PVD Research Engineer II — Thin-Film & Lab Innovation

Blue Origin LLC; Washington; On-site; USD 99,000 - 139,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

Life insurance

Paid parental leave

Short and long-term disability

401(k) with company match

Education Support Program

Stock options

Paid time off & holidays

Job summary

Blue Origin, a leader in space technology, seeks a hands-on technician to operate vacuum deposition systems and characterize thin-film layers for photovoltaic applications. You will run experiments, collect data, and maintain equipment in a lab-intensive role with direct impact on DOE campaigns and process improvements.

Qualifications include a B.S./M.S. in a related field and 2+ years in vacuum thin-film deposition, with hands-on experience in thermal evaporation or sputtering, plus strong

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, or related field.
• 2+ years of experience in vacuum thin-film deposition (academic or industry).
• Hands-on experience operating vacuum systems (thermal evaporators, sputter coaters, or similar).
• Basic understanding of thin-film growth physics (nucleation, crystal orientation, stress).
• Familiarity with standard thin-film characterization techniques (profilometry, XRD, SEM, optical spectroscopy).
• Demonstrated ability to work safely with vacuum equipment, compressed gases, and laboratory chemicals.

Responsibilities

• Operate evaporation and sputtering systems to deposit thin-film layers per established recipes and DOE plans.
• Perform routine film characterization (thickness measurement, profilometry, 4-point probe, optical transmission, XRD sample prep).
• Maintain vacuum deposition equipment including source changes, chamber cleaning, pump maintenance, and substrate fixture preparation.
• Record detailed experimental data and maintain lab notebooks to research-grade documentation standards.
• Analyze process data and present results to the team, identifying trends and proposing recipe modifications.

Skills

Vacuum deposition

Lab instrumentation

Data analysis

Documentation

Safety compliance

Education

B.S./M.S. in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, or related field

Tools

Thermal evaporators

Sputter coaters

Vacuum systems

Job description

Blue Origin, a leader in space technology, seeks a hands-on technician to operate vacuum deposition systems and characterize thin-film layers for photovoltaic applications. You will run experiments, collect data, and maintain equipment in a lab-intensive role with direct impact on DOE campaigns and process improvements.

Qualifications include a B.S./M.S. in a related field and 2+ years in vacuum thin-film deposition, with hands-on experience in thermal evaporation or sputtering, plus strong