Senior Materials & Process Engineer — Solar Arrays

Blue Origin; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 145,188 - 203,263; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Life insurance

Paid parental leave

Disability insurance

401(k) with company match

Education support program

Stock options

Job summary

Blue Origin in Washington state seeks a seasoned solar photovoltaics manufacturing engineer to design, develop, and qualify manufacturing processes for solar module fabrication, from prototype to high-rate production.

You will collaborate with R&D teams to transition novel materials and processes into production, implement process controls, and ensure aerospace-quality output while supporting cell-to-module integration and thorough documentation for technology transfer.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics, or related engineering field.
• 8+ years of experience in a manufacturing, fabrication, or laboratory environment.
• Experience with semiconductor, optoelectronic, or photovoltaic devices.
• Expertise with adhesive characterization, bonding and lamination processes, encapsulation, solar cell stringing processes, coatings, or composites.
• Familiarity with the space environment and its effect on materials.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and qualify manufacturing processes for solar module fabrication, including solar cell stringing processes, adhesive encapsulation, vacuum lamination, and tabbing and bussing of photovoltaic cells
• Collaborate with R&D teams to transition novel materials and processes into production
• Develop and implement process controls and first-article qualification plans to ensure consistent, high-quality output from prototype builds through high-volume production rates
• Identify and solve materials and process challenges across the development-to-production continuum, from laboratory-scale demonstrations to a high-rate manufacturing line
• Support the integration of photovoltaic cells into solar power modules (SPMs), ensuring mechanical, electrical, and environmental compatibility for aerospace power systems
• Work closely with module design, systems engineering, and manufacturing teams on cell-to-module integration, including bonding, encapsulant, substrate adhesion, electrical interconnects, and environmental qualification testing
• Document experimental and process data thoroughly and support technology transfer activities to manufacturing, following aerospace quality and traceability requirements
• Contribute to a culture of technical innovation, process safety, and multidisciplinary collaboration within a high-performance engineering environment

Skills

Solar photovoltaics experience

Materials science knowledge

Space environment familiarity

Adhesive characterization

Education

Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics, or related engineering field

PhD in Materials Science, Chemistry, or Physics with 10+ years of experience, or Master's degree with 12+ years and space photovoltaics experience

Job description

Blue Origin in Washington state seeks a seasoned solar photovoltaics manufacturing engineer to design, develop, and qualify manufacturing processes for solar module fabrication, from prototype to high-rate production.

You will collaborate with R&D teams to transition novel materials and processes into production, implement process controls, and ensure aerospace-quality output while supporting cell-to-module integration and thorough documentation for technology transfer.