Engineer - Photolithography

Seagate Technology; Derry/Londonderry; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private healthcare

On-site gym

Pension

Employee stock purchase plan

Job summary

Seagate Technology in Springtown, Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland, is hiring for a Full-Time lithography/wafer process development role. The candidate will work with advanced head devices, perform process development, and coordinate with design partners to meet device performance requirements.

The role requires 3+ years in lithography/R&D, strong optical imaging and chemistry knowledge, and experience with lithography equipment.

Qualifications

• 3+ years hands-on lithography or wafer process development in R&D/manufacturing
• Strong hands-on experience in optical imaging, photoresist formulation and chemistry
• Expertise in lithography-related characterization techniques (inspection, ellipsometry, profilometry, SEM)
• Experience operating lithography process equipment (coat/develop tools, steppers/scanners/aligners)
• Knowledge of DOE, hypothesis testing, and ANOVA; JMP or R familiarity is a plus

Responsibilities

• Develop lithography processes to achieve design targets in advanced head devices
• Operate/assess next-gen scanners and materials to meet requirements
• Maintain wafer process stability and analyze data for SPC
• Investigate root causes of process excursions and reduce cycle time and scrap
• Collaborate with design partners to meet device performance needs
• Integrate new lithography modules with prototype wafer builds
• Support technology transfers to product development teams
• Contribute to IP through disclosures, patents, or papers

Skills

Lithography

Wafer process

Data analysis

Statistical methods

Documentation

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s/Master’s/PhD in Chemical Eng., Chemistry, Optical Eng., Applied Optics, Materials Science, Electrical Eng., Physics

Tools

Coat/Develop tools

Steppers/Scanners

Ellipsometry

SEM

Job description

At Seagate our mission is to build the world’s best data storage devices. The Advanced Transducer Development group is a global R&D organization that develops new recording head technologies to advance areal density and enable Seagate’s HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 4 year+ product roadmap. Our process team uses state-of-the-art wafer fabrication tools and cleanroom facilities to innovate and deliver leading-edge writers and read sensors. With an emphasis on proving feasibility of new devices, processes and materials, we help build Seagate’s future time-to-market leadership. If you are excited by innovative technology development, are naturally creative, and passionate about seeing ideas come to life then this could be a perfect fit to your research and development career.

About the role - you will:

• Develop novel, robust, and manufacturable lithography processes to achieve critical shape and dimension targets in advanced head devices
• Utilize next-generation scanners with existing or new patterning materials to achieve design requirements
• Maintain stability of wafer processes, including data analysis for statistical process control and investigation of root causes for process excursions
• Apply problem-solving techniques to resolve operational issues with wafer processing and development flows to minimize wafer cycle time and scrap
• Work with design partners to understand requirements for device performance and close gaps between intended and fabricated structures
• Interface with the wider RD and Product wafer teams (deposition, etch, CMP, wet process and integration) to integrate new lithography process modules into advanced prototype wafer builds
• Explore techniques with wafer capital equipment suppliers and research partners to advance process capability in resist coating, optical exposure, resist development and litho metrology
• Manage experiments, projects and wafer tracking to deliver results to the designated schedule
• Participate in technology transfers to the product development engineering team
• Contribute to Seagate’s IP portfolio in the form of invention disclosures, patents, trade secrets, peer-reviewed journal articles, and/or white papers

About you:

• You are self-motivated, intellectually curious, able to work independently and have a strong attention to detail
• You are an honest and respectful team player, capable of working in strong partnership with a diverse global group of engineers and technicians
• You are a well-organized multitasker, able to balance day-to-day wafer processing needs with longer-term development work
• You maintain thorough documentation of results and can clearly present and discuss them with other staff members in engineering and management forums
• You have a track record of innovation and regularly use outside sources (journals, patents, university projects and conferences) to inspire new ideas and directions
• You are able and eager to work in a mix of clean room and laboratory environments

Your experience includes:

