Equipment Engineer, Solar Cell Metallization (Starlink)

SpaceX•Bastrop, TX

About The Position

The Equipment Engineer, Solar Cell Metallization (Starlink) owns screen printing and related metallization equipment used to manufacture silicon heterojunction solar cells at large scale. The role works closely with Metallization/Screen Printing Process Engineering to ensure equipment performance, reliability, and uptime. While process engineers focus on paste properties, contact formation, and cell efficiency, this role is responsible for hardware availability, stability, and scaling production equipment. The engineer will support an internal solar cell production line, developing high-efficiency, high-quality solar cells for Starlink satellites and Starship missions. The position involves installing, qualifying, maintaining, improving, and selecting high-throughput production equipment, as well as collaborating with facilities, process engineering, and vendors. The role also requires communicating equipment and factory status to leadership.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related technical discipline.
At least 2 years of hands-on experience owning and maintaining screen printing or metallization equipment in a high-volume semiconductor, solar manufacturing, or related environment.
Experience safely handling flammable, toxic, corrosive, and/or hazardous chemicals and materials, such as pastes and solvents.
Must be able to work extended hours and weekends as needed to support production and urgent equipment downtime situations.
Ability to lift 25 lbs unassisted, work in cleanroom environments, and move between multiple production areas.
Willingness to travel domestically and internationally to vendor sites, up to 20%.
Must meet the stated U.S. export-control eligibility requirements or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations.

Nice To Haves

At least 5 years of hands-on experience owning and maintaining screen printing equipment in a high-volume semiconductor or solar manufacturing environment.
Strong technical expertise in screen printing systems, vision and alignment, paste handling, drying and curing ovens, conveyors, and automation hardware.
Demonstrated success improving equipment uptime and reliability in a 24/7 high-volume production setting.
Experience with heterojunction (HJT) silicon solar cell manufacturing equipment.
Previous work at high-volume solar, semiconductor, or display manufacturing facilities; multi-GW or 300mm fab experience is a plus.
Deep knowledge of screen printing tool architecture and subsystems.
Experience with screen tensioning, squeegee pressure control, print registration, paste rheology handling, and dryer temperature profiling.
Experience with electro-pneumatic robot and transfer module systems.
Experience with paste delivery systems and solvent handling.
Experience scaling equipment from pilot to very high-volume production.
Proficiency with statistical tools such as JMP or Minitab, failure analysis techniques, and reliability engineering principles.
Strong project management skills and ability to drive complex equipment installations and qualifications.

Responsibilities

Work with facilities and process engineering teams to install, qualify, maintain, and continuously improve high-throughput screen printing equipment for heterojunction silicon solar cell manufacturing.
Drive equipment reliability and uptime for very high-volume production with minimal downtime.
Run experiments and analyze data to improve capacity (UPH), reduce tool-to-tool variation, and improve defect performance.
Develop and execute preventive and predictive maintenance strategies, spare parts programs, and tool-matching protocols for high-volume manufacturing.
Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for equipment-related issues involving print heads, squeegee systems, alignment and vision systems, conveyors, drying ovens, paste delivery, and automation.
Partner with Process Engineers to implement new process requirements on existing and future equipment platforms.
Evaluate and select next-generation high-throughput screen printing tools capable of supporting 1GW+ per-tool-scale production.
Work with vendors on equipment design improvements, upgrades, and custom solutions tailored to heterojunction solar cell requirements.
Establish equipment performance metrics, including OEE, MTBF, and MTTR, and implement statistical process control for hardware stability.
Ensure equipment meets cleanroom, safety, and high-reliability manufacturing standards.
Analyze production processes and machinery using a first-principles, physics-based approach.
Attend meetings to communicate the team's equipment and factory status to leadership.