Development Engineering Supervisor

First Solar
Santa Clara
Workplace: HybridFull timeUSD 89,440 - 127,400 annuallyFunction: Product ManagementExperience: 5+ yearsEducation: bachelorsSkills: ["Technical communication","Technical leadership","Situational judgment","First-level troubleshooting","Execution discipline"]

Lead process development laboratory operations to support advanced solar cell research, pilot process evaluation, and technology development. Supervise and develop a team of technicians to execute experiments, operate development equipment, maintain lab readiness, and improve rapid learning cycles. Serve as the operational leader between process development, equipment engineering, metrology, EHS, and lab technicians to ensure safe, repeatable, high-quality experimental execution and equipment reliability.

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FursaFursa
First Solar
First Solar
1 month ago

Development Engineering Supervisor

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Last checked: 6 hours agoStatus: Live

Job Summary

Lead process development laboratory operations to support advanced solar cell research, pilot process evaluation, and technology development. Supervise and develop a team of technicians to execute experiments, operate development equipment, maintain lab readiness, and improve rapid learning cycles. Serve as the operational leader between process development, equipment engineering, metrology, EHS, and lab technicians to ensure safe, repeatable, high-quality experimental execution and equipment reliability.
Location: Santa Clara
Workplace: Hybrid
Employment Type: Full time
Job Function: Product Management
Seniority: Manager level

Key Responsibilities

  • •Direct and develop a team of technicians executing experimental work, operating development equipment, and maintaining laboratory readiness.
  • •Coordinate operational execution between process development engineers, equipment engineering, metrology, EHS, and lab technicians to ensure safe, repeatable experiments.
  • •Translate engineering objectives into robust, technician-executable SOPs and establish execution discipline for repeatable and reproducible results.
  • •Optimize lab workflow and operational systems to accelerate technology learning cycles while maintaining quality, safety, and data integrity.
  • •Own experimental quality and equipment reliability by monitoring procedure adherence, correcting sources of operational variation, and leading troubleshooting to minimize downtime.
Travel: Low travel

Pay and Benefits

Salary: USD 89,440 - 127,400 annually

Key Requirements

  • •Associate’s degree (engineering or similar) with 15 years of relevant technical experience, or 2 years as a Development Engineer I at First Solar.
  • •Bachelor’s degree (engineering or similar) with 5 years of relevant technical experience, or 2 years as a Development Engineer I at First Solar.
  • •Minimum 5 years supporting semiconductor, photovoltaic, thin-film, advanced manufacturing, or technology development laboratories.
  • •Demonstrated experience in research/process development, pilot-line, or advanced engineering environments with frequently changing procedures and priorities.
  • •Experience leading technicians supporting experimental fabrication, metrology, characterization, or development process equipment.
Experience:5+ yearsSemiconductorPhotovoltaicsThin-filmAdvanced manufacturingTechnology development
Education:Bachelor's
Skills:Technical communicationTechnical leadershipSituational judgmentFirst-level troubleshootingExecution discipline
Languages:English
Tech Stack:SemiconductorPhotovoltaicThin-filmSolar cellVacuum processWet chemistryThermal processingLaser processingMetrologyAdvanced laboratory systemsDevelopment process equipmentPilot-line

Company Brief

First Solar
Manufactures and sells solar modules and provides utility-scale photovoltaic power plant solutions. It is one of the world’s largest solar technology companies, focused on thin-film solar panel production and large-scale renewable energy deployment.
Industry: Solar Energy
Company Size: Enterprise (1,001+ employees)
Revenue: USD 1B+
Growth: Public Company
Valuation: Public Company (Market Cap in USD)
Funding: IPO / Publicly Listed
Headquarters: Tempe, United States
Founded: 1999
WebsiteLinkedIn