• If you hold a BSc or MSc, this role does not meet the criteria set by the Home Office for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker Visa route; therefore, visa sponsorship cannot be offered. Tou must that full Right to Work Documentation to work in the UK.
• If you hold a PhD, the role does meet the criteria, and visa sponsorship can be offered.
• Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degrees in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Optical Engineering, Applied Optics, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related science or engineering field
• 3+ years of hands‑on lithography or wafer process development experience in an R&D or manufacturing environment
• Strong hands‑on experience and in‑depth understanding of optical imaging, photoresist formulation and chemistry, mask design, dosing, pattern formation etc
• Expertise in lithography‑related characterization techniques (e.g. inspection, ellipsometry, profilometry, SEM, etc)
• Experience operating and/or maintaining lithography process equipment (coat/develop tools, steppers/scanners/aligners, strippers, etc)
• Modeling or simulation of resist behavior and pattern formation (helpful but not essential)
• Knowledge of standard statistical experimentation methods including hypothesis testing, DOE design and analysis and ANOVA. Familiarity with JMP or R preferred but not essential.

Please note that you must demonstrate in the application how you meet the criteria for the role as identified above. To facilitate shortlisting, the company reserves the right to apply enhanced criteria.

Completed applications should be submitted no later than midnight on 18th November2026

This is a Full-Time position working 39 hours per week.

Seagate Technology is committed to equal opportunity in employment and welcomes applications from all sections of the community irrespective of sex, marital status, religious affiliation, age, disability or ethnic origin. The Company specifically welcomes applications from the protestant community who are currently underrepresented in this job category. All applications will be considered strictly on the basis of merit.

Location:

Springtown, Derry / Londonderry, Northern Ireland

Our Springtown site is Derry/Londonderry’s largest manufacturer, we’re proud that Seagate is a flexible and inclusive place to work.

Here at work, you can grab breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks at our subsidized on‑site cafe.

Looking for an active break from your workday? We’ve got you covered. Take a group or individual exercise class during lunch or after work at our on‑site gym.

Network with your colleagues through the Young Professionals Network, Women’s Leadership Group, the Carers Café (for caregivers of individuals with disabilities), Volunteer in the community with our support! Join our creative network, which includes a choir, foreign language classes and even a cookery class!

Join our Employee Resource Groups (ERG), a voluntary, employee‑led community built on a shared diversity identity and/or an appreciation of that identity, open to ALL current employees at Seagate!

See list below of many of our Springtown Company Benefits:

• Health – Private healthcare, for employees and dependents, Company sick pay and medical leave, Occupational healthcare service, Employee assistance programmes, Group income protection and On‑site gym/ exercise classes / personal trainer.
• Work Life Balance – Annual leave, Part‑time working, Enhanced maternity pay, Enhanced paternity pay, Bereavement leave. Onsite gym
• Finance – Pension – employer contributory scheme, Life assurance, Employee stock purchase plan, Competitive base pay, Company bonus scheme, Reward and recognition, Perks at work discount programmes, Pay for civil / jury duty.
• Career – Degree / non degree assistance Externally accredited training and development opportunities, Service awards, LinkedIn learning, Learning & development programmes

Location: Springtown, United Kingdom

Travel: None

With more than four decades of storage innovation, Seagate empowers humanity to thrive in the data age and helps people and businesses navigate the ever‑expanding data landscape.

We craft precision‑engineered, cutting‑edge solutions that help the world store and manage exponential data growth.

Seagate is powered by our talented andpassionate workforce of 29,000 employees across the globe who embody our core values: integrity, innovation, and inclusion. Striving towards excellence every single day, we show up with these values for our customers, business partners, shareholders, and communities alike.

Join us and get inspired to make a difference in the datasphere!

Seagate is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender (including gender identity and expression), sexual orientation, religion, military and veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law. We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records EEO Know Your Rights Poster

Seagate will provide reasonable