Materials R&D Specialist

The role

You will partner with engineering to drive process development for insourced solar cell manufacturing. This includes executing processing, characterization, and equipment work from silicon ingot growth through cell metrology.

What you will do

• Partner with engineering to bring processes and equipment online
• Perform routine and non-routine processing and experimental methods
• Identify and put in place new processing methods, standards, and equipment
• Commission, install, calibrate, maintain, and troubleshoot equipment
• Perform hands-on materials work such as preparing seeds and hot-zone components
• Execute DOEs and process trials
• Perform silicon ingot, wafer, and cell characterization
• Document procedures and data and write SOPs
• Work with engineering on design, testing, and process development
• Handle chemicals safely and follow EHS protocols

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in materials science, chemistry, chemical engineering, or another STEM discipline; or a minimum of 4 years of hands-on laboratory experience
• Must be open to work all shifts, overtime and/or weekends as needed
• Must be comfortable working in a production and laboratory environment using hazardous chemicals such as acids, alkalis, and solvents
• Must be able to wear appropriate PPE for lab and electro-chemical manufacturing environments
• Must be able to walk and stand for long periods of time
• Must be able to lift 25 lbs. unassisted
• Must be comfortable with climbing up and down ladders, grasping, standing, lifting, bending, pulling, pushing, stooping, stretching, carrying, crawling, and maneuvering in tight spaces

Nice to have

• Hands-on experience in semiconductor or photovoltaic manufacturing, silicon crystal growth, wafer manufacturing, materials characterization, or a similar laboratory or manufacturing environment
• Experience using and maintaining materials-characterization or process equipment
• Demonstrate ability to run processing and experimental methods independently, analyze data, and determine the cause of irregular results
• Experience writing SOPs, training documents, or work instructions, and training others to follow them
• Experience handling flammable, toxic, corrosive, or hazardous chemicals safely
• Experience installing, calibrating, and maintaining process or characterization equipment
• Experience recommending and executing processing or experimental plans and transferring stable methods to production
• Proven ability to understand and accurately follow complex laboratory and manufacturing procedures and adhere to safety requirements
• Comfortable with data collection, documentation, and basic statistical analysis
• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills

Before you apply

• Applicant must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. lawful, permanent resident, Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from

About the company

SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make human life on Mars possible. Starlink is building the world's largest satellite constellation to deliver fast, reliable internet.