Staff Engineer, Wet Area Manufacturing Process

Overview

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. Western Digital is a company of problem solvers whose technology has supported major achievements. We offer an expansive portfolio of technologies, HDDs, and platforms under the Western Digital®, WD®, ™, and San Disk® Professional brands. We are a key partner to the world’s largest and highest-growth organizations, enabling systems to make cities safer and more connected, powering data centers behind leading companies and hyperscale cloud providers, and meeting the growing data storage needs of the AI era.

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

• Responsible for process engineering in the Wet process areas (CMP, Liftoff, Wet Etch, Electroplating) in a high-volume 24x7 wafer fabrication environment.
• Partner with a group of Process Engineers and Technicians responsible for maintaining key parameter control within tight specifications for both manufacturing and development wafers.
• Drive yield and quality improvement projects: within-wafer uniformity of key parameters, APC strategy optimization, defects detection/elimination, failure analysis, and improvement of deviating processes, chemistries, and consumables.
• Work on cycle time and cost improvement: process recipe and chemical usage optimization, wafer rework reduction, metrology optimization, tool uptime, and related improvements.
• Work on the selection, procurement, introduction, and qualification of new wet process tools, materials, and consumables.
• Support the development, qualification, and manufacturing ramping of new products.

REQUIRED:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s with relevant experience in engineering;
  Ph.D. preferred (Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science or related fields).
• Experience in wafer manufacturing techniques (CMP, Electroplating, Liftoff, Photolithography, etc.).
• Experience in magnetic recording head fabrication is desirable.
• Strong background in statistical data analysis and 6-sigma methodologies.
• Demonstrate excellent leadership, communication, and presentation skills with ability to work in a cross-functional team setting.
• Manufacturing process engineering mindset, ability to work in a high-pace dynamic environment, and ability to multi-task.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite and statistical analysis tools like JMP.

Western Digital is committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and employees and will not discriminate based on race, color, ancestry, religion (including religious dress and grooming standards), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), gender identity/expression, age, national origin, sexual orientation, medical condition, marital status (including domestic partnership), physical or mental disability, genetic information, protected medical and family care leave, Civil Air Patrol status, military and veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.

We prohibit harassment based on these characteristics. Our non-discrimination policy applies to all aspects of employment. We comply with applicable laws and regulations, and reference the Know Your Rights:
Workplace Discrimination is Illegal poster. Our pay transparency policy is available here.

Western Digital strives to embrace diversity and foster an inclusive environment where every individual can thrive through belonging, respect, and contribution. We are committed to offering opportunities to applicants with disabilities and provide accommodations upon request. Please contact  with a description of the accommodation, the job title, and requisition number.

Based on our experience, the Final date to receive applications is 03-01-2026 (3 months from posting). We reserve the right to close the application process sooner if we hire for this position earlier. If we are not able to hire before the deadline, we will update.

• An…