Senior Manufacturing Engineer - Space Solar

Location: Los Angeles (Hawthorne), CA

Employment Type: Full-time

Department: Starlight Solar

Travel: Frequent

Own the technical strategy for key manufacturing processes — including cell-interconnect-coverglass (CIC) integration, interconnect welding, coverglass attach, and panel layup — from development through high-rate production

Drive yield, rate, and cost across the solar manufacturing line, setting and hitting performance targets that scale with the business

Design and qualify precision tooling and automated cells that protect fragile hardware, eliminate assembly error, and minimize cycle time

Lead automation initiatives for novel processes such as cell laydown, interconnect bonding, and coverglass placement to ensure repeatability at scale

Partner deeply with cell and panel design engineering to shape solar array architecture through design for manufacturing (DFM), driving decisions that materially reduce cost and complexity downstream

Stand up in-process inspection systems — electroluminescence imaging, IV/flash test, and automated optical inspection of weld and bond joints — to catch defects at the source and continuously improve first-pass yield

Lead the handoff of solar hardware from development into production, ensuring processes are documented, stable, and ready to scale

Mentor manufacturing engineers, set technical bar, and grow the team's capability as the line scales

Push back on unnecessary complexity — simplify specs, streamline workflows, and cut overhead wherever it doesn't add value

Bachelor's or advanced degree in aerospace, manufacturing, materials, mechanical, electrical, or a related engineering discipline

6+ years of manufacturing and process design experience, with demonstrated ownership of processes from development through production

Track record of taking manufacturing processes from prototype through qualification and into stable, high-rate production

Experience leading technical work across cross-functional teams (design, quality, operations, supply chain)

Master's degree in an engineering discipline

Direct experience manufacturing photovoltaic hardware — solar cells, strings, panels, or arrays — ideally multi-junction (III-V) cells for space or other high-reliability applications

Deep expertise in cell interconnect joining processes such as parallel-gap resistance welding or tab bonding, including process development, qualification, and weld/bond inspection

Hands-on experience scaling a manufacturing line from low-rate prototype to high-rate production, including rate readiness reviews and yield improvement campaigns

Experience leading automation programs — defining requirements, selecting integrators, and qualifying automated cells for production use

Proficiency with coverglass attach, encapsulation, and adhesive/RTV bonding processes for solar hardware

Strong background in electrical characterization of solar cells and panels — LIV/flash testing, electroluminescence, and IV-curve analysis

Proficiency in FMEA, statistical process control (Cp/Cpk), and root-cause investigation methodologies

Experience using SQL or other data management tools to drive priorities and measure line performance

Prior experience mentoring or leading manufacturing engineers

Exposure to aerospace, space, or other high-reliability hardware environments

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.

Starpath is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.