Development Engineer III - Polymer Chemistry

Basic Job Functions

Perform material and device research to enhance thin film solar cell performance and stability and to reduce manufacturing cost.
Responsible for projects or functions that are highly complex requiring significant innovation and critical to department objectives.
Plan, execute and characterize development engineering experiments in the laboratory and manufacturing environment with strategic foresight.
Drive actions with strategic foresight.
Apply statistical and engineering methods to optimize organizational effectiveness.
Improve methods for use by others.

Education/Experience

• Associate’s Degree in an engineering discipline or similar technical discipline and 20 years of relevant technical experience or 2 years of experience as a Development Engineer II at First Solar.
• Bachelor’s Degree in an engineering discipline or similar technical discipline and 10 years of relevant technical experience or 5 years of experience as a Development Engineer II at First Solar.
• Master’s Degree in an engineering discipline or similar technical discipline and 8 years of relevant technical experience or 3 years of experience as a Development Engineer II at First Solar.
• Ph.D. in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering or Polymer Chemistry and 5 years of relevant technical experience or 2 years of experience as a Development Engineer II at First Solar.

Required Skills/Competencies

• Technical expert and innovator in one area of photovoltaic processes and/or equipment development.
• Technical Expert in Materials Science, Polymer Science, Polymer/Materials Formulation Development, Polymer Process Engineering.
• Expertise in application development and integration of materials into high performance electronic, optoelectronic, optical, MEMS, and MOEMs.
• Expert and hands on experience in laboratory or manufacturing environment.
• In depth knowledge in several fields from the list of photovoltaic device theory, materials science, process engineering, characterization techniques and other fields relevant to First Solar's technology.
• Strong sense of project ownership with hands-on and can-do attitude.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills across organizations.
• Competence with Microsoft Office Products; Mathematical / Data analysis software (JMP, Matlab, C).
• Experience with applying AI tools and platforms to improve productivity is desirable.

Essential Responsibilities

• Identify opportunities for improvement in solar cell efficiency, material selection and process/equipment design through engineering, scientific or empirical methods.
• Improve state of the art techniques for material analysis, statistical analysis of data, or execution planning of experiments.
• Develop a work plan that have unclear solution paths.
• May be responsible to determine and evaluate material specification for improved performance.
• May be responsible to determine and evaluate tool/equipment specifications.
• Effective communicator with internal and external partners and customers.
• Effective team member that can support cross-functional projects and take ownership of sub-deliverables.
• May train, mentor and manage junior and peers on specific subject matters.
• Comply with Company's Environmental, Quality, Safety or any other policies that have been enforced.
• Contributes to continuous improvement of said policies.
• Other duties as assigned.

Reporting Relationships

Reports to Senior Member – Technical Staff.
May have direct reports.

Travel

5- 20%

Physical Requirements

• Sit, stand or walk short distances for up to the entire duration of a shift.
• Climb stairs on an occasional basis.
• Lift, push or pull up to 37 pounds on an occasional basis.
• Reach above shoulder heights and below the waist on a frequent basis.
• Stoop, kneel, or bend, on an occasional basis.
• Ability to wear personal protective equipment is required (including but not limited to; steel-toed shoes, gloves, safety glasses, hearing protection, protective jacket or apron and arm guards, and a condition of employment and continued employment (requires little or no facial hair) for those requiring respirator use).

Potential Candidates

Must meet the education and experience requirements provided on the above job description and excel in completing the listed responsibilities for this role.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

First Solar is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and respects the importance of a diverse and inclusive workforce. It is the policy of the company to recruit, hire, train and promote persons in all job titles without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a driving force in the success of our company.