Engineer- Operations I USA (1st Shift)
First Solar · Gaffney, SC
- Level
- Engineer
- Team
- Production
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 6+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level production role at First Solar (industrial) in Gaffney, SC. Utilize a broad spectrum of data sources to identify and implement improvements to manufacturing operations resulting in positive impact to factory performance metrics and employee health, satisfaction and retention.
- They ask for
- 6+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- 5S, Root cause
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Production Engineer roles in South Carolina: typical posted base $108k–$145k.
Median of the low and high ends of 7 live postings that list pay, out of 20 production engineer openings in South Carolina, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
South Carolina plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 19 other live production postings in South Carolina.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- Less than usual (6+ vs 8+)
Typical $108k–$145k, from 7 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 8+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Lean 70%
- ✓ Team leadership 60%
- Six Sigma 35%
- New product launch 35%
- ✓ 5S 30%
- EHS / safety 25%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Production team at First Solar
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: First Solar in Gaffney
7 other open roles at this site.
- Technician- Manufacturing Engineer I USA (Night Crew/PM Shift) · Manufacturing
- Engineer- Manufacturing I USA (1st Shift) · Manufacturing
- Engineer- Quality I USA (1st Shift) · Quality
- Production Technician I (Night Crew) · Production · Technician
- Engineer- Manufacturing Systems II USA (1st Shift) · Manufacturing
- Engineer- Controls I USA (B Crew/PM Shift) · Controls
Full description from First SolarAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Education and Experience
- ✓Associate degree in a business or engineering discipline combined with 6 years of technical work experience in a Manufacturing setting or 3 years of First Solar [JK1] technical experience.
- ✓Bachelor’s Degree, master’s degree, or Ph.D. in a business or engineering discipline with no experience required.
- ✓Technical work experience in combination with a degree is preferred [JK2] .
Required Skills/Competencies
Safety First mindset.
Must be able to work in a team environment.
Strong problem solving and critical thinking skills.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Knowledge of electrical, mechanical, or chemical systems preferred.
Basic mechanical troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
- ✓Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Words and Outlook).
- ✓Proficient in data mining/reporting platforms such as Report Manager, Pro Clarity and JMP.
- ✓Understanding of production control systems, equipment run-rate, Theory of Constraints, WIP management and floor layout interaction.
- ✓Understanding of direct and indirect material list, consumption POR, replenishment, storage and tracking system.
- ✓Proven ability to train and develop associates.
- ✓Excellent organizational and planning skills.
- ✓Experience and working knowledge of continuous improvement tools.
Essential
Responsibilities
Adhere to all safety procedures and 5S standards.
Ability to take strategy and convert into actionable deliverables to meet daily, weekly and monthly P90.
Actively communicate with shift managers and cross functional section managers to achieve operations objectives.
Coordinate, schedule and prioritize production related activities, personnel, projects, planning and other functions within various crews and support departments.
Lead and drive plant operations action items to closure with functional owners to remove constraints for 24X7 operations. Provide assessment for operation recovery and assignment of headcount, WIP.
Contribute to continuous improvement in safety, quality and operations.
Content expert and point of contact for semiconductor or Module operations.
Coordinate and drive respective area tools utilization, availability or cycle time improvement projects or related issues with regards to Semiconductor or Module operations such as headcount planning and development, material allocation, upgrade activities, ETA execution and yield improvement.
Drive and own coater pitstop, HPVD & Metallizer target change, working scrap management or module palletizing execution consistency and quality across 4 crews.
Drive manufacturing execution team and support groups to meet desired Operational Efficiency (OE = MU/MA) target versus Machine Availability (MA).
Effectively utilize support teams to find root cause and resolve issue to improve safety, quality and throughput.
Review and approve respective area work instructions to ensure manufacturing viability.
Provide technical support to operations workforce development team to create training lesson plans for Semiconductor or Module operations area.
Train and guide Semiconductor or Module supervisors and technicians to improve their technical competencies.
Requirements
- ✓Will sit, stand or walk short distances for up to 12 hours per day.
- ✓Will climb stairs on an occasional basis.
- ✓Will lift up to 58 pounds on an occasional basis, according to work instruction.
- ✓Will lift up to 37 pounds on a frequent basis.
- ✓Will push or pull up to 27 pounds of force on an occasional basis.
- ✓Will push or pull up to 10 pounds of force on a frequent basis.
- ✓Required to use hands to grasp, lift, handle, carry or feel objects repetitively on a frequent basis.
- ✓20/40 vision in each eye (with or without correction) and the ability to distinguish between red, yellow and green is required.
- ✓May reach above shoulder heights and below the waist on a frequent basis.
- ✓May stoop, kneel, or bend, on an occasional basis.
- ✓Must be able to comply with all safety standards and procedures.
- ✓Ability to wear personal protective equipment is required (including but not limited to; steel toed shoes, cut resistant gloves, jackets, aprons &/or arm guards, safety glasses, hearing protection).
- ✓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).
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.
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First Solar reserves the right to offer you a role most applicable to your experience and skillset.
Basic Job Functions
Coordinate, schedule and prioritize solar module manufacturing operations for Semiconductor or Module manufacturing areas. Utilize a broad spectrum of data sources to identify and implement improvements to manufacturing operations resulting in positive impact to factory performance metrics and employee health, satisfaction and retention.
Reporting Relationships
No direct reports.
Travel
Up to 10% annually.
If hired during plant start up, you will be expected to travel to other First Solar locations for training.
US Physical
