Senior Solar Equipment Engineer (Space)

Location: Los Angeles, CA; the role involves access to ITAR-controlled information and items, requiring U.S. person status or eligibility for a federally issued export control license.

Base salary: $150,000–$220,000 per year, plus company equity.

Company

hirify.global develops and mass-produces high-power satellite platforms for missions from LEO to deep space.

What you will do

• Install, qualify, maintain, and improve automated solar array manufacturing equipment with facilities and process engineers.
• Own equipment reliability, uptime, tool process variance, tool-to-tool performance, and defect performance.
• Develop preventive and predictive maintenance strategies, spare-parts programs, and tool-matching protocols.
• Lead equipment root-cause investigations and corrective actions.
• Coordinate equipment design improvements, upgrades, and custom solutions with vendors and the internal automation team.
• Establish OEE, MTBF, and MTTR metrics, implement statistical process control, and report equipment performance and downstream impact.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in physics, materials science, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of experience in at least one of photovoltaics, power systems, semiconductor equipment, or automation.
• U.S. person status as defined by ITAR or eligibility for a federally issued export control license.

Nice to have

• Internship or research experience with solar arrays or space power systems.
• Exposure to solar cell or module characterization, including IV curves, electroluminescence, or flash testing.
• Experience with robotics, motion control, vision systems, conveyors, pneumatics, PLCs, sensors, instrumentation, or electromechanical troubleshooting.
• Exposure to soldering, bonding, layup, or electromechanical assembly.
• Coursework or project experience in reliability engineering, failure analysis, or root-cause methods such as 5 Whys, fishbone, or 8D.
• Familiarity with statistical analysis or SPC using Python, MATLAB, JMP, or Minitab.
• Experience in cleanroom or controlled manufacturing environments and safely handling adhesives, solvents, or other hazardous materials.
• Familiarity with radiation, thermal cycling, and atomic oxygen effects on space materials.
• Experience with NX, CATIA, or SolidWorks and practical GD&T application.
• Independent, self-motivated approach with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills.

Culture & Benefits

• Fast-paced environment at a high-growth, Series D-funded company developing high-power spacecraft.
• Comprehensive benefits including paid time off, medical, dental and vision coverage, life insurance, and paid parental leave.
• Additional company perks and equity compensation.
• Employment and interviews accommodate reasonable requests for disability-related support.
• Equal opportunity employment based on merit, competence, and qualifications.