Position Details:
Location: Carson, CA & Asia
Employment Type: Full-time
Department: Starlight Solar
Travel: 75%
The Mission
Starpath is developing our own photovoltaic cells and ultra-thin solar blankets, working with external laboratories and fabrication partners while building our internal manufacturing capability.
External Process Development Engineer - Asia
As an External Process Development Engineer, you will own the execution of cell and materials development work through our partners in Asia. You will work closely with our materials R&D team to translate experimental goals into executable work, troubleshoot process issues, and bring complete results and practical process knowledge back to Starpath.
Responsibilities:
- Translate research hypotheses and proposed recipes into vendor work packages with defined process conditions, samples, measurements, deliverables, and schedules.
- Identify and evaluate laboratories and fabrication partners based on their equipment, technical capabilities, execution quality, and capacity.
- Drive external experiments from kickoff through completion, resolving technical questions, tracking progress, and escalating blockers.
- Review process records, raw data, and sample histories to identify deviations, assess result quality, and determine follow-up work with the R&D team.
- Coordinate complementary experiments with our USA development team and maintain consistent documentation and measurement requirements.
- Transfer recipes, equipment requirements, process limitations, and lessons learned to Starpath’s internal process and equipment engineers.
- Coordinate sample movement and commercial needs with operations and procurement.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in materials science, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, physics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- Hands-on experience developing or executing processes for photovoltaic devices, thin films, semiconductors, or related materials.
- Experience managing technical work through external laboratories, suppliers, or manufacturing partners.
- Ability to interpret experimental data, troubleshoot process problems, and distinguish execution issues from changes in material or device behavior.
- Strong technical documentation and communication skills, with the ability to drive work across organizations and time zones.
- A desire to make humans a multi-planet species.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience working directly with laboratories or fabrication partners in Asia
- Experience with perovskite photovoltaics, thin-film deposition, device characterization, encapsulation, or environmental testing.
- Experience transferring a process between facilities or from external development into internal production.
EAR Requirements:
- To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, you 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.
Equal Opportunity:
- Starpath is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Benefits:
At Starpath Robotics, base pay is just one part of your total rewards package. We also offer:
- Generous benefits including health, dental, vision, and retirement plans.
- Paid time off, holidays, and flexible policies to support balance.
- Professional growth opportunities through training and development.
- The chance to own high-impact work that directly shapes the future of robotics & space!
- A collaborative, mission-driven culture where craftsmanship and innovation are celebrated.
