Lead, Solar Cell Equipment Engineering

SpaceX; Texas; On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking an Equipment Engineering Manager to lead the development, installation, qualification, and sustainment of advanced manufacturing equipment for our 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 turn-on, ambitious ramps, and equipment roadmaps to enhance throughput, reduce cost per watt, and improve uptime.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering and 5+ years in high-volume manufacturing equipment.
• Experience with silicon solar cell manufacturing equipment preferred.
• Strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration skills required.

Responsibilities

• Grow, lead, and mentor a team of equipment engineers for solar cell manufacturing tools.
• Own equipment lifecycle management from install to high-volume production including preventive maintenance and spare parts optimization.
• Drive root-cause analysis for downtime, yield excursions, and process drift using structured methodologies.
• Collaborate with process engineering, manufacturing, and facilities to define equipment specs, acceptance criteria, and capacity roadmaps.
• Develop and execute equipment roadmaps to improve throughput, reduce cost per watt, and increase cell efficiency while ensuring uptime.
• Establish and enforce equipment safety, cleanroom protocols, and change control in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Partner with vendors and SpaceX designers to evaluate, qualify, and integrate new equipment platforms.
• Track and report KPIs (MTBF, MTTR, yield impact, cost of ownership) to senior leadership.
• Support new product introduction by ensuring equipment readiness for pilot and ramp phases.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical Engineering or Materials Science

Tools

PECVD

PVD

ALD

Etch

CMP

SECS/GEM

PLCs

SCADA

Vacuum systems

Job description

SpaceX is seeking an Equipment Engineering Manager to lead the development, installation, qualification, and sustainment of advanced manufacturing equipment for our 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 turn-on, ambitious ramps, and equipment roadmaps to enhance throughput, reduce cost per watt, and improve uptime.