Supply Chain Specialist - Buyer/ Planner

The Company: Solestial, Inc. is the solar energy company for space. Solestial’s core technology is a breakthrough ultra-thin silicon solar cell that can self-cure radiation damage at normal operating temperatures in space, packaged in a flexible, lightweight panel designed to achieve minimum degradation for up to 10 years in LEO. Solestial panels can be mass-produced using automated machines resulting in costs 90% lower than incumbent technologies, with virtually unlimited manufacturing capacity. From today’s satellite constellations and research projects to tomorrow’s utility-scale energy infrastructure and services in space, Solestial is powering the new space economy.

The Role: As a PV Module Manufacturing Engineer/Manager you will be leading the team running pilot production of solar blankets at Solestial. You will be responsible for daily operations, meeting production goals, maintaining product quality and ensuring a safe and professional work environment. Your team will be comprised of 2-10 engineers and technicians and your daily duties will include running pilot production lots at Solestial solar blanket pilot line, leading process improvements, characterizing materials and devices, collecting and sharing the data with your teammates, and encouraging your team to achieve production goals. You will work in direct collaboration with Solar Cell Production, Product, and R&D teams. As the company continues to grow and starts the transition to a new, automated, high volume manufacturing line, you will transition to leading a team of 10-50 running mass production of solar blankets.

Prepare weekly schedules for the production teams and monitor production output to the schedule Work directly with the operations team in development of production ramping plans Prepare raw material inventory reports, monitor kanbans, and update other documentation with the use of multiple systems including MES, MRP, WMS, etc. Procure raw materials for production of solar cells and modules, including creation and usage of purchase orders, negotiating for price, lead time, and payment terms. Complete all receiving, in alignment with purchase orders for a complete 2-way match Expedite orders with suppliers or transportation as required Develop innovative methods to reduce the cost of materials and logistics Create standard methods for data analysis to communicate material usage and determine scaling with ramp up of production. Support continuous improvement of scheduling, warehouse management, procurement, and reporting processes. Follow safety requirements and prevent accidents. Maintain a clean work environment. Work in collaboration with operations to achieve output performance (production capacity, on-time delivery, inventory levels)

Experience using MES, MRP, and/or WMS systems in a manufacturing or production environment. Strong skills in Microsoft Excel, with preferred candidates having experience with Power BI, Tableau, or similar reporting/ analytics tools. Ability to work in a class 10,000 clean room environment. Ability to work in processing area wearing the necessary PPE. Ability to work in a dynamic environment. Strong analytical skills, basic data analysis and presentation, clear communication. Production planning and scheduling experience, including coordinating build priorities, material readiness and capacity constraints. Experience managing warehouse/ material control activities. Ability to generate, analyze, and communicate production and inventory reports from multiple data sources. Collaborative, takes ownership, and works well across the team to get things done. Preferred candidate: SQL/ Database experience for pulling, organizing, and validating production or inventory data. Previous experience with photovoltaic solar modules or flexible circuits (R&D, manufacturing, reliability) is a strong plus.

Generous, high-quality medical, dental, and vision coverage. 15 vacation days, 5 sick days, and 10 paid holidays annually - with an extended holiday break at year’s end 401K with employer match up to 4% of salary Employer-paid short-term and long-term disability and employer-sponsored life insurance Your work will literally go to space!

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