Senior Solar Cell Test Engineer – Space PV Systems

Blue Origin; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 203,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Education Support Program

Stock options

Job summary

Blue Origin seeks a Solar Cell Test Engineer to own the test and characterization infrastructure for the perovskite solar cell program, defining test plans and commissioning equipment to drive actionable insights from J-V, EQE, and PL measurements.

You will lead characterization from rapid R&D through qualification testing, applying space power standards and ensuring data quality while collaborating with radiation facilities and program reviews.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in photovoltaic device testing, characterization, or reliability engineering.
• Expert-level proficiency with solar cell characterization techniques: J-V, EQE, solar simulator calibration, reference cell traceability.
• Strong statistical analysis skills: DOE, hypothesis testing, Weibull, MSAs.
• Experience specifying, procuring, and commissioning test equipment for a photovoltaic characterization lab.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute device characterization protocols: J-V, EQE, PL, impedance spectroscopy, EL imaging.
• Develop and maintain the test laboratory infrastructure: solar simulators, EQE systems, environmental chambers, radiation sources, and data acquisition systems.
• Define qualification test plans aligned with space PV standards including radiation testing, thermal cycling, UV exposure, and humidity.
• Analyze device degradation mechanisms through systematic characterization before and after stress testing.
• Develop accelerated testing methodologies that predict long-term space performance from short-duration lab tests.
• Establish measurement uncertainty budgets, calibration protocols, and traceability for all key measurements.
• Build and maintain a structured test database linking sample identity, processing history, test conditions, and results.
• Collaborate with radiation test facilities to plan and execute radiation campaigns.
• Present test results to program reviews with clear statistical analysis and pass/fail assessments.

Skills

Photovoltaic testing

Statistical analysis

DOE/Weibull analysis

Education

M.S./Ph.D. in EE/Physics/Materials Science

Tools

Solar simulators

EQE systems

Environmental chambers

Data acquisition systems

Job description

Blue Origin seeks a Solar Cell Test Engineer to own the test and characterization infrastructure for the perovskite solar cell program, defining test plans and commissioning equipment to drive actionable insights from J-V, EQE, and PL measurements.

You will lead characterization from rapid R&D through qualification testing, applying space power standards and ensuring data quality while collaborating with radiation facilities and program reviews.