Process and Equipment Development Engineer

Position Details:

Location: Carson, CA

Employment Type: Full-time

Department: Starlight Solar

Travel: 25%

The Mission

Starlight is developing our own photovoltaic cells and ultra-thin solar blankets and building the equipment and processes to manufacture them internally.

Process and Equipment Development Engineer

As a Process and Equipment Development Engineer, you will turn experimental recipes into repeatable fabrication processes at Starpath. You will work with materials R&D and external development engineers to understand what works, reproduce it on our equipment, and establish the process controls needed to build consistent hardware.

Responsibilities:

• Transfer externally developed recipes into Starpath’s laboratory, identifying equipment differences and adapting process conditions as needed.
• Develop and integrate fabrication steps into a complete process sequence for photovoltaic cells and blanket materials.
• Specify, select, commission, and qualify process equipment, working with equipment vendors and internal build engineers.
• Design and execute experiments to establish process windows, investigate variation, and improve performance, repeatability, and yield.
• Troubleshoot interactions between materials, process steps, and equipment; drive root-cause investigations with R&D and test engineers.
• Establish baseline recipes, work instructions, equipment settings, maintenance requirements, and traceable process records.
• Partner with blanket integration, test, reliability, and manufacturing teams to validate changes and transfer successful processes into pilot builds and production.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, materials science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Hands-on experience developing fabrication processes for thin films, photovoltaics, semiconductors, coatings, or comparable precision products.
• Experience bringing laboratory or production equipment into operation and troubleshooting process or equipment issues.
• Ability to plan controlled experiments, analyze results, and connect process conditions to material or device performance.
• Experience documenting processes so others can execute them consistently.
• A desire to make humans a multi-planet species.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with perovskite photovoltaics, deposition or coating processes, patterning, encapsulation, or flexible substrates.
• Experience transferring processes between different tools or facilities.
• Experience with process integration, statistical process control, yield improvement, or pilot manufacturing.
• Familiarity with vacuum systems, thermal processing, fluid delivery, instrumentation, or equipment controls.

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.