{"id":2670163,"url":"https://alion.io/job/spacex-pecvd-process-engineer-solar-cells-starlink","title":"PECVD Process Engineer, Solar Cells (Starlink)","company":{"id":66,"name":"SpaceX","domain":"spacex.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/spacex","size_band":"5000+","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":90,"open_postings":22,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.182,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":82,"computed_at":"2026-10-20T05:45:00Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"senior","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Bastrop, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":114000,"max_usd":216000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":5966},"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Python","optional":true},{"name":"SQL","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-16T02:05:47Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-16","last_verified_at":"2026-10-20T23:28:02Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":4,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":4},"description":"SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.\nPECVD PROCESS ENGINEER, SOLAR CELLS (STARLINK) \nStarlink believes in providing fast, reliable internet to those that need it most. We design, build, and launch the world's largest and most advanced satellite constellation that is capable of delivering high-speed internet to even the most remote locations. \nAs a solar cell process engineer on Starlink, you will spearhead state of the art production processes for an internal solar cell production line, providing high efficiency and high-quality solar cells for both our latest generation Starlink satellites and for Starship missions to the Moon and Mars. You will work through the life cycle of setting up a greenfield solar cell production plant, including equipment procurement, plant design/layout, equipment commissioning and ramp-up, recipe and process development, and working to develop a world-class production team and environment. \nAs a PECVD Process Engineer, you will own the development, optimization, and scaling of Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) processes critical for depositing the intrinsic and doped hydrogenated amorphous and nanocrystalline silicon layers that passivate the wafer surface and form the carrier-selective contacts of high-efficiency SHJ cells. You will develop and iterate on the manufacturing processes and recipes to achieve a state-of-the-art silicon cell efficiency, low defect rate and cost, and high reliability cell for space-based applications. Your work will form the backbone of the Starlink network (photons of sunlight in is directly proportional to photons of data out to customers!) and help provide internet to tens of millions of customers all around the world. \nRESPONSIBILITIES: \nDesign, qualify, and optimize PECVD processes for SHJ intrinsic passivation layers and p-type/n-type doped layers, ensuring film thickness uniformity, passivation quality (minority carrier lifetime, implied Voc), doping efficiency, and contact resistivity at GW-scale volumes\nLead process development for new toolsets and materials, including gas chemistry, plasma power and frequency, pressure, temperature, and electrode gap optimization to support state of the art efficiency cells\nOwn chamber conditioning strategy, including seasoning, in-situ/remote plasma clean recipes, and clean intervals, to control particles, cross-contamination, and run-to-run drift while maximizing tool uptime\nPartner closely with the CVD Equipment Engineering team on tool qualification, chamber matching, preventive maintenance recovery, and throughput (UPH) improvements\nResponsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining new and/or improved manufacturing processes, equipment, technologies, and facilities\nAnalyze production processes and machinery from a first principles, physics-based approach \nDevelop experiments to diagnose and correct manufacturing problems, utilizing robust DOE and statistical methodologies. Optimize process conditions and materials to improve the optical and electrical quality of solar cells\nPerform defect characterization and analysis to determine root cause and develop action plans to improve yields \nDevelop project plans, budgets, and cost/benefit analysis for implementation of new processes or machines \nOwn and perform machine activation and testing with a small team of engineers and technicians \nPrepare detailed content for technical design reviews. Demonstrate extreme ownership of the production outcome of the Starlink solar factory across yield, uptime, and cost\nBASIC QUALIFICATIONS: \nBachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline \n1+ years of experience in system design, analysis, and/or system implementation (internship and extracurricular experience is applicable) \nPREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: \nMaster’s degree or Ph.D. in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, physics, or related technical discipline \n5+ years of hands-on experience in PECVD process engineering, preferably in SHJ/HJT or TOPCon solar, semiconductor, or display manufacturing \nProven track record of scaling PECVD processes to high-volume production (>1GW/year equivalent) \nStrong understanding of vacuum systems, plasma physics, gas-phase and surface chemistry, and thin-film growth of amorphous and nanocrystalline silicon \nDeep understanding of SHJ surface passivation and carrier-selective contacts, including epitaxial growth suppression, hydrogen content and bonding, and band alignment at the a-Si:H/c-Si interface \nHands-on experience with thin-film and PV characterization techniques (e.g., spectroscopic ellipsometry, FTIR, Raman crystallinity, dark/photo conductivity, Sinton lifetime, PL/EL)\nExperience safely handling pyrophoric, toxic, and flammable process gases (e.g., silane, phosphine, diborane) \nExperience with SPC, DoE, and lean manufacturing principles\nAbility to work in a cleanroom environment\nHands-on experience working with complex fluid or mechanical based production systems in a professional setting \nExperience transitioning products from design to manufacturing and scaling to high volume as part of a cross-functional team \nSelf-motivated with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills \nExperience with solar cell manufacturing equipment, such as wet chemical processing equipment, PE-CVD equipment, PVD machines, metallization and final test equipment, and wafer inspection equipment. Experience in hot-wire CVD, evaporation tools, and ALD tools are a plus. \nExperience or expertise with perovskite solar cells or perovskite tandem solar cells \nExperience with micro-structure analysis tools (SEM, TEM, EDX, SIMS, etc.) and optical/electrical characterization tools (UV-VIS, I-V, Resistance, etc.) \nFamiliarity with large-area, high-throughput PECVD platforms (in-line and cluster/batch) and automation/integration for inline production\nProficiency in data analysis/scripting (Python, R, SQL) and plasma or device simulation tools (e.g., COMSOL, Quokka, AFORS-HET)\nExperience in cost-of-ownership modeling, capex justification, and fab ramp-ups to multi-GW scales\nPassion for sustainable energy and space technology; prior work in photovoltaics at GW-scale a plus\nADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: \nAbility to travel frequently for work, potentially for extended periods of time during machine buyoffs and startup \nAbility to lift 25 lbs. unassisted \nLifting, standing, climbing, bending, grasping, sitting, pulling, pushing, stooping, stretching, and carrying are generally required to perform the functions of this position \nMust be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed \nITAR REQUIREMENTS:\nTo conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant 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. Learn more about the ITAR here. \nSpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.\nApplicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to .","description_format":"text","description_chars":7874,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Solar Energy","Satellite Communications","Launch Services","Satellite Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-16T04:03:05Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":90,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.903,"p_room":1,"age_days":4,"expected_fill_days":82,"reasons":["conf:2","velocity","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-20T05:45:00Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/spacex-pecvd-process-engineer-solar-cells-starlink","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/spacex-pecvd-process-engineer-solar-cells-starlink.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-21T00:30:17Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":769,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-22T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":66},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=66"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fspacex-pecvd-process-engineer-solar-cells-starlink"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fspacex-pecvd-process-engineer-solar-cells-starlink"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fspacex-pecvd-process-engineer-solar-cells-starlink"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/spacex-pecvd-process-engineer-solar-cells-starlink\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fspacex-pecvd-process-engineer-solar-cells-starlink"}]}