Senior Solar Equipment Engineer

K2 Space•Los Angeles, CA

About The Position

K2 is building high-power satellite platforms for missions ranging from low Earth orbit to deep space. The Solar Equipment Engineer will own automated equipment essential to manufacturing and testing large solar arrays at production rate. Working closely with process, manufacturing, and facilities engineers, this role coordinates and executes equipment installation, qualification, and ongoing maintenance of mechanical and electrical systems. The position focuses on equipment performance, reliability, uptime, process consistency, and continuous improvement. The role requires a bachelor's degree in a related technical field and at least five years of experience in photovoltaics, power systems, semiconductor equipment, or automation. The person hired will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export regulations and must be a U.S. person as defined by the applicable regulation or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license. The base salary range is $150,000–$220,000, plus company equity. Salary and level depend on factors including knowledge and skills, education, and experience. K2 offers a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, medical, dental, and vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and other perks.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in physics, materials science, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, or a related technical field.
At least 5 years of experience in at least one of the following: photovoltaics, power systems, semiconductor equipment, or automation.
Must be a U.S. person as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.

Nice To Haves

Internship or research experience with solar arrays or power systems for space applications.
Exposure to solar cell or module characterization techniques, such as IV curves, electroluminescence, or flash testing.
Experience with automated equipment or subsystems such as robotics, motion control, vision systems, conveyors, or pneumatics.
Familiarity with PLCs, sensors, instrumentation, or troubleshooting electromechanical systems.
Exposure to manufacturing processes such as soldering, bonding, layup, or electromechanical assembly.
Coursework or project experience in reliability engineering, failure analysis, or root-cause methods such as 5 Whys, fishbone, or 8D.
Familiarity with statistical analysis or SPC using Python, MATLAB, JMP, or Minitab.
Experience in cleanroom or controlled manufacturing environments, or safely handling adhesives, solvents, or other hazardous materials.
Familiarity with space environment effects on materials, including radiation, thermal cycling, and atomic oxygen.
Experience with CAD software such as NX, CATIA, or SolidWorks, and practical GD&T application.
Independent and self-motivated mindset with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with facilities and process engineers to install, qualify, maintain, and continually improve solar array manufacturing equipment.
Own equipment reliability and uptime; design, execute, and analyze experiments to improve within-tool process variance, tool-to-tool performance variance, and defect performance.
Develop and execute preventive and predictive maintenance strategies, spare parts programs, and tool-matching protocols.
Lead root-cause investigations and corrective actions for assigned equipment.
Work with vendors and the internal automation team on equipment design improvements, upgrades, and custom solutions.
Establish equipment performance metrics, including OEE, MTBF, and MTTR, and implement statistical process control for hardware stability.
Report factory health to process engineers and company leadership through clear documentation of equipment performance and its impact on downstream processes.