Lab Operations Leader - Safety, Throughput & Growth

First Solar Inc.; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 81,000 - 116,000; Full time

Job summary

First Solar Inc. in Santa Clara, CA is seeking a Lab Supervisor to oversee CTC lab operations and drive safety, quality and throughput improvements. You will coordinate with equipment owners and technicians, schedule tasks, and lead a team to meet priority testing requirements.

The role requires 4+ years in manufacturing or lab environments with leadership experience, strong data skills, and a proactive mindset to improve processes and training. Occasional long hours may be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor Degree in a technical discipline (Mechanical preferred) with minimum 4 years work experience in a manufacturing or lab environment, minimum 1 year supervision or leadership experience.
• Or Associates Degree in a technical discipline (Mechanical preferred) with minimum 7 years work experience in a manufacturing or lab environment, minimum 3 years supervision or leadership experience.
• Or First Solar Supervisory experience for a minimum of 2 years in a manufacturing or lab setting.

Responsibilities

• Ensure a safe work environment.
• Develop and implement operational systems to improve safety and throughput.
• Schedule testing based on priority and allocate equipment/resources.
• Train and develop lab personnel; conduct quarterly performance reviews.
• Maintain equipment calibrations and perform basic maintenance.
• Monitor inventory and lab space; ensure data collection and quality checks.
• Communicate abnormal findings promptly and support improvement projects.

Skills

MS Word

MS Excel

PPT

Train & develop

Data analysis

Tool operation

Interpersonal skills

Communication

EH&S knowledge

Independent work

Problem solving

Multi-tasking

Education

Bachelor Degree in a technical discipline

Associates Degree in a technical discipline

First Solar Supervisory experience

Tools

JMP

In-house applications

Job description

First Solar Inc. in Santa Clara, CA is seeking a Lab Supervisor to oversee CTC lab operations and drive safety, quality and throughput improvements. You will coordinate with equipment owners and technicians, schedule tasks, and lead a team to meet priority testing requirements.

The role requires 4+ years in manufacturing or lab environments with leadership experience, strong data skills, and a proactive mindset to improve processes and training. Occasional long hours may be required.