated
 import io.kubernetes.client.openapi.models.V1Job
 import io.kubernetes.client.openapi.models.V1Pod
+import io.kubernetes.client.openapi.models.V1PodList
 import io.seqera.wave.configuration.BlobCacheConfig
 import io.seqera.wave.configuration.ScanConfig
 import io.seqera.wave.configuration.SpackConfig
@@ -57,4 +58,6 @@ interface K8sService {
 
     V1Job transferJob(String name, String podName, String containerImage, List<String> args, BlobCacheConfig blobConfig)
 
+    V1PodList waitJob(V1Job job, Long timeout)
+
 }
diff --git a/src/main/groovy/io/seqera/wave/service/k8s/K8sServiceImpl.groovy b/src/main/groovy/io/seqera/wave/service/k8s/K8sServiceImpl.groovy
index 9c7992b70..22d43bf0d 100644
--- a/src/main/groovy/io/seqera/wave/service/k8s/K8sServiceImpl.groovy
+++ b/src/main/groovy/io/seqera/wave/service/k8s/K8sServiceImpl.groovy
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import io.kubernetes.client.openapi.models.V1JobBuilder
 import io.kubernetes.client.openapi.models.V1PersistentVolumeClaimVolumeSource
 import io.kubernetes.client.openapi.models.V1Pod
 import io.kubernetes.client.openapi.models.V1PodBuilder
+import io.kubernetes.client.openapi.models.V1PodList
 import io.kubernetes.client.openapi.models.V1ResourceRequirements
 import io.kubernetes.client.openapi.models.V1Volume
 import io.kubernetes.client.openapi.models.V1VolumeMount
@@ -602,7 +603,7 @@ class K8sServiceImpl implements K8sService {
             resources.putRequestsItem('memory', new Quantity(requestsMemory))
 
         def spec = builder.withNewSpec()
-                .withBackoffLimit(0)
+                .withBackoffLimit(blobConfig.BackoffLimit)
                 .withNewTemplate()
                 .editOrNewSpec()
                     .withServiceAccount(serviceAccount)
@@ -629,4 +630,28 @@ class K8sServiceImpl implements K8sService {
         return result
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Wait for a job to start a pod
+     *
+     * @param k8s job
+     * @param timeout
+     *      Max wait time in milliseconds
+     * @return list of pods created by this job
+     */
+    V1PodList waitJob(V1Job job, Long timeout) {
+        final startTime = System.currentTimeMillis()
+        // wait for termination
+        while (System.currentTimeMillis() - startTime < timeout) {
+            final name = job.metadata.name
+            final active = job.status?.getActive()
+            if (active && active > 0) {
+                return k8sClient.
+                        coreV1Api().
+                        listNamespacedPod(namespace, null, null, null, null, "job-name=$name", null, null, null, null, null, null)
+            }
+            sleep 5_000
+            job = getJob(name)
+        }
+        return null
+    }
 }