Development Engineer IV

Senior Technical Contributor

First Solar reserves the right to offer you a role most applicable to your experience and skillset.

Basic

Job Functions:

• Serve as a senior technical contributor with First Solar's Perovskite pilot line department focusing on Perovskite photovoltaic device physics‑based root cause and failure analysis.
• Support development and scale‑up of First Solar's next‑generation perovskite technology.
• Operate at the intersection of materials science, device physics, and pilot manufacturing engineering, acting as a technical leader in defining root cause characterization and analysis strategies, correlating metrology data to performance and reliability, and resolving complex process‑structure‑property relationships.
• Responsible for developing mechanistic root cause analysis methodology for perovskite pilot line, enabling improved process control, faster learning cycles, and robust yield and performance outcomes.
• The position requires strong independent problem‑solving capability, deep technical expertise, and close collaboration with cross‑functional process and integration teams.

Education/

Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree in an engineering discipline or similar technical discipline and 20 years of relevant technical experience or 2 years of experience as a Development Engineer III at First Solar.
• Master'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 III at First Solar.
• Ph.D. in an engineering discipline or similar technical discipline and 10 years of relevant technical experience or 2 years of experience as a Development Engineer III at First Solar.

Required Skills/

Competencies:

• Advanced understanding of optoelectronic device physics and of correlations between physical measurements and low-level device parameters.
• Strong understanding of Perovskite materials physics, including crystallization behavior, defect states, interfaces, and degradation mechanisms.
• Demonstrated expertise in data driven root cause and failure mechanism analyses.
• Advanced skills in data analysis and statistical interpretation.
• Physics‑driven problem solver with strong mechanistic intuition.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and early‑stage technologies with an ability to reduce ambiguity through structured, physics‑based problem solving.
• Strong experimental rigor and data discipline.
• High ownership mindset; capable of independently driving complex technical programs with company‑level impact.
• Ability to independently define technical approaches within program objectives.
• Strong cross‑functional communication.
• Commitment to safety, quality, and operational excellence.

Preferred Skills/

Competencies:

• Expertise in advanced photovoltaic device characterization.
• Experience supporting technology transfer from R&D to manufacturing.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Perform deep root cause investigations of yield loss, efficiency variability, and reliability excursions using metrology data, physics‑based models, and cross‑functional inputs.
• Lead failure analysis and excursion response efforts, including hypothesis generation, experimental design, data interpretation, and corrective action definition.
• Develop and validate mechanistic understanding linking perovskite deposition, crystallization, and post‑processing to device‑level electrical and environmental performance.
• Support DOE development, parametric studies, and technology readiness assessments tied to pilot production goals.
• Serve as a subject‑matter expert in perovskite photovoltaic device physics and physics‑based diagnostics for internal stakeholders.
• Mentor junior engineers and scientists in experimental rigor, data analysis, and problem‑solving methodologies.
• Author and review technical reports, internal white papers, and invention disclosures; contribute to IP generation where applicable.
• Collaborate with external partners, national labs, and equipment vendors.
• Comply with Company's Environmental, Quality, Safety or any other policies that have been enforced. Contributes to continuous improvement of said policies.
• Other duties as assigned.
• Job description subject to change at any…