Sr. Fluid Systems Engineer, Solar Cell Factory

SpaceX; Bastrop (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceX in Bastrop, TX is seeking a Sr. Fluid Systems Engineer for the Solar Cell Factory to design, build, and optimize fluid delivery systems for gases, chemicals, and exhaust in high-volume solar cell production.

You will partner with process and facilities teams to ensure safety, reliability, and scalable performance. The ideal candidate has 5+ years of fluids systems design experience, strong CAD/CFD skills, and a record of applying hazard analysis and regulatory standards to complex

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, chemical, or aerospace engineering.
• 5+ years of professional fluids systems design experience.
• Experience with hazardous materials handling and safety standards.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and activate fluid systems for gases, chemicals, and exhaust in solar cell processes.
• Lead cradle-to-grave projects from requirements through commissioning and handover.
• Design modular systems scalable for future solar production facilities.
• Apply fluids/thermal analysis, CONOP development, and equipment sizing.
• Support safety assessments and regulatory compliance for hazardous materials handling.

Skills

Fluids systems design

P&ID development

CFD/flow analysis

Safety & hazard analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, chemical, or aerospace engineering

Tools

ANSYS Fluent

AutoCAD

SolidWorks

Pipe-Flo

Job description

Sr. Fluid Systems Engineer, Solar Cell Factory

Bastrop, TX

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal ofenabling human life on Mars.

SR. FLUIDS SYSTEMS ENGINEER, SOLAR CELL FACTORY

The Solar Cell team is revolutionizing power generation for space applications through advanced solar cell manufacturing. We're scaling production of high-efficiency solar cells to support sustainable energy solutions for Starlink constellations, launch vehicles, and beyond. As a Sr. Solar Cell Factory Fluids Engineer, you will design, build, and optimize fluid systems for the delivery of critical gases and chemicals in solar cell fabrication. This role requires a detail-oriented engineer passionate about safe handling of hazardous materials in a high-volume manufacturing environment, ensuring reliable supply to processes like vacuum deposition and etching while minimizing risks and maximizing efficiency in our cutting-edge solar cell factory.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Design, build, and activate fluids systems for the distribution of key gases (e.g. specialty and bulk gases), chemicals (e.g., hydrofluoric acid, solvents) and exhaust systems used in solar cell processes, including tanks, pumps, heat exchangers, gas panels, valves, scrubbers, and abatement systems
• Cradle-to-grave project ownership including requirement definition, design, justification of key decisions, equipment procurement, build coordination, commissioning and project management throughout
• Design modular systems capable of being manufactured at scale for future solar production facilities
• Apply fluids/mechanical engineering skills such as P&ID development, equipment sizing, detailed fluid and thermal analysis, system-level CONOP development, structural analysis, materials and component selection.
• Perform safety/hazard assessments (ex. FMEAs, HAZOPs) to ensure appropriate hazardous system design, including emergency shutdown CONOPs, redundancy, and general compliance with hazardous material safety standards
• Design, build, and deploy data acquisition and control systems for fluid facilities control and monitoring
• Collaborate with process engineers to integrate fluid systems with manufacturing equipment and optimize delivery rates, purity levels, and recovery/recycling of process fluids to support high-yield production
• Support installation, commissioning, and troubleshooting of fluid systems, working closely with facilities operations, EHS, automation, and procurement teams to resolve issues and implement improvements
• Ensure regulatory compliance with OSHA, EPA, ASME, NFPA, and SEMI standards for chemical and gas handling in semiconductor-like environments
• Track system performance metrics (e.g., flow rates, contamination levels, downtime) and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, such as lean manufacturing and sustainability efforts for fluid reuse

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, aerospace engineering, or other engineering discipline
• 5+ years of professional fluids systems design experience

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Advanced degree in engineering or related field
• 2+ years of experience in fluid systems design, particularly with gases or hazardous chemicals in manufacturing or semiconductor industries
• 2+ years of experience in photovoltaic, semiconductor, or thin-film deposition manufacturing
• Knowledge of safety protocols for handling pyrophoric materials (e.g., silane) and toxic gases/chemicals (e.g., phosphine, HF)
• Knowledge of ASME B31.3, SEMI S2/S8 standards and experience with cleanroom HVAC integration for fluid systems
• Familiarity with cleanroom fluid systems, gas cabinets, scrubbers, and wastewater neutralization for solar cell fabrication
• Familiarity with air separation units (ASUs) for gaseous nitrogen production.
• Certification in process safety (e.g., CSP, Six Sigma Green Belt) or hazardous materials handling
• Proficiency in fluid dynamics software (e.g., ANSYS Fluent, Pipe-Flo) and CAD tools (e.g., AutoCAD, SolidWorks) for system modeling and diagramming
• Experience with process safety management, including risk assessment and regulatory compliance
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, iterative environment and collaborate across multidisciplinary teams
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and communicate effectively
• Ability to rapidly change roles/responsibilities while maintaining a high sense of urgency in a demanding work environment
• Creativity to imagine and design for reliability, efficiency, and maintainability from scratch

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to travelfrequentlyfor work, potentially for extended periods of time during machine buyoffs and startup
• Ability to lift 25 lbs. unassisted
• Lifting, standing, climbing, bending, grasping, sitting, pulling, pushing, stooping, stretching, and carrying aregenerally requiredto perform the functions of this position
• Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed to support critical milestones
• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here .

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Aff… should reach out to [e-mail] .

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in SpaceX’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.