Principal Solar Process Engineer (Aerospace)

TL;DR

Principal Solar Process Engineer (Aerospace): Development, qualification, and production-scale optimization of solar array processes including interconnects, bonding, sintering, lamination, deposition, and coatings with an accent on balancing performance, manufacturability, cost, reliability, and schedule. Focus on designing DOEs, physics-based characterization, failure analysis, equipment selection, and qualification across radiation, thermal, and mechanical environments.

Location: Los Angeles, CA. Must be a U.S. person per ITAR regulations (U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or protected individual)

Salary: $175,000 - $200,000 + equity

Company

Building the largest and highest-power satellites for LEO to deep space missions, backed by $450M from leading investors with $500M in contracts.

What you will do

• Research, evaluate, and select processes for solar array applications, driving trades on performance, manufacturability, cost, reliability, and schedule.
• Design and execute DOEs and statistical analyses to diagnose issues and validate improvements.
• Lead failure analysis, defect characterization, and root cause investigations for process anomalies.
• Own evaluation, cost/benefit analysis, and selection of manufacturing equipment.
• Develop process specifications, work instructions, tests, and qualification criteria with production and cross-functional teams.
• Collaborate on staffing, mentoring, and establishing best practices for solar array production.

Requirements

• Bachelor's in materials science, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, aerospace engineering, or related
• 8+ years in materials and process engineering with depth in selection, characterization, qualification, and production-scale development
• Track record of validated material/process decisions in flight or high-reliability programs
• Knowledge of adhesive systems, composites, thin films, thermal interfaces, and coatings for high-power solar arrays
• Familiarity with AIAA S111/S112, SMC-S-016, NASA-STD-4005/5017/6016 standards
• Understanding of radiation effects, solar process disciplines, and material characterization tools (SEM, EDS, FTIR, DSC, TGA, XRD)
• Experience scaling processes to high-rate production with SPC
• Proficiency in Python or MATLAB for data analysis and modeling

Nice to have

• Master's or PhD in materials science, chemical engineering, or related
• Prior experience architecting solar array manufacturing processes across full lifecycle
• Hands-on experience with multiple solar array material systems and cell technologies

Culture & Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits: paid time off, medical/dental/vision, life insurance, paid parental leave
• Equity in the company
• Fast-paced Series C space startup environment
• Encourages non-traditional career paths