Sr. Solar Cell Process Engineer (Starlink)

divh2Sr. Solar Cell Process Engineer (Starlink)/h2pSpaceX 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./ppAs a solar cell process engineer on Starlink, you will spearhead state-of-the-art production processes 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. You will work through the life cycle of setting up a greenfield solar cell production plant, including equipment procurement, plant design/layout, equipment commissioning and ramp-up, recipe and process development, and working to develop a world-class production team and environment. Example processes include chemical etching, PE-CVD, PVD, metallization, and cell test equipment, wafer inspection tools, evaporation and ALD equipment, ultrapure and wastewater treatment equipment, and gas and chemical distribution systems, among others./ppYou will develop and iterate on the manufacturing processes and recipes to achieve a state-of-the-art silicon cell efficiency, low defect rate and cost, and high reliability cell for space-based applications. 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./ph3Responsibilities:/h3ulliResponsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining new and/or improved manufacturing processes, equipment, technologies, and facilities/liliAnalyze production processes and machinery from a first principles, physics-based approach/liliDevelop experiments to diagnose and correct manufacturing problems, utilizing robust DOE and statistical methodologies/liliOptimize process conditions and materials to improve the optical and electrical quality of solar cells/liliPerform defect characterization and analysis to determine root cause and develop action plans to improve yields/liliDevelop project plans, budgets, and cost/benefit analysis for implementation of new processes or machines/liliOwn and perform machine activation and testing with a small team of engineers and technicians/liliPrepare detailed content for technical design reviews and demonstrate extreme ownership of the production outcome of the Starlink solar factory across yield, uptime, and cost/li/ulh3Basic Qualifications:/h3ulliBachelors degree in an engineering discipline/lili5+ years of experience in chemical engineering design, analysis, and/or system implementation/li/ulh3Preferred Skills and Experience:/h3ulliMasters degree or PhD in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, environmental engineering, or related technical discipline/liliHands-on experience working with complex fluid or mechanical based production systems in a professional setting/liliExperience transitioning products from design to manufacturing and scaling to high volume as part of a cross-functional team/liliSelf-motivated with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills/liliExperience with solar cell manufacturing equipment, such as wet chemical processing equipment, PE-CVD equipment, PVD machines, metallization and final test equipment, and wafer inspection equipment. Experience in evaporation tools and ALD tools are a plus/liliExperience or expertise with perovskite solar cells or perovskite tandem solar cells/liliExperience with micro-structure analysis tools (SEM, TEM, EDX, SIMS, etc.) and optical/electrical characterization tools (UV-VIS, I-V, Resistance, etc.)/li/ulh3Additional Requirements:/h3ulliAbility to travel frequently for work, potentially for extended periods of time during machine buyoffs and startup/liliAbility to lift 25 lbs. unassisted/liliLifting, standing, climbing, bending, grasping, sitting, pulling, pushing, stooping, stretching, and carrying are generally required to perform the functions of this position/liliMust be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed/li/ul/div

Created: 2026-03-04