Rejobs
First Solar

Manager - Engineering Manufacturing

Become the Manager - Engineering Manufacturing at First Solar in Perrysburg, United States. Oversee process and product qualification, lead a team of engineers, and drive continuous improvement in manufacturing. Enjoy a competitive salary and the opportunity to work in a dynamic renewable energy environment.
First Solar
First Solar
Perrysburg, United States   On-site   Full Time   USD 128k–182k yearly  UTC-04:00

First Solar

Company Overview

First Solar, Inc.

Tempe, AZ, United States

1999

Approximately 7,000 employees globally (source: linkedin.com).

What They Do

First Solar specializes exclusively in thin-film photovoltaic solar technology, utilizing cadmium telluride (CdTe) semiconductors to manufacture large-format glass-glass modules. Their flagship products, the Series 6 Plus and Series 7 modules, are designed to produce electricity with a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to conventional crystalline silicon panels. This innovative approach allows First Solar to use only 2% of the semiconductor material per watt, completing production in just 4.5 hours per module under one roof, ensuring full traceability throughout the manufacturing process (source: investing.com). The company also engages in project development, operations and maintenance services, and offers complete PV solar power systems for third-party buyers, featuring innovative under-mount frames for quick installation and an in-house global recycling program that achieves a remarkable 90% recovery rate of semiconductor and glass materials (source: pvo-int.com). Their target markets include utility-scale developers, independent power producers, and commercial firms across various regions, including the United States, Europe, India, and the Middle East (source: investigate.afsc.org). As the largest solar manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere, First Solar is recognized as a Tier 1 producer, emphasizing energy security through domestic production and significant investments in research and development (source: hubspotusercontent-na1.net).

Projects & Track Record

First Solar has an impressive track record, having powered over 5,500 MW of large-scale solar plants across major European markets since 2005. Notable projects include supplying 104,000 panels to the Kalia solar farm in the occupied West Bank and 40,000 panels to Israel's largest solar farm located in the Ramat Hovav Industrial Zone (source: pvo-int.com). The company is currently expanding its manufacturing capabilities with a new 3.5 GW facility in Ohio that became operational in early 2023, and a $1 billion factory in Alabama set to begin operations in 2025. Additionally, First Solar is launching a plant in Tamil Nadu, India, expected to start production in late 2023, further enhancing its global capacity and supporting the anticipated growth in solar energy demand (source: hubspotusercontent-na1.net). The company’s strategic partnerships with utility-scale operators and system owners worldwide have solidified its position as a leader in the solar manufacturing sector (source: investing.com).

Recent Developments

In the past two years, First Solar has made significant strides in expanding its manufacturing footprint. In August 2022, the company announced a $1 billion investment for a new 3.5 GW manufacturing facility in Alabama, which is set to commence operations in 2025. This expansion is part of a broader strategy to increase U.S. solar output to over 10 GW DC by 2025, creating approximately 15,000 indirect jobs and contributing an estimated $3.2 billion in economic value (source: hubspotusercontent-na1.net). The company has also begun construction on its first factory in India, located in Tamil Nadu, which is expected to start operations by late 2023. First Solar continues to maintain its status as the only U.S.-headquartered company among the top 10 global solar manufacturers, with a strong emphasis on research and development, having invested over $1.5 billion since 2010 (source: pvo-int.com).

Working There

First Solar offers a diverse range of roles across various departments, including engineering, product management, sales and marketing, operations, and manufacturing. The company’s headquarters in Tempe, AZ, serves as the hub for executive leadership and key teams, while its manufacturing facilities in Ohio and the upcoming Alabama site focus on production-scale growth (source: salestools.io). The corporate culture at First Solar emphasizes innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning, supported by open-plan offices, flexible seating arrangements, and wellness facilities. The company prioritizes employee well-being and professional growth, creating an environment that attracts top talent (source: salestools.io). Comprehensive benefits are offered to employees, although specific details regarding packages are not extensively documented in available sources (source: salestools.io).

Contact


Last updated on 2025-12-26 | Report an issue

Job Description

This person is responsible for oversight of the process and product qualification for start-up and transition into production. The Integration Manager will lead a group responsible for ensuring processes ramp is able to demonstrate defined goals for Wattage, Quality, Reliability, Yield and Throughput as defined in the manufacturing process qualification. They will be responsible for managing a group of engineers and training the manufacturing team on new process introduction, implementation and documentation.

The incumbent is expected to lead a team for daily performance of Wattage and Cascade Yield of the factory per the manufacturing plan. Sustaining responsibilities include but are not limited to leading team with continuous improvement mindset to be best in class among factories, establishing structured systems of monitoring and detection for teams to follow, work with each functional area in assessing process health impacting product characteristics, leading the team in problem solving utilizing six sigma methodologies, identifying variation reduction opportunities and implementing solutions, actively assess assigned factory performance against global performance and initiate alignment activity accordingly and forecasting supply of bins and sustaining planned forecast of wattage working with supply and demand team.

