Senior Thin Film Deposition Engineer

Role details

The Company: Solestial is pioneering the future of space-based solar power by developing advanced solar technologies optimized for the harsh conditions of space. Our innovative, low-cost, and scalable solar arrays are engineered for next-generation satellites, spacecraft, and orbital infrastructure. We are driven by a mission to power the space economy and unlock limitless opportunities in orbit and beyond. The Role: As a Senior Thin Film Deposition Engineer, you will own and advance our thin film deposition processes, with a strong focus on PVD and PECVD .

This role will be responsible for maintaining stable, repeatable deposition processes while also driving process development, optimization, and equipment modifications as we scale manufacturing. This is a hands-on engineering role. The ideal candidate has deep experience with sputter deposition and understands the relationship between the process, equipment, materials, and resulting film properties . They should be comfortable troubleshooting from both a process and equipment perspective and working directly on deposition tools to keep them operating reliably.

Your Mission - Own and optimize PVD/PECVD processes . - Develop and modify deposition processes to improve film performance, repeatability, yield, and throughput - Monitor process performance and troubleshoot deposition issues, excursions, and variability - Maintain deposition equipment from a process and engineering perspective, including hands-on troubleshooting and preventative maintenance - Diagnose equipment-related issues involving vacuum systems, gas delivery, power supplies, targets, chambers, and other deposition system components - Partner with engineering and manufacturing teams to keep deposition tools running reliably and minimize downtime - Develop process recipes, operating parameters, and process controls - Plan and execute experiments and DOEs to understand process windows and optimize performance - Support modifications and upgrades to existing deposition equipment as manufacturing needs evolve - Analyze process and equipment data to identify trends, root causes, and opportunities for improvement - Develop and maintain process documentation, specifications, work instructions, and equipment maintenance procedures - Support the transition of new or modified deposition processes from development into production

What You Bring - Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field; advanced degree a plus - Significant hands-on experience with physical vapor deposition (PVD) and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) processes and equipment - Deep technical knowledge of thin film deposition , including process parameters, plasma behavior, vacuum systems, target/material interactions, and thin film properties - Experience developing, optimizing, and troubleshooting thin film deposition processes in a manufacturing or production environment - Hands-on experience maintaining, troubleshooting, and modifying PVD/sputtering equipment - Strong understanding of vacuum equipment and components, including pumps, valves, pressure measurement, gas delivery, and related systems - Experience using structured problem-solving, DOE, and data analysis to improve process performance - Ability to independently troubleshoot complex issues that cross the boundary between process and equipment - Comfortable working directly with production equipment in a fast-paced manufacturing environment

What Gives You an Edge - Experience with thin film deposition for semiconductor, photovoltaic, aerospace, or other high-reliability applications - Experience scaling deposition processes from R&D or development into manufacturing - Experience with equipment upgrades, retrofits, or custom modifications - Familiarity with SPC and manufacturing process controls - Experience with additional vacuum deposition or thin film characterization techniques

Our Benefits - Competitive salary - Generous, high-quality medical, dental, and vision coverage on day one of employment - 15 vacation days, 5 sick days, and 10 paid holidays annually - with an extended holiday break at year’s end - 401K with employer match up to 4% of salary - Employer-paid short-term and long-term disability and employer-sponsored life insurance - Your work will literally go to space!