Solar Cell Equipment Engineering Manager

InvestedintheMission; Bastrop (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking an Equipment Engineering Manager to lead the development, installation, qualification, and sustainment of advanced manufacturing equipment for next-generation solar cell production lines. You will drive strategy, reliability, and performance to enable high-volume, high-efficiency manufacturing and support ambitious ramp goals.

You will grow and mentor a team of engineers, manage lifecycle from installation to production, and push for continuous improvements in throughput and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or materials science.
• 5+ years in equipment engineering/maintenance in high-volume manufacturing.
• 5+ years leading a team of engineers.
• Experience with thin-film deposition, vacuum systems, or wet processing equipment.

Responsibilities

• Grow, lead, and mentor a team of equipment engineers responsible for solar cell manufacturing tools.
• Own equipment lifecycle management from installation to high-volume production, incl. PM strategies and spare parts optimization.
• Drive root-cause analysis for downtime, yield excursions, and process drift using 8D, FMEA, DOE.
• Collaborate with process engineering, manufacturing, and facilities to define equipment specs and capacity roadmaps.
• Develop and execute equipment roadmaps to improve throughput, reduce cost per watt, and increase cell efficiency.
• Enforce equipment safety, cleanroom protocols, and change control in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Partner with vendors and SpaceX designers to evaluate and qualify new equipment platforms.
• Track KPIs (MTBF, MTTR, yield, cost of ownership) and drive data-driven decisions.
• Support new product introductions by ensuring equipment readiness for pilot and ramp phases of next-gen cell architectures.

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Data-driven decisions

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or materials science

Tools

PECVD deposition

PVD/sputtering

vacuum systems

wet processing equipment

Job description

SpaceX is seeking an Equipment Engineering Manager to lead the development, installation, qualification, and sustainment of advanced manufacturing equipment for next-generation solar cell production lines. You will drive strategy, reliability, and performance to enable high-volume, high-efficiency manufacturing and support ambitious ramp goals.

You will grow and mentor a team of engineers, manage lifecycle from installation to production, and push for continuous improvements in throughput and