The incumbent is expected to provide strong leadership to the team, training personnel on all aspects of Integration processes, and coaching when changes or improvements are necessary. This person will be responsible for documenting the requirements of the new technology process (includes control plan, WI, OCAP, FMEA....)

At all times maintain effective team interaction with development engineering, NPI, Quality and Reliability, MES and operations to involve all needed parties in the successful qualification and implementation of new process change.

Education/Experience

  • Bachelor's Degree in Engineering Discipline or Physical Science Field or the equivalent.
  • Master's degree preferred.
  • 5 or more years' experience in an engineering leadership role.
  • 5 to 8 years of strong process engineering experience in a manufacturing environment, preferred in a high-tech manufacturing environment similar to semiconductor or photovoltaic industries.
  • Proven experience in project planning and controls.
  • Proven experience in managing multiple concurrent projects under tight schedules.
  • Proven experience in leading multimillion dollar projects in domestic and foreign factory settings

Required Skills/Competencies

  • Leadership skills
  • Project management performance.
  • Knowledge of Manufacturing Processes.
  • Knowledge of Engineering Techniques and Practices.
  • Knowledge of ISO 9000 standards and SPC tools.
  • Robust Engineering/design of experiments, Six Sigma, DMAIC tools, and FMEA
  • Quality Skills.
  • Technical Problem-solving skills to include interpersonal applications.
  • Possess excellent data analysis and collection skills.
  • Possess excellent verbal, written, and graphical communication skills.
  • Knowledge of MS Office suite and statistical software.
  • Good Communications Skills.
  • Understanding of material analysis and characterization methods.

Essential Responsibilities

  • Ramp and rollout new processes from Product Qualification through implementation.
  • Lead roadmap for variation reduction and production process optimization for incremental improvement.
  • Provide guidance to supply forecast on bins.
  • Lead Factory startup qualification of process and product per plan.
  • Daily supervision and quarterly performance reviews of the group of Manufacturing Engineers and Manufacturing Engineering Technicians. Prioritize personnel resources as directed.
  • Provide strong leadership to the Solution Development, Data Modeling, and Rollout Engineering team, training personnel on and coaching when changes or improvements are necessary.
  • Responsible to interface with other Company, customer and supplier representatives.
  • Evaluate new proposed equipment according to process standards.
  • Reviews process experiment proposals and subsequent results with next steps.
  • Develops and enforces standard operating procedures and accurate process description.
  • Maintains effective communication levels and fosters Team Building. Removes roadblocks to the team's success.
  • Defines and implements corrective/preventive actions and continuous improvement activities as assigned utilizing structured problem-solving methods.
  • Adheres to all safety procedures and good housekeeping standards.
  • Exhibits and builds on "First Solar Competencies" - FS-2-100-000-W2.
  • Other duties as assigned.
  • Job description subject to change at any time.

Reporting Relationships

This position will have direct reports.

Travel

10% - 20%

Estimated Salary Range

$127,700 - $182,000, Annually

US Physical Requirements

  • Will sit, stand or walk short distances for up to the entire duration of a shift.
  • Will climb stairs on an occasional basis.
  • Will lift, push or pull up to 27 pounds on an occasional basis.
  • Required to use hands to grasp, lift, handle, carry or feel objects on a frequent basis.
  • 20/40 vision in each eye, with or without correction, is required.
  • Must be able to comply with all safety standards and procedures.
  • May reach above shoulder heights and below the waist on a frequent basis.
  • May stoop, kneel, or bend, on an occasional basis.
  • Ability to wear personal protective equipment is required (including but not limited to; steel toed shoes, gloves, safety glasses, hearing protection, protective jacket or apron and arm guards).
  • All associates working on the production floor may be required to wear a respirator at any given time and thus, the ability to wear a respirator is a condition of employment and continued employment (requires little or no facial hair).

Potential candidates will meet the education and experience requirements provided on the above job description and excel in completing the listed responsibilities for this role. All candidates receiving an offer of employment must successfully complete a background check and any other tests that may be required.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement: First Solar is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and respects the importance of a diverse and inclusive workforce. It is the policy of the company to recruit, hire, train and promote persons in all job titles without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a driving force in the success of our company.

Get Job Alerts

Get alerts for Solar Energy jobs in Perrysburg, United States

About the role

October 31, 2025

Full Time

Company

January 2, 2026

On-site

USD 128k–182k yearly

First Solar

firstsolar.com

  •  Perrysburg, United States

5+ years in engineering leadership

UTC-04:00

Apply now

Job expired?

Please let First Solar know you found this job on Rejobs. This will help us grow and get more people to work on renewable energy!

Discover how you’re connected

View connections

See your contacts at First Solar on LinkedIn to leverage your network in applying for this position.

Share with Friends

The stakes are high, and the time for talk has passed. Now is the time for action. Help a friend accelerate the shift to a sustainable future.

Share this job - Manager - Engineering Manufacturing - with your folks, and help them find a career to be proud of.