Aimed at senior chemical engineers with hands-on experience in high-volume solar manufacturing who can lead equipment reliability and scale production.
Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.
Original posting from SpaceX via Greenhouse
SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.
SR. CHEMICAL TEXTURING EQUIPMENT ENGINEER, SOLAR CELLS (STARLINK)
Starlink believes in providing fast, reliable internet to those that need it most. We design, build, and launch the world's largest and most advanced satellite constellation that is capable of delivering high-speed internet to even the most remote locations.
As a Sr. Chemical Texturing Equipment Engineer you will own the chemical processing equipment (wet chemical texturing tools, wet chemical preclean tools) used to manufacture silicon heterojunction solar cells at massive scale. You will work closely with our existing Texturing Process Engineering team to ensure world-class equipment performance, reliability, and uptime. While the process team focuses on surface morphology, light trapping, and cell efficiency, you will be the hardware owner responsible for tool availability, stability, and scaling to support our ambitious goals.
Your work will form the backbone of the Starlink network (photons of sunlight in is directly proportional to photons of data out to customers!) and help provide internet to tens of millions of customers all around the world. You will spearhead state of the art production equipment for an internal solar cell production line, providing high efficiency and high-quality solar cells for both our latest generation Starlink satellites and for Starship missions to the Moon and Mars.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Work with facilities and process engineering teams to install, qualify, maintain, and continuously improve high-throughput texturing and preclean equipment for heterojunction silicon solar cell manufacturing
Drive equipment reliability and uptime to support very large volume production with minimal downtime. Run experiments and analyze data to improve capacity (UPH), reduce tool-to-tool variation, and improve defect performance
Develop and execute robust preventive and predictive maintenance strategies, spare parts programs, and tool matching protocols for high-volume manufacturing
Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions on all equipment-related issues, including chemical delivery systems, pumps, filtration, temperature control, robotics/automation, wet benches, and exhaust/abatement systems
Partner closely with Process Engineers to implement new process requirements on existing and future equipment platforms
Evaluate and select next-generation high-throughput texturing tools capable of supporting 1GW+ per tool scale production
Work with vendors on equipment design improvements, upgrades, and custom solutions tailored to heterojunction solar cell requirements
Establish equipment performance metrics (OEE, MTBF, MTTR) and implement statistical process control for hardware stability
Ensure all equipment meets cleanroom, safety, and high-reliability manufacturing standards
Analyze production processes and machinery from a first principles, physics-based approach
Attend meetings to communicate factory state to leadership with respect to the team’s equipment
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or related technical discipline
5+ years of hands-on experience owning and maintaining chemical process equipment in a high-volume semiconductor, solar manufacturing, or related environment
Experience handling flammable, toxic, corrosive, and/or hazardous chemicals and gases safely
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
7+ years of hands-on experience owning and maintaining chemical process equipment in a high-volume semiconductor or solar manufacturing environment
Strong technical expertise in chemical delivery systems, wet process equipment, pumps, filtration, temperature control hardware, robotics, and automation
Demonstrated success improving equipment uptime and reliability in a 24/7 high-volume production setting
Experience with heterojunction (HJT) silicon solar cell manufacturing equipment
Previous work at high-volume solar, semiconductor, or display manufacturing facilities (multi-GW or 300mm fab experience is a plus)
Deep knowledge of texturing tool architecture and subsystems
Experience with chemical concentration control, bath lifetime optimization, rinse systems, dryer systems, and particle control
Experience with electro-pneumatic robot and transfer module systems
Experience with hazardous chemical delivery, handling, and abatement systems
Experience scaling equipment from pilot to very high volume production
Proficiency with statistical tools (JMP, Minitab), failure analysis techniques, and reliability engineering principles
Strong project management skills with the ability to drive complex equipment installations and qualifications
Familiarity with high-reliability manufacturing standards for aerospace applications
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
Must be able to work extended hours and weekends as needed to support production and urgent equipment downtime situations
Ability to lift 25 lbs unassisted, work in cleanroom environments, and move between multiple production areas
Willingness to travel domestically and internationally to vendor sites (up to 20%)
ITAR REQUIREMENTS:
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.
SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com.
Source: SpaceX careers (Greenhouse)