External Process Development Engineer

Position Details:

Location: Carson, CA & Asia

Employment Type: Full-time

Department: Starlight Solar

Travel: 75%

The Mission

Starpath is developing our own photovoltaic cells and ultra-thin solar blankets, working with external laboratories and fabrication partners while building our internal manufacturing capability.

External Process Development Engineer - Asia

As an External Process Development Engineer, you will own the execution of cell and materials development work through our partners in Asia. You will work closely with our materials R&D team to translate experimental goals into executable work, troubleshoot process issues, and bring complete results and practical process knowledge back to Starpath.

Responsibilities:

• Translate research hypotheses and proposed recipes into vendor work packages with defined process conditions, samples, measurements, deliverables, and schedules.

• Identify and evaluate laboratories and fabrication partners based on their equipment, technical capabilities, execution quality, and capacity.

• Drive external experiments from kickoff through completion, resolving technical questions, tracking progress, and escalating blockers.

• Review process records, raw data, and sample histories to identify deviations, assess result quality, and determine follow-up work with the R&D team.

• Coordinate complementary experiments with our USA development team and maintain consistent documentation and measurement requirements.

• Transfer recipes, equipment requirements, process limitations, and lessons learned to Starpath’s internal process and equipment engineers.

• Coordinate sample movement and commercial needs with operations and procurement.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in materials science, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, physics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

• Hands-on experience developing or executing processes for photovoltaic devices, thin films, semiconductors, or related materials.

• Experience managing technical work through external laboratories, suppliers, or manufacturing partners.

• Ability to interpret experimental data, troubleshoot process problems, and distinguish execution issues from changes in material or device behavior.

• Strong technical documentation and communication skills, with the ability to drive work across organizations and time zones.

• A desire to make humans a multi-planet species.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working directly with laboratories or fabrication partners in Asia

• Experience with perovskite photovoltaics, thin-film deposition, device characterization, encapsulation, or environmental testing.

• Experience transferring a process between facilities or from external development into internal production.

EAR Requirements:

• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, you 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.

Equal Opportunity:

• Starpath is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Benefits:

At Starpath Robotics, base pay is just one part of your total rewards package. We also offer:

• Generous benefits including health, dental, vision, and retirement plans.

• Paid time off, holidays, and flexible policies to support balance.

• Professional growth opportunities through training and development.

• The chance to own high-impact work that directly shapes the future of robotics & space!

• A collaborative, mission-driven culture where craftsmanship and innovation are celebrated.