Equipment Maintenance Engineer

About the company

At Swift Solar, our mission is to unlock the full potential of solar energy. We believe that solar energy has vast untapped potential to reduce inequity and protect planetary health in the face of global climate change. We believe that today’s solar technology is good but not good enough. And we believe that what we build today should serve humanity forever. 

Swift’s perovskite tandem technology breaks through the performance limits of existing solar technologies. By making solar better—more efficient, more affordable, and more widely accessible—we are helping to create a world where all energy is clean energy. 

Swift Solar is a mission-focused startup funded by committed investors. We know it’s a long journey to take a new clean energy technology to market, and we’re in it for the long haul together. If you join us, you’ll play a meaningful role in taking Swift’s impact to the next level.

A day in the life

As an Equipment Maintenance Engineer at Swift, you’ll play a crucial role in maintaining and optimizing the solar cell R&D and manufacturing equipment that powers our mission. You’ll work closely with our R&D, Process Engineering, and Equipment Engineering teams to drive the success of Swift's technology.

On a typical day, you might oversee Swift’s maintenance management software platform, creating a repair history log for a tool and documenting lessons learned. You might help a Process Engineer troubleshoot vacuum equipment, reaching out to external equipment suppliers for support or leveraging your experience with local vendors to aid in repairing parts. You’ll share your knowledge with other team members, training them on tool maintenance and quick fixes for common repairs. To maximize equipment uptime, you’ll develop preventative equipment maintenance processes and you might start executing some of these tasks. You will be vital to keeping operations running smoothly, which could include maintaining gloveboxes, implementing a new EHS equipment protocol, and planning a contractor visit for a facility upgrade.

As an early hire, you’ll help craft Swift’s culture and technical direction. In this role, you’ll be interacting with every part of our lab, which will naturally lead to many opportunities to grow your own skills and responsibilities. We encourage you to take full advantage of those opportunities.

You might be a good fit if you... 

• Have 10+ years of tool maintenance experience in industries such as vacuum coating (PVD), semiconductor manufacturing, or related field
• Possess hands-on experience performing vacuum leak detection, troubleshooting mechanical systems, and repairing high- and low-voltage electrical subsystems
• Have a fundamental understanding of vacuum chamber pumping (including mechanical, turbo, and cryogenic pumps) and familiarity with vacuum gauges and valves
• Have knowledge about typical semiconductor lab facilitation
• Are organized, growth-minded, and eager to step up when help is needed
• Value cross-functional collaboration and embrace the challenges and learning opportunities that come with working at a startup

A strong candidate might bring one or more of the following…

• A working knowledge of thin film deposition processes
• Experience in rebuilding mechanical and cryogenic pumps
• Experience in a startup environment
• Knowledge of EHS standards and codes
• Direct experience with Beckhoff and/or Omron PLC and distributed I/O
• A passion for sustainability, contributing to Swift’s mission of unlocking the full potential of solar energy

The logistics

• Compensation: Competitive package including salary, equity, and benefits
• Expected Pay Range: $95,000-$160,000 per year
• Ideal start date: February – March 2025
• Job type: Full-time
• Location: San Carlos, CA (Swift Solar HQ)

What you’ll love about Swift

• Culture: We live by our values. You’ll feel right at home if you want to serve the future, get better every day, respect your colleagues, and have fun.
• Health benefits: We cover 100% of monthly premiums for HMO and PPO group healthcare plan options and 75% of dental and vision insurance costs for employees.
• Your future, supported: We offer 401(k) plans and match 100% of your retirement contributions up to 4% of your earnings.
• Clean commuter benefits: We’re all about clean energy. We make it easy and cheap to ride your bike or take public transit to work.
• Growth mindset: You’ll grow your skills, your network, and your perspective at Swift. We’ll support you in attending conferences and taking online courses, as long as you share your new insights with the team.

Swift is an equal opportunity employer. We value an inclusive work environment and welcome team members of all backgrounds and perspectives.

Even if this isn’t the right job for you, we’re always looking for good people. Please check out other career opportunities on our website and email us at careers@swiftsolar.com with any questions. And if you have a friend who would be a perfect fit, send them this link. Thanks!