Staff Engineer, Hardware Development Engineering (HAMR)

About the role

Western Digital is looking for a motivated, detail-oriented engineer to join its HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording) development organization. The role sits at the intersection of data analysis, cross-functional collaboration and characterization engineering for next-generation hard disk drive (HDD) recording heads. It is part of the company's Early Career program, which provides structured onboarding, mentorship and development for people starting their professional careers.

Key responsibilities

• Analyze recording head component test results (PTM, QST, CDET, HQST and related parametrics), comparing evaluation groups against control groups to find behavioral patterns and anomalies.
• Act as focal point for DOE outgoing shipment reporting across component-level tests, flagging samples prone to fail under typical or aggressive conditions.
• Develop and maintain data stitching and normalization workflows so test results can be compared fairly across conditions and design variants.
• Evaluate the use of characterization parameters for early-stage projections and summarize test results to track component health trends.
• Identify risks proactively to inform go/no-go decisions before samples leave the site, and support root cause analysis of component anomalies (e.g., ADC-related issues).
• Automate recurring analysis and reporting pipelines and adopt AI/ML tools for pattern recognition.
• Work with front-end engineers, characterization engineers, wafer design and wafer process teams, and share technical knowledge on HAMR head technology and test methodology.

Required profile

• Currently pursuing or recently completed a PhD in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, Mechatronics or a related field.
• Solid understanding of HDD component testing (heads, sliders, recording performance).
• Strong communication in Thai and English, and ability to collaborate across time zones.
• Able to work under pressure and handle themselves independently.

Required skills

• Data analysis and statistics with JMP, Minitab, Excel or equivalent.
• DOE and root cause analysis, HDD head characterization and recording performance analysis.
• Data normalization, trend analysis, failure analysis and risk assessment.
• Automation and AI/ML tools, Python, SQL or R, Power BI or Tableau.
• Pattern recognition, anomaly detection and data visualization and reporting.