Staff Engineer, System Design Engineering

Company Description

At Western Digital, our vision is to power global innovation and push the boundaries of technology to make what you thought was once impossible, possible.

At our core, Western Digital is a company of problem solvers. People achieve extraordinary things given the right technology. For decades, we’ve been doing just that—our technology helped people put a man on the moon and capture the first-ever picture of a black hole.

We offer an expansive portfolio of technologies, HDDs, and platforms for business, creative professionals, and consumers alike under our Western Digital, WD, WD_BLACK, and SanDisk Professional brands.

We are a key partner to some of the largest and highest-growth organizations in the world. From enabling systems to make cities safer and more connected, to powering the data centers behind many of the world’s biggest companies and hyperscale cloud providers, to meeting the massive and ever-growing data storage needs of the AI era, Western Digital is fueling a brighter, smarter future.

Today’s exceptional challenges require your unique skills. Together, we can build the future of data storage.

Job Description

• Completes assigned tasks that meet quality, functionality and schedule objectives.
• Provides verbal and written status including reports to the Lead Engineer and the Department Manager.
• Under Lead Engineer’s direction, helps identify and resolve issues by participating in DOE discussions and subsequently collecting and analyzing data.
• Handles specific tasks associated with component level checkout of preamps and Read Channel ICs.
• Contributes to the debug of any cross-functional related issues during drive integration.
• Collects and analyzes data for functional design reviews.
• Helps prepare Readiness review materials and preview content with the Lead Engineer.
• In any activity requiring cross-functional effort, during Lead’s absence, the Development Engineer would represent the System Engineering and help make trade-offs in evaluating various options.
• After a product has been transferred off-shore, Development Engineer will provide appropriate support in resolving new technical issues, reviewing data for new/revised components etc.
• Mentor interns and junior engineers.
• May provide input on hiring decisions of technical team members.
• Develops and prioritizes own and others’ goals and workloads to meet project objectives and deadlines.
• Influences team decisions and results.
• Requires only general supervision and little guidance.
• Understanding of basic principles in most functional areas such as magnetic recording technologies, SATA protocol, RSS, Servo, Mechanical, Material Science, and controller.
• Able to make system-level decisions based on understanding of interdependencies between competing interests from different functional groups to obtain the best trade-offs under a specific application/condition.
• Recommend, devise, and implement technical solutions and understand trade-offs.
• Provide input to program/project technical strategy.
• Follows department/work group processes, recommends improvements to them and develops new processes.
• Able to document and publish technical documentation for general consumption.
• Has broad knowledge of general business operations.
• Knows and comprehends individual and project goals.
• Understand the practical implications of one’s work on operations or vice versa (e.g. materials availability, volume manufacturing environment).
• Sees issues from customer’s perspective and develops rapport with customers.
• Acts in a responsive and flexible manner to balance customer requests with established priorities.
• Understands impact of individual projects/process on customer’s process and productivity.
• Proficiently uses standard and specialized engineering tools and equipment used by the discipline and/or department. Uses PC, Emulator, Bus Analyzer, SIO Interface, and able to instrument using various equipment such as scope, logic analyzer, and other lab tools.
• Read, analyze, and interpret documents such as technical reports, instructions, and procedures and scientific journals.
• Write technical reports/documentation, department procedures and business correspondence with good grammar, spelling, punctuation and structure.
• Proficiently apply principles of advanced calculus, modern algebra, advanced statistical theory, advanced mathematical concepts such as limits, rings, quadratic and differential equations, permutations, proofs of theorems, exponents, and logarithms. Proficiently apply mathematical operations to such tasks as frequency distribution, determination of test reliability and validity, analysis of variance, correlation techniques, sampling theory, and factor analysis.
• Define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in written, mathematical or diagram form.
• Apply principles of logical or scientific thinking.
• Deal with nonverbal symbolism (formulas, scientific equations, graphs, etc.) in its most difficult phases.
• Deal with a variety of abstract and concrete variables.

Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering + 5 - 7 yrs. related experience, or
• MS in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering + 3 - 5 yrs. related experience.
• Prior experience in HDD design or a related field is often preferred.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to effectively collaborate with team members and document technical information.
• Proficiency in data analysis, problem-solving, and the use of engineering software tools.
• Knowledge of magnetic recording technologies and mechanical design principles is also beneficial.
• Ability to multi-task.
• Knows basic budgets/costs of program/project and their impact.
• Productivity tools such as MS Office a must.

Additional Information

WD Commitment to Diversity

At Western Digital, we thrive on the power and potential of diversity. As a global company, we believe that the most effective way to embrace the diversity of our customers and communities is to mirror it from within. We believe that the fusion of various perspectives results in the best outcomes for our employees, our company, our customers, and the world around us. We are committed to an inclusive environment where every individual can thrive through a sense of belonging, respect, and contribution.

Additional Information

Western Digital is committed to offering opportunities to applicants with disabilities and ensuring all candidates can successfully navigate our careers website and our hiring process. Please contact us at jobs.accommodations@wdc.com to advise us of your accommodation request. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES: Western Digital has received reports of scams where a payment is requested on Western Digital’s behalf as a condition for receiving an offer of employment. Please be aware that Western Digital and its subsidiaries will never request payment as a condition for applying for a position or receiving an offer of employment. Should you encounter any such requests, please report it immediately to Western Digital's Ethics Helpline or email compliance@wdc.com.