Equipment Engineer, Thermal

T1 Energy; Georgia; On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

T1 Energy in Rockdale, Texas, is hiring Equipment Engineers to own thermal toolsets in the G2 TOPCon fab. This is a hands-on role, mostly at the tool, with on-site responsibilities in a 24/7 production environment.

You’ll write procedures, train technicians, and work with Process Engineering, EHS, and vendors to keep boron diffusion, oxidation, and related equipment running safely and efficiently. Equal opportunity employer.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, or Mechatronics Engineering, or an associate degree with hands-on experience.
• 3+ years of hands-on equipment engineering in semiconductor, solar, or similar high-volume manufacturing.
• Hands-on repair of diffusion/oxidation furnaces and related components.
• Ability to troubleshoot from electrical diagrams, P&IDs, and PLC/HMI diagnostics.
• Track record of eliminating chronic equipment failures, not just repairs.

Responsibilities

• Own OEE, availability, MTBF, and MTTR for your toolset.
• Diagnose and fix tool downs, escalating with data when needed.
• Close root causes using 8D, FMEA, and Pareto analyses.
• Analyze tool data to spot failure trends and reduce downtime.
• Own the PM schedule and vendor procedures; manage spares levels.
• Maintain interlocks, gas detection, and safety systems in conjunction with EHS.
• Collaborate with Process Engineering on life cycles, cleaning, and ramp procedures.
• Document procedures and train technicians for tool operation.

Skills

Hands-on

Problem-solving

Decisive

Communication

Methodical

Education

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering

Bachelor's in Mechatronics Engineering

Associate degree with hands-on experience

Tools

LPCVD furnaces

Boron diffusion equipment

Oxidation furnaces

Gas delivery systems

Job description

T1 Energy is bringing solar manufacturing back to the U.S. by building a domestic solar supply chain. Our mission is to invigorate America with scalable, reliable, and low-cost energy. Our fully operational 5GW solar module facility in Wilmer, Texas, can manufacture more than 20,000 modules every 24 hours. By the time you finish reading this paragraph, we will have produced two solar panels that will power American homes and fuel domestic AI. We're focused on building advanced American manufacturing and we're passionate about engineering a better future filled with abundant energy.

The Role

G2 is T1 Energy’s new TOPCon solar cell fab in Rockdale, Texas. Thermal process sets the junction: boron diffusion, oxidation, and the furnaces that follow. When these tools drift or stop, cell efficiency and output go with them. We’re hiring Equipment Engineers to keep them running.

You’ll own a set of thermal tools, from install through high-volume production. The set covers boron diffusion and oxidation vertical tube furnaces and the Boating Room equipment that feeds them. It’s a hands‑on role: most of your day is at the tool, and you’ll be trusted to make the engineering calls that keep it running.

This is an on‑site role at G2 in Rockdale, Texas, day shift supporting a 24/7 fab, with an on‑call rotation for critical tool‑downs, and cleanroom and sub‑fab work in full chemical PPE. You’ll be building a fab from the ground up: your PMs, your procedures, and your fixes become the standard, and the calls on your tools are yours to make.

What you’ll do

• Own OEE, availability, MTBF, and MTTR for your toolset.
• Be first on the tool when it goes down. Make it safe, diagnose the failed component, and restore it. When you escalated to the vendor, bring clear data.
• Close root cause on chronic failures, wafer breakage, and leaks using 8D, FMEA, and Pareto, and verify the fixes hold.
• Analyze alarm histories, maintenance records, and tool data in JMP, SQL, Python, or Excel to spot failure trends before they cause downtime.
• Own the PM schedule, refine vendor PM procedures, and set critical‑spares levels, then adjust both from failure history.
• Keep interlocks, gas detection, exhaust and scrubber interfaces, and over‑temperature protection working on tools running boron and phosphorus precursors, oxygen, and nitrogen. You’ll do this together with EHS.
• Work with Process Engineering on quartzware life and cleaning cycles, boat load and unload hardware, and temperature profiling.
• Bring tools through install, SAT, and qualification into production. Write down the procedures and train the technicians who run them.

Who You Are

• A hands‑on equipment engineer who would rather be at the tool than in a meeting.
• Systematic about failure: you fix the cause, not the symptom, and you check that it held.
• Decisive when a tool is down and the line is waiting.
• A straight communicator with process, production, facilities, EHS, and vendors.
• Methodical about consumable life, thermal profiling, and preventive replacement.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, or Mechatronics Engineering, or an associate degree with equivalent hands‑on experience.
• 3+ years of hands‑on equipment engineering in semiconductor, solar, or similar high‑volume manufacturing.
• Hands‑on repair of tube diffusion, oxidation, or LPCVD furnaces, including heating elements, thermocouples, gas delivery (mass flow controllers, valves, heated lines), vacuum and pressure control, and boat handling.
• Component‑level troubleshooting from electrical schematics, pneumatic drawings, P&IDs, and PLC/HMI diagnostics.
• A track record of eliminating a chronic equipment failure, not just repairing it again.
• Safe working practice with toxic and corrosive process gases, high‑temperature systems, quartzware handling, and LOTO.
• Preferred: solar cell (TOPCon, PERC, or HJT) or semiconductor fab experience.
• Preferred: greenfield tool install, SAT, and ramp experience.

The T1 Way

We move fast, expect accountability, and treat people with respect. We also have a no-jerks policy: we don't tolerate big egos, bad behavior or "that's not my job attitude". Be sharp, be honest, be human. If you can hold the line and have a sense of humor, you'll fit right in.

T1 Energy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants and do not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected characteristics.