Manufacturing Engineer

About the role

The Manufacturing Engineer I will be a key member of the manufacturing team under the supervision of the Chief Technology Officer and Chief Manufacturing Scientist, directly responsible for executing efforts toward our manufacturing goals. These include completing diverse tasks from operating, maintaining, and upgrading roll-to-roll coating machines; executing purchasing and managing inventory levels; and testing and characterizing produced panels.

The Manufacturing Engineer I will also take a key role in working with the broader technical team to translate new materials and processes into stable and high yield manufacturing processes.

Responsibilities

• Operate roll-to-roll coating machines to deposit flexible solar panels according to recipes and protocols already defined.
• Be comfortable running multiple types of processes (slot-die, flexo, gravure) and be comfortable running newly developed processes.
• Absorb and apply new processes and recipes into existing protocols with the Chief Manufacturing Scientist.
• Self-define and self-schedule machine use to achieve and hit the manufacturing department's goals.
• Maintain and oversee roll-to-roll coating equipment and coating and converting machines.
• CAD parts and layouts for equipment at the direction of the Director of Manufacturing.
• Test and characterize panels through accessible techniques and protocols such as optical microscopy, JV testing, accelerated lifetime testing and other advanced techniques as they come online.
• Work with the broader technical team to assist in defining checks and balances to improve yields within manufacturing processes.
• Six-Sigma certification and a strong, almost perfectionist attitude toward maintaining controls and reducing process variation.

Requirements

• 1-3 years of experience in a commercial manufacturing environment.
• A bachelor’s degree in mechanical, electrical, chemical or other engineering discipline.
• Laboratory experience, adept at planning and conducting experiments, analyzing data and driving optimization.
• Demonstrated ability to work with multiple materials and openness to exploring new material systems and manufacturing methods.
• Passionate about innovation and able to bring creativity to the development of solar cell devices.
• Eager to contribute and learn in a collaborative and dynamic and fast-paced start-up environment.
• Coursework or professional experience in CAD and design for manufacturing.
• Experience operating industrial technical equipment.
• A high attention to detail and motivated attitude.

Skills

• Expertise in perovskite solar cells and/or organic photovoltaics (OPVs) or closely related semiconductor or optoelectronics field.
• Experience with R2R coating technology (slot-die, blade coating or related).
• Experience with cleanrooms and gloveboxes.
• Experience with various coding languages (Python, MATLAB, LabView) along with knowledge or willingness to learn R+D electrical system control and scripting (eg. Keithley 2400/2600 GPIB (IEEE-488), Ethernet or USB control).
• A willingness to 'tinker', or experiment to drive value and generate new ideas.
• Experience with setting electrical breadboard test systems.
• Experience with rapid prototyping manufacturing (3D printing/ CNC Machining).
• Experience with prototyping hardware (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, ESP32).
• Experience with electrical layout (Altium, EZCad).

Performance Bonus

All full-time employees are eligible for an annual performance bonus of up to 50% of base salary, assessed every six months. The structure is intentionally non-linear — top performers earn disproportionately more, and we want it that way. This isn't stack-ranked: if everyone is exceptional, everyone earns at the top. Your individual contribution is the primary driver, tied to both department and company outcomes. If you're a top performer, this is where we want that to pay off. Consistent high performance also influences base salary increases, with similar non-linear structures — so the compounding effect over time is significant.

Perks

• Top-tier health and dental insurance
• 15 days vacation, 5 days personal leave
• Commute reimbursement (75%)
• Wellness program ($50/month)
• Cell Phone Reimbursement ($50/month)
• 401K Matching