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 Mechatronics Engineer at Swift, you will help us build and maintain a state-of-the-art engineering infrastructure to streamline 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 assist with 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 will 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. You’ll leverage your project planning skills to see your designs through from conception to assembly and implementation. Your proficiency in rapid prototyping will enable you to assemble circuit boards and enclosures to validate your 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.

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 hands-on experience in analog and digital circuit design, simulation, assembly and testing with specifics in analog measurements and noise isolation
• Have extensive experience in embedded systems (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, ESP32, etc.)
• Have experience in hardware/software system implementation with programming experience in C++, Python, Java, or other languages with hardware interfacing libraries
• Have experience implementing user-friendly interfaces (GUI, HMI, etc.)
• Have a maker mentality that allows you to prototype quickly while also 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
• Take initiative to tackle problems you see around you, even if it’s not your job

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

• Experience in rapid prototyping, including simple 3D CAD work (SolidWorks or similar), fixture and enclosure T-slots, 3D printing, laser/waterjet cutting, CNC machining
• Past contributions to hardware open source projects
• Experience with PLC programming on Beckhoff (Twincat), Siemens, Omron, Aveva (Indusoft/Wonderware) or similar systems
• Automation experience in a manufacturing environment and for laboratory equipment
• Deep motivation to make an impact on climate change

The logistics

• Compensation: Competitive package including salary, equity, and benefits
  • Expected Pay Range: $100,000-$120,000 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.

Apply for this job here

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!