Senior Mechatronics Engineer

About the company

At Swift Solar, we’re building the future of solar. 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 a Senior Mechatronics Engineer at Swift, you will help us build and maintain a state-of-the-art engineering infrastructure to advance our solar cell R&D and production processes. Your main responsibility will be to design, build, install, and maintain our automated characterization and metrology systems. You'll lead the project based work by planning timelines and resources as well as leading hardware and software development and integration with our current data and process systems. You’ll work closely with our internal engineering team and with external engineering contractors and tool suppliers. 

On a typical day, you might work on improvements to the team's stability systems using your skills in circuit analysis and EDA/CAD software to design robust and accurate systems for scientists to run experiments on. This will involve leveraging your project planning skills to see your designs through from conception to assembly and implementation, while keeping detailed documentation to ensure longevity and reproducibility. Your proficiency in rapid prototyping will enable you to assemble systems to validate these designs. You might need to pause your work to help solve a new important issue with one of our characterization tools, enabling teammates to continue their work productively. Afterwards, you might meet with Process Engineering and R&D teams to understand production challenges and brainstorm solutions to automate our R&D and production processes.

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

You might be a good fit if you... 

• Have 10+ years of experience with mechatronic system implementation
• Have extensive experience in embedded systems (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, ESP32, etc.) and experience in PCB design (Altium, KiCad, Eagle, etc.)
• Are experienced in hardware/software system implementation with strong programming experience in C++, Python, Java, or other languages with hardware interfacing libraries
• Have a list of go-to vendors and experience with managing them to meet project requirements
• Have a track record of rapid prototyping, including 3D CAD work (SolidWorks or similar), fixture and enclosure T-slots, 3D printing, CNC machining, laser/waterjet cutting
• Have a record of producing robust systems that sustain through heavy use and have well-documented construction and troubleshooting guidelines
• Thrive in an environment with rapid changes in focus

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

• Have extensive experience in analog and digital circuit design, simulation, assembly and testing with specifics in analog measurements and noise isolation
• Have experience with automation development for manufacturing in a startup environment
• Experience with PLC/HMI programming on Beckhoff (Twincat), Siemens, Omron, Aveva (Indusoft/Wonderware) or similar systems
• Deep motivation to make an impact on climate change

The logistics

• Compensation: Competitive package including salary, equity, and benefits
• Expected Pay Range: $120,000-$160,000 per year
• Ideal start date: February – April 2024
• 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!