Manager, Equipment

T1 Energy Inc.; Rockdale (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

T1 Energy Inc. is building a premier 5GW solar module facility in Wilmer, Texas and seeks an Equipment Manager for its G2 solar cell fab in Rockdale, Texas.

This senior role leads equipment engineering and maintenance, ensuring peak uptime and reliability across a broad mix of manufacturing tools. Responsibilities include leading engineers and technicians, implementing preventive and predictive programs, and managing spare parts and vendor relationships to keep downtime to a minimum.

Qualifications

• Extensive leadership in equipment engineering and maintenance in high-volume manufacturing.
• Proven track record building preventive and predictive maintenance programs.
• Strong understanding of OEE metrics and reliability improvement.
• Hands-on with multi-platform tool installations, qualifications, and vendor management.

Responsibilities

• Own equipment engineering and maintenance operations across the G2 solar cell fab.
• Lead and develop a team of equipment engineers and maintenance technicians across shifts.
• Establish and manage preventative and predictive maintenance programs maximizing uptime.
• Drive equipment qualification, installation, and acceptance for new tool installations/upgrades.
• Own spare parts strategy, inventory management, and vendor relationships for rapid response.
• Monitor and improve OEE and identify chronic downtime contributors.
• Lead root cause analysis for equipment failures and implement corrective actions.
• Collaborate with Process, Facilities, and EHS teams to ensure safe, compliant tool operation.
• Manage equipment vendor relationships and service contracts for performance.
• Support fab ramp activities including tool installation, qualification, and operator training.

Skills

Equipment leadership

OEE improvement

Team management

Maintenance strategy

Multi-platform tool knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering

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

T1 Energy is looking to hire an Equipment Manager to lead all equipment engineering and maintenance operations at our G2 solar cell fab in Rockdale, Texas. This is a senior leadership role for someone who has managed complex multi-platform equipment environments in a high-volume manufacturing settings and knows how to keep critical tools running at peak performance. You\'ve built maintenance programs, led equipment teams, and know what it means to own uptime in a production environment where downtime is never acceptable. You\'re equally comfortable reviewing an OEE dashboard and getting hands-on with a tool that\'s down.

What You\'ll Do

• Own all equipment engineering and maintenance operations across the G2 solar cell fab, covering a broad portfolio of multi-platform manufacturing tools.
• Lead and develop a team of equipment engineers and maintenance technicians across shifts.
• Establish and manage preventative and predictive maintenance programs that maximize equipment uptime and reliability.
• Drive equipment qualification, installation, and acceptance activities for new tool installations and upgrades.
• Own spare parts strategy, inventory management, and vendor relationships to ensure rapid response to equipment issues.
• Monitor and improve OEE across the fab, identifying chronic downtime contributors and driving systematic resolution.
• Lead root cause analysis for equipment failures and implement corrective actions that stick.
• Partner with Process, Facilities, and EHS teams to ensure tools operate safely, cleanly, and within specification.
• Manage equipment vendor relationships and service contracts to ensure performance and accountability.
• Support fab ramp activities including tool installation, qualification, and operator training.

Who You Are

• An experienced equipment leader who has managed multi-platform tool sets in a semiconductor, solar, or advanced manufacturing environment.
• Deeply knowledgeable in maintenance strategy, equipment reliability, and OEE improvement.
• A strong people manager who builds technically sharp, responsive maintenance teams.
• Systematic and thorough in your approach to equipment programs - nothing runs on luck under your watch.
• Calm and decisive when tools go down and production is waiting.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of equipment engineering and maintenance leadership experience in a semiconductor, solar cell, or advanced manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing multi-platform equipment environments including CVD, diffusion, implant, metrology, wet process, and related toolsets.
• Proven track record building and managing preventive and predictive maintenance programs.
• Strong understanding of OEE metrics and systematic approaches to equipment reliability improvement.
• Experience managing equipment teams across multiple shifts.
• Hands-on experience with equipment installation, qualification, and vendor management.
• Bachelor\'s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field preferred.

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.