Development Engineer III - Wet Coatings

First Solar reserves the right to offer you a role most applicable to your experience and skillset.

Basic Job Functions:

Design individual process equipment to enable thin film wet coating. Transfer new wet coating processes from lab to high-volume manufacturing scale. Troubleshoot the equipment and introduce hardware upgrades to improve functionality. Develop gravure roll coating processes and formulations for photovoltaic devices on glass panels for improved performance, cost reduction, and new product designs. Design, execute, and analyze screening and optimization experiments.

Education/Experience:

• Associate's Degree in an engineering discipline (Chemical or Mechanical, preferred) or similar technical discipline (Materials Science, Polymer Science, or Physics, preferred) 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 (Chemical or Mechanical, preferred) or similar technical discipline (Materials Science, Polymer Science, or Physics, preferred) and 10 years of relevant technical experience or 2 years of experience as a Development Engineer II at First Solar.
• Master's Degree in an engineering discipline (Chemical or Mechanical, preferred) or similar technical discipline (Materials Science, Polymer Science, or Physics, preferred) and 8 years of relevant technical experience or 2 years of experience as a Development Engineer II at First Solar.
• Ph.D. in an engineering discipline (Chemical or Mechanical, preferred) or similar technical discipline (Materials Science, Polymer Science, or Physics, preferred) and 5 years of relevant technical experience or 2 years of experience as a Development Engineer II at First Solar.
• Experience in engineering with exposure to high-volume manufacturing.
• Experience with gravure roll, slot die, spray, and curtain coating processes a plus.
• Demonstrated fluency with design of equipment and experiments.
• Experience with coating equipment, chemical vendors and collaborating with R&D teams on formulation development. Develop manufacturable process windows to meet coated layer functional requirements.

Required Skills/Competencies:

• Capability of hands-on equipment upgrades and troubleshooting.
• Experience with wet coating and drying equipment.
• Experience with fluid mechanics and drying unit operations.
• Familiarity of semiconductor device physics at basic level.
• Familiarity with film characterization techniques and measurements such as XRD, SEM, SIMS, AFM, XPS etc. Be able to know when to request tests.
• Demonstrated experience with statistical data analyses, such as Multivariate Analysis, Regression Analysis, Design of Experiments, and Measurement System Analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate and execute multi-factor experiments in a manufacturing production environment.
• Experience with using statistical software (JMP preferred)
• Knowledge of MS Office software (strong knowledge of MS Access preferred).
• Excellent communications skills.
• Proven organizational skills.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Design and qualification of wet coating equipment, its components, and configurations.
• Develop gravure roll coating, drying processes, and characterization methods for functional wet coated films in photovoltaic devices.
• Develop formulation scale up with vendors: Mixing / filtration / packaging.
• Design, execute, and analyze multi-factor experiments.
• Provide clear written and verbal direction to a team of technicians.
• Participate in cross functional team reviews.
• Communicate results of engineering tests in a clear and concise manner. Be able to communicate with upper management, R&D engineers, and technicians.
• Complies 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.
• Job description subject to change at any time.

Reporting Relationships:

• Reports to Development Manager.
• May have direct reports.

Travel:

• 5% - 10%

Estimated Salary Range:

• $80,000 - $125,000 Annually

US Physical Requirements:

• Will sit, stand, or walk short distances for up to the entire duration of a shift.
• Will climb stairs on an occasional basis.
• Will lift, push, or pull up to 27 pounds on an occasional basis.
• Required to use hands to grasp, lift, handle, carry or feel objects on a frequent basis.
• 20/40 vision in each eye, with or without correction, is required.
• Must be able to comply with all safety standards and procedures.
• May reach above shoulder heights and below the waist on a frequent basis.
• May 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).
• All associates working on the production floor may be required to wear a respirator at any given time and thus, the ability to wear a respirator is a condition of employment and continued employment (requires little or no facial hair).

Potential candidates will meet the education and experience requirements provided on the above job description and excel in completing the listed responsibilities for this role. All candidates receiving an offer of employment must successfully complete a background check and any other tests that may be required.

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.