Lead Encapsulation Process Development Engineer
About The Position
This role is part of Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering (ACE), supporting Blue Origin’s mission of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. The team fosters innovation and drives engineering workflows of the future, shared solutions and standards, simplicity and lower costs, and manufacturable design. At Blue Origin, we envision millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. We’re working to develop reusable, safe, and low-cost space vehicles and systems within a culture of safety, collaboration, and inclusion. Join our team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight! You will own the encapsulation process development pipeline: from lamination and edge-sealing process recipes through inline quality verification to accelerated lifetime qualification. You will develop the process parameters, equipment configurations, and quality controls that turn packaging designs into repeatable manufacturing. You will be the bridge between packaging design intent and fabrication reality.
Requirements
- B.Sc. Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or related field
- 5+ years of experience in encapsulation, lamination, or packaging process development for photovoltaic, OLED, or flexible electronics applications
- Demonstrated experience developing lamination or sealing processes
- Strong understanding of polymer processing: glass transition, crosslinking kinetics, adhesion science, and aging mechanisms
- Experience with accelerated aging test design and lifetime prediction methodologies
- Proficiency with process characterization tools: DSC, TGA, DMA, peel testing, optical microscopy, moisture sensors
- Track record of transferring encapsulation processes from development to production-representative scale
Nice To Haves
- Direct experience encapsulating silicon, CdTe, CIGS, perovskite, or organic photovoltaic devices (understanding of thermal and chemical sensitivity constraints)
- Experience with thin-film barrier encapsulation (ALD, PECVD, or hybrid organic-inorganic barriers)
- Direct experience with encapsulation designs for the space-environment and its unique degradation mechanisms (UV, proton/electron radiation, thermal cycling, atomic oxygen)
- Experience with glass-glass lamination, laser edge sealing, or hermetic packaging for electronics
- Familiarity with qualification test standards
- Experience with inline metrology and automated process control for lamination lines
- Understanding of water vapor and oxygen permeation modeling for lifetime prediction
Responsibilities
- Develop lamination processes for solar module encapsulation: temperature profiles, pressure schedules, atmosphere control, and cure protocols compatible with thermally sensitive perovskite layers
- Qualify encapsulant materials (EVA, POE, ionomer, silicone, thermoplastic polyurethane, etc) for compatibility — ensuring no chemical interaction with the device stack in fabrication and throughout operation.
- Develop and validate thin-film encapsulation processes (PECVD, ALD-based barriers) in collaboration with other team members
- Design and execute accelerated aging studies for the environments in space and on the way to the launch pad: humidity, thermal cycling, UV exposure, particle radiation, and electrostatic buildup
- Optimize edge-sealing processes (desiccant-filled edge seals, laser-sealed glass, butyl rubber, UV-cure adhesives) for hermeticity and long-term reliability
- Establish inline process monitoring and acceptance criteria for encapsulation steps (optical inspection, leak testing, adhesion pull tests)
- Perform failure analysis on degraded or failed modules
- Develop process documentation, SPC charts, and process capability studies for each encapsulation step
- Scale encapsulation processes from coupon-level to full module format
- Interface with equipment vendors to specify and commission lamination, sealing, and barrier deposition tools
- Work with your customers on the broader solar array product team to provide a product that is compatible with integration at-scale, for small (several kW) to large (100kW+) array designs
Benefits
- Medical
- dental
- vision
- basic and supplemental life insurance
- paid parental leave
- short and long-term disability
- 401(k) with a company match of up to 5%
- Education Support Program
- Stock Options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week)
- Paid Time Off: Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours
- up to 14 company-paid holidays
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
