Lead Equipment Engineering Manager — Solar Cell Manufacturing

SpaceX; Bastrop (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a highly motivated Equipment Engineering Manager to lead the development, installation, qualification, and sustainment of advanced manufacturing equipment for our next-generation solar cell production lines. You will drive equipment strategy, reliability, and performance to enable high-volume, high-efficiency solar cell manufacturing that supports SpaceX’s energy goals.

Your scope includes factory ramp execution, equipment roadmaps, and collaboration with process engineering,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, chemical engineering or materials science.
• 5+ years of experience in equipment engineering or maintenance in a high-volume manufacturing environment (semiconductor, solar, or related industry).
• 5+ years of experience managing or leading a team of engineers.
• Experience with thin-film deposition, vacuum systems, or wet processing equipment.

Responsibilities

• Grow, lead, and mentor a team of equipment engineers responsible for solar cell manufacturing tools including wet chemical benches, PECVD deposition systems, PVD/sputtering tools, metrology/inspection systems, and beyond.
• Own equipment lifecycle management from installation and process qualification through high-volume production, including preventive maintenance strategies, spare parts optimization, and continuous improvement of overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
• Drive root-cause analysis and corrective actions for equipment downtime, yield excursions, and process drift using structured problem-solving methodologies (e.g., 8D, FMEA, DOE).
• Collaborate with process engineering, manufacturing, and facilities teams to define equipment specifications, acceptance criteria, and capacity expansion roadmaps for solar cell technologies
• Develop and execute equipment roadmaps that improve throughput, reduce cost per watt, and increase cell efficiency while maintaining world-class uptime
• Establish and enforce equipment safety, cleanroom protocols, and change control processes in a high-volume semiconductor-style manufacturing environment.
• Partner with vendors and internal SpaceX designers to evaluate, qualify, and integrate new equipment platforms and drive performance improvements on existing tools
• Track and report key performance metrics (MTBF, MTTR, yield impact, cost of ownership) to senior leadership and drive data-driven decisions
• Support new product introduction (NPI) activities by ensuring equipment is ready for pilot and ramp phases of next-generation cell architectures

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, or materials science

Tools

PECVD

PVD

ALD

Etch

CMP

Job description

SpaceX is seeking a highly motivated Equipment Engineering Manager to lead the development, installation, qualification, and sustainment of advanced manufacturing equipment for our next-generation solar cell production lines. You will drive equipment strategy, reliability, and performance to enable high-volume, high-efficiency solar cell manufacturing that supports SpaceX’s energy goals.

Your scope includes factory ramp execution, equipment roadmaps, and collaboration with process engineering,