Senior Equipment Engineer — Solar Manufacturing Fab

T1 Energy; Rockdale (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

T1 Energy in Wilmer, Texas, is hiring a Staff Equipment Engineer to own maintenance for multi-platform tool groups in the G2 solar cell fab in Rockdale. This senior role requires hands-on leadership to keep critical tools running at peak performance.

You will develop preventive and predictive maintenance programs, mentor engineers and technicians, and drive tool installation, qualification, and uptime improvements while partnering with Process, Facilities, and EHS teams to ensure safe operations.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of equipment engineering and maintenance experience in a semiconductor, solar cell, or advanced manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience in multi-platform equipment environments including wet process, diffusion and thermal, CVD and ALD, metallization, 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 setting maintenance standards and mentoring equipment engineers or maintenance technicians.
• Hands-on experience with equipment installation, qualification, and vendor management.
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own equipment engineering and maintenance for your assigned tool group at the G2 solar cell fab, covering a multi-platform tool set.
• Set the maintenance and troubleshooting standard for your area, and mentor the equipment engineers and maintenance technicians working on your tools.
• 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 and inventory for your tool set, and work with vendors to ensure rapid response to equipment issues.
• Monitor and improve OEE across your tool set, 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.
• Engage equipment vendors at a technical level on failures, modifications, and hardware improvements that increase uptime.
• Support fab ramp activities including tool installation, qualification, and operator training.

Skills

Equipment engineering

Maintenance strategy

OEE improvement

Mentoring

Vendor management

Root cause analysis

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree (Mech/Elec or related)

Job description

T1 Energy in Wilmer, Texas, is hiring a Staff Equipment Engineer to own maintenance for multi-platform tool groups in the G2 solar cell fab in Rockdale. This senior role requires hands-on leadership to keep critical tools running at peak performance.

You will develop preventive and predictive maintenance programs, mentor engineers and technicians, and drive tool installation, qualification, and uptime improvements while partnering with Process, Facilities, and EHS teams to ensure safe operations.