Starlink Development Lead, Solar Ingot & Wafer

About the role

SpaceX is developing a low-latency, broadband internet system to meet the needs of consumers across the globe. Enabled by a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites, Starlink will provide fast, reliable internet to populations with little or no connectivity, including those in rural communities and places where existing services are too expensive or unreliable.

As the development lead, you will be responsible for factory acceptance tests, equipment readiness, process development, trials, and production launch for silicon ingot growth and wafering. Additionally, you will be the day-to-day link between OEMs, development, operations, quality, equipment, and suppliers, moving new recipes, tools, and process changes from trial to stable production with clear documentation, yield targets, and a schedule.

Responsibilities

• Plan, schedule, and run development trials on ingot pullers, crop and square, multi-wire saws, cleaning, and related metrology
• Turn engineering intent into trial plans: DOE, recipe versions, material lots, fixtures and consumables, and success criteria (yield, TTV, warp, resistivity, lifetime, breakage, kerf)
• Define process windows (pull rate, rotation, hot zone, slurry or diamond wire, tension, coolant, clean chemistry) and track KPIs such as kg/pull, wafer yield, kerf loss, downtime, scrap, and first-pass yield
• Coordinate tool time, material readiness, operator coverage, fixtures, hot-zone parts, wires, slurry and coolant, crucibles, and other consumables with production, maintenance, quality, EHS, and supply chain
• Track status, blockers, and results; escalate schedule, quality, or safety risks with options and owners; and give leadership concise updates
• Collect trial data and support root cause on trial and early-production issues (ingot defects, saw marks, TTV, warp, stains, lifetime)
• Own trial reports, work instructions, travelers, checklists, training notes, and revision control of recipes, fixtures, and consumable specs
• Initiate and track ECOs and process changes, including training and first-article or first-lot verification before release
• Partner with quality and metrology on incoming silicon, in-process checks, and outgoing wafer specs, and support vendor trials and incoming qualifications of new materials or tools
• Lead pilot-to-production transfer (standard work, operator training, control and reaction plans), support the ramp until rate and quality are stable, and capture lessons learned
• Enforce EHS requirements for high temperature, chemicals, slurry, wafer handling, lockout, PPE, and clean-area rules

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in materials science, chemistry, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, or a STEM field
• 5+ years in manufacturing process development or production coordination (semiconductor, PV, crystal growth, precision machining, or injection molding/process engineering strongly preferred)

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience in Czochralski ingot growth, wafering (wire saw), or a photovoltaic or semiconductor wafer fabrication line
• Familiarity with silicon specifications, including resistivity, lifetime, oxygen, and geometry (TTV, bow and warp, and thickness)
• Working knowledge of MES and QMS, change control, and basic CAD or process mapping
• Experience working with equipment teams and suppliers

Additional Requirements

• Extended hours and weekend work may be required to support critical project and mission milestones
• Up to 10% travel is expected

Itar Requirements

• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.