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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Senior Manufacturing Engineer - Space Solar - **Company:** Starpath Robotics - **Location:** Hawthorne, CA, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $145,000.0 - $180,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Failure Mode Effects Analysis, Statistical Process Control (SPC), SQL Databases, Encapsulation (Networking), Yield Optimization, Data Management - **Published:** June 20, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=5d82023cce4f8e1b ## About the Role Do you have experience in Prototypes?, * 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 ## Description The Starlight team is focused on dramatically improving space solar power to support Starpath's core mission and the greater space economy. Starlight manufactures the lowest cost and highest performance space solar ever, which will power the majority of new satellites built on Earth and all of Starpath's equipment on the Moon and Mars. As a Senior Manufacturing Engineer on the Starlight team, you will own the most critical processes on our space solar manufacturing line - defining how we scale from prototype to high-rate flight production. You'll set the technical direction for process development, drive yield and rate across the line, and mentor a growing manufacturing engineering team. Responsibilities * 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 ## Related Videos - [Fault Tolerance and Consistency at Scale: Harnessing the Power of Distributed SQL Databases](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1146-fault-tolerance-and-consistency-at-scale-harnessing-the-power-of-distributed-sql-databases) - [It's all about the Data](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/425-it-s-all-about-the-data) - [Quantum Tech: Preparing for the Next Leap](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1693-quantum-tech-preparing-for-the-next-leap) - [Strange New Worlds: shaping the future of the digital age](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/677-strange-new-worlds-shaping-the-future-of-the-digital-age) - [Fault Tolerance and Consistency at Scale: Harnessing the Power of Distributed SQL Databases](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1520-fault-tolerance-and-consistency-at-scale-harnessing-the-power-of-distributed-sql-databases) - [Robots are coming into the wild! Full-Stack Robotics Engineers, be ready!](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/479-robots-are-coming-into-the-wild-full-stack-robotics-engineers-be-ready) ## Related Articles - [How We Built a Worry-Free System That Runs for 10+ Years – And What We’d Do Again](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/751-how-we-built-a-worry-free-system-that-runs-for-10-years-and-what-we-d-do-again) - [Now is the time for industrialized software development](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/601-now-is-the-time-for-industrialized-software-development) - [A Guide to Green Tech and Green IT Careers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/374-a-guide-to-green-tech-and-green-it-careers) - [6 Emerging Technologies We’ll Learn About in 2025](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/381-6-emerging-technologies-we-ll-learn-about-in-2025) - [How software is steering vehicle technology](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/515-how-software-is-steering-vehicle-technology) - [Résumé-Driven Development: How IT trends affect the job market for software developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/59-resume-driven-development-how-it-trends-affect-the-job-market-for-software-developers)