Process Specialist, Soldering

Corning, Inc.; Tolleson (AZ); On-site; USD 97,000 - 134,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company-wide bonuses

401(k) matching up to 4%

Medical, dental, vision benefits

Paid parental leave

Life insurance

Long-term disability

Paid time off

Job summary

Corning, Inc. in Tolleson, AZ, seeks a highly experienced Solar Module Stringing and Soldering Specialist to serve as the technical expert for cell interconnection processes on the manufacturing floor.

You will set up tabber-stringer recipes, troubleshoot equipment, drive yield and reliability improvements, and mentor operators while supporting DOE and validation activities. This role requires 5+ years in solar module manufacturing with direct hands-on experience in tabber-stringer equipment and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field, or equivalent industry experience.
• 5+ years in solar module manufacturing with tabber-stringer or interconnection operations.
• Proven ability to troubleshoot and improve stringing and soldering on the factory floor.

Responsibilities

• Provide hands-on support across stringing, soldering, bussing and inspection processes.
• Monitor equipment, material flow and process variation to improve safety, quality and throughput.
• Set up tabber-stringer recipes, parameters, and standard work; maintain control plans.
• Lead root-cause analysis for faults and drive corrective actions to sustain improvements.
• Analyze EL imaging and IV data to identify root causes and validate changes.
• Collaborate across teams to boost equipment reliability and manufacturing readiness.

Skills

Tabber-stringer operations

Soldering proficiency

Cell interconnection

EL inspection analysis

IV curves interpretation

DOE and SPC

Root-cause analysis

Equipment troubleshooting

Production quality focus

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Materials Science/Manufacturing/Physics

Tools

MES

SPC systems

SQL/JMP/Minitab

Python/advanced Excel

Job description

The company built on breakthroughs. Join us. Corning is one of the world’s leading innovators in glass, ceramic, and materials science. From the depths of the ocean to the farthest reaches of space, our technologies push the boundaries of what’s possible.

Requisition Number: 79781 The company built on breakthroughs. Join us. Corning is one of the world’s leading innovators in glass, ceramic, and materials science. From the depths of the ocean to the farthest reaches of space, our technologies push the boundaries of what’s possible. How do we do this? With our people. They break through limitations and expectations– not once in a career, but every day. They help move our company, and the world, forward. At Corning, there are endless possibilities for making an impact. You can help connect the unconnected, drive the future of automobiles, transform at-home entertainment, and ensure the delivery of lifesaving medicines. And so much more. Come break through with us. Our Solar business delivers industry leading, U.S.-made solar components. We manufacture hyper-pure polysilicon, high-quality solar wafers, and innovative photovoltaic modules, leveraging our leadership in advanced manufacturing to serve growing energy demand. You will be a part of advancing critical U.S. supply chains and delivering unmatched quality and reliability to customers.

Role Purpose Corning is seeking a highly experienced, hands-on Solar Module Stringing and Soldering Specialist to serve as the technical expert for cell interconnection processes within our solar module manufacturing facility.

This is a manufacturing-floor role for an individual who is comfortable working directly on production equipment, observing process behavior, adjusting and validating process settings, troubleshooting failures, running trials, and coaching operators and technicians in real time. The successful candidate will improve yield, module power, solder-joint quality, reliability, throughput, equipment performance, and manufacturing cost in stringing, soldering, bussing, and related cell-handling operations.

The ideal candidate has extensive practical experience with tabber-stringer equipment, solar-cell handling, ribbon/wire interconnection, soldering profiles, materials, EL inspection, and electrical-performance troubleshooting.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide hands-on manufacturing engineering support across cell stringing, soldering, bussing, layup, interconnection, and inspection processes.
• Monitor equipment performance, product flow, materials, and process variation to identify and implement improvements in safety, quality, yield, throughput, and cost.
• Set up, optimize, validate, and maintain tabber-stringer recipes, process parameters, operating windows, control plans, and standard work.
• Lead troubleshooting and root-cause analysis for equipment faults, process instability, soldering defects, cell damage, alignment issues, electrical defects, and yield losses, ensuring corrective actions are sustained.
• Analyze EL imaging, IV curves, inspection results, pull/peel testing, resistance measurements, defect trends, and process data to identify root causes and validate improvements.
• Partner with operators, technicians, Maintenance, Quality, Reliability, and Engineering to improve equipment reliability, process capability, uptime, repeatability, and manufacturing readiness.
• Plan and execute DOEs, production trials, capability studies, qualification builds, and validation activities for process, equipment, and material changes.
• Support the evaluation, qualification, and implementation of new cells, interconnection materials, equipment, tooling, automation, and advanced module technologies.
• Provide hands-on process support for new product introductions, equipment installations, commissioning, line recoveries, and production ramp-ups.
• Develop and deliver practical training for production teams on equipment operation, defect recognition, troubleshooting, material handling, process controls, and standard work.

Experiences/Education - Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Materials Science, Manufacturing, Physics, or a related technical discipline; equivalent directly relevant industry experience will be considered.
• 5+ years of hands-on solar module manufacturing experience, including significant direct responsibility for tabber-stringer, soldering, stringing, bussing, or cell interconnection operations.
• Proven ability to independently troubleshoot and improve solar-cell stringing and soldering processes on the manufacturing floor.
• Direct experience setting up and optimizing tabber-stringer equipment, recipes, soldering profiles, ribbon/wire feed systems, alignment systems, and cell-handling processes.
• Strong knowledge of solder-joint formation, interconnect materials, cell damage mechanisms, electrical failure modes, and stringing-related reliability risks.
• Demonstrated success improving first-pass yield, module power, interconnection quality, throughput, uptime, and cost.
• Experience interpreting EL images, IV curves, visual defects, pull/peel tests, resistance measurements, and production data.
• Experience applying root-cause analysis, DOE, SPC, PFMEA, 8D, or similar structured improvement methods.
• Ability and willingness to work directly in a fast-paced production environment for the majority of the workday.

Experiences/Education - Desired

• Direct experience with automated tabber-stringer platforms from leading solar equipment suppliers.
• Experience with MBB, SMBB, low-temperature soldering, conductive adhesive, smart-wire, zero-busbar, or other advanced cell-interconnection technologies.
• Experience with thin and large-format crystalline-silicon cells, TOPCon, HJT, bifacial, or glass-glass module designs.
• Experience supporting equipment startup, commissioning, factory/site acceptance testing, production-line ramp-up, and new-product introduction.
• Familiarity with module reliability testing and standards such as IEC 61215, IEC 61730, and UL 61730.
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or equivalent continuous-improvement training.
• Experience using MES, SPC systems, equipment historians, SQL, JMP, Minitab, Python, or advanced Excel to analyze production and quality data.

This position does not support immigration sponsorship.

The range for this position is $97,286.00 - $133,768.00 assuming full time status. Starting pay for the successful applicant is dependent on a variety of job-related factors, including but not limited to geographic location, market demands, experience, training, and education.

A job that shapes a life.

Corning offers you the total package.

• Company-wide bonuses and long-term incentives align with key business results and ensure you are rewarded when the company performs well. When Corning wins, we all win.
• As part of our commitment to your financial well-being, Corning provides company matching contributions to your 401(k) savings plan of up to 4% of pay when you contribute at least 6% of pay.
• Our health and well-being benefits include medical, dental, vision, paid parental leave, family building support, fitness, company-paid life insurance, disability, disease management programs, paid time off, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support you and your family.

We prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected status. Corning is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and considers requests for reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable laws. Individuals with disabilities or sincerely held religious beliefs may request reasonable accommodations to participate in the application or interview process, perform essential job functions, or access other benefits and privileges of employment. To submit a request for reasonable accommodation related to disability or religion, please contact us at [e-mail].