Senior Materials Engineer – Solar Cell Manufacturing

SpaceX; Bastrop (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Sr. Materials Engineer for Starlink to own consumables across ingot, wafer, and solar cell manufacturing. You will set the technical bar for materials sourcing, qualification, and production hand‑off to enable high‑volume cell production.

The role requires deep fundamentals in metals, polymers, crystals and coatings, plus experience building qualification programs and partnering with supply chain and process engineering to scale processes on aggressive timelines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM field with 5+ years in materials engineering or related roles.
• Experience in supplier qualification, material sourcing, and manufacturing support.
• Strong fundamentals across metals, polymers, crystals and coatings.

Responsibilities

• Own strategy for consumable materials across ingot, wafer, and solar cell lines.
• Lead cross-functional sourcing, qualification, and lifecycle management.
• Define material requirements and acceptance criteria reflecting process needs.
• Execute qualification programs, including characterization and reliability assessment.
• Drive data‑driven corrective actions and root cause investigations.
• Mentor teams on materials problem solving and qualification best practices.
• Communicate status and recommendations to leadership.
• Ensure safety, quality, and ownership in all activities.

Skills

Materials engineering

First principles thinking

Strong communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's in materials science/engineering

Master’s or PhD in materials science

Tools

SEM-EDS

XRD

FTIR

XPS

Optical microscopy

Mechanical testing

Job description

SpaceX is seeking a Sr. Materials Engineer for Starlink to own consumables across ingot, wafer, and solar cell manufacturing. You will set the technical bar for materials sourcing, qualification, and production hand‑off to enable high‑volume cell production.

The role requires deep fundamentals in metals, polymers, crystals and coatings, plus experience building qualification programs and partnering with supply chain and process engineering to scale processes on aggressive timelines.