About the position

First Solar reserves the right to offer you a role most applicable to your experience and skillset. This role involves designing, executing, and analyzing experiments to evaluate perovskite solar cell performance. The engineer will perform advanced statistical data analysis, develop new characterization techniques, and create models to understand device behavior. Collaboration with cross-functional teams, maintaining documentation, and presenting findings are key aspects of this position. Support for scale-up efforts and technology transfer is also expected.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute, and analyze experiments to evaluate perovskite solar cell performance.
• Perform advanced statistical data analysis and root cause segmentation.
• Develop new perovskite device characterization techniques.
• Develop and apply physical, empirical, or statistical models to understand device behavior and measurement technique outputs.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with other teams including process development, metrology, and reliability to integrate findings into scalable solutions.
• Maintain detailed documentation of experimental procedures, results, and analysis.
• Present findings to internal stakeholders and contribute to technical publications and patent filings.
• Support scale-up efforts and technology transfer to pilot and manufacturing teams as needed.
• Perform perovskite device characterization, analysis, and root cause segmentation to quantify device performance and understand the reasons for underperformance.
• Identify opportunities for improvement in solar cell performance and reliability as well as in methods and tools for the performance and reliability characterization while using scientific, analytical and empirical methods.
• Improve state of the art techniques for perovskite solar cell characterization, statistical analysis of data, or execution of experiments.
• Develop work plans for problems that may have unclear solution paths.
• May be responsible for determining and evaluating materials specification for improved performance.
• May be responsible for determining and evaluating tool/equipment specifications.
• Effectively communicate with internal and external partners and customers.
• Effectively collaborate as a team member that can support cross-functional projects and take ownership of sub-deliverables.
• May train, mentor, and manage junior and peer associates on specific subject matters.
• Comply with Company's Environmental, Quality, Safety or any other policies. Contribute to continuous improvement of said policies.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Associate’s Degree in an engineering discipline or similar technical discipline and 15 years of relevant technical experience or 2 years of experience as a Development Engineer I at First Solar.
• Bachelor’s Degree in an engineering discipline or similar technical discipline and 5 years of relevant technical experience or 2 years of experience as a Development Engineer I at First Solar.
• Master’s Degree in an engineering discipline or similar technical discipline and 3 years of relevant technical experience or 2 years of experience as a Development Engineer I at First Solar.
• Ph.D. in an engineering discipline or similar technical discipline, without prior technical work experience.
• Excellent understanding of semiconductor physics, optoelectronics, and photovoltaic device operation.
• Skills and hands-on experience in execution of experiments in laboratory or manufacturing environment.
• Hands-on experience with variety of electro-optical device characterization techniques (e.g., JV, EQE, PL, TRPL, transmission-reflection, impedance spectroscopy).
• Strong understanding of materials analysis techniques (e.g. SIMS, SEM, EDS, GDOES).
• Strong statistical data analysis skills.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work independently and in teams.
• Strong sense of project ownership with hands-on and can-do attitude.
• Strong communication skills across organizations.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with perovskite devices, preferred.
• Proficiency in scientific programming tools (e.g., Python, MATLAB), preferred.
• Familiarity with degradation studies and reliability testing, preferred.
• Experience in industrial or applied research settings, preferred.

Benefits

• 401k
• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• Paid Holidays
• Relocation Assistance