First Solar is leading the world’s sustainable energy future, and they are seeking a Software Engineer Intern for Fall 2026. The intern will gain real-world experience in software development and will be involved in various projects related to manufacturing systems and energy services.
Responsibilities
Leading the world’s sustainable energy future, First Solar interns work around the globe/country in research and development, marketing, project development, information technology, engineering, energy services and much more
When you work at First Solar, you will be challenged every day and provided real world experience
You will be given the opportunity to find new solutions and develop new skills to further advance your skillset
At First Solar we strive to foster a culture that encourages innovation through collaboration, urging colleagues to take smart risks, learning from failures and course correcting, and owning personal accountability for contributing to our mission
Develop software solutions following best practices
Configure and maintain CI/CD pipelines
Create unit tests using frameworks such as xUnit
Assist with troubleshooting and support of software issues
Interface with other departments to define requirements
The intern will also be responsible for a particular project, to be defined and finalized upon selection of candidate and current business needs
Potential example projects include: Optimize definition, collection, reporting, and alerting of Manufacturing System metrics and KPIs
Work with operations personnel to define needed Manufacturing information, research the sourcing of this information, establish its collection, create and display in a dashboard
Create and implement Infrastructure and/or Behavior testing to improve the quality of Manufacturing Systems software
Design and build front end components to support custom Design of Experiment software for R&D team
Develop and fine-tune natural language model interfacing with GPT or other AI to assist in employee onboarding and tool troubleshooting
Work with operations personnel on the development and/or enhancement of an MES Live Monitoring System
Convert legacy applications to modern tool chain using Ignition
Assist with system development of Remote Operations Center
Other duties as assigned
Upon the completion of this internship, the intern is required to present their accomplishments and project summary to the leadership team
Qualification
Required
Degree Level: High School Graduate
Intern candidate should have completed 2 years of their major coursework, focused in Computer Science or Management Information Systems
Must currently be enrolled in a Bachelors, Master's or PhD program who is fulfilling a graduation requirement for their degree
First Solar encourages all interns to register their internship with their University
Ideal to have completed significant coursework in Object Oriented Programming and Relational Database Management
Ability to write SQL and knowledge of reporting tools
Ability to write and knowledge of Object Oriented Programming
Proven ability and knowledge of computer technology
Excellent communication and organization skills
Proven interpersonal skills
Adhere to all safety procedures and good housekeeping standards
Develop software solutions following best practices
Configure and maintain CI/CD pipelines
Create unit tests using frameworks such as xUnit
Assist with troubleshooting and support of software issues
Interface with other departments to define requirements
The intern will also be responsible for a particular project, to be defined and finalized upon selection of candidate and current business needs
Upon the completion of this internship, the intern is required to present their accomplishments and project summary to the leadership team
Preferred
Complete coursework in Data Structures and Algorithms
Previous support of technical applications
Previous experience developing software
Front end JavaScript skills is a plus
Experience using Generative AI Tools and systems, with an interest in learning how to leverage GenAI technology in Enterprise applications
Experience writing code in Python and/or C#, with an interest in Data or Software Engineering
Interest in build and deployment automation to modern platforms such as Apache Spark, Apache Airflow, and/or Kubernetes a plus
Supported applications in college, as an intern, or in a customer service environment
Understands Manufacturing processes is a plus
Benefits
First Solar manufactures thin film photovoltaic modules and provides PV power plants and supporting services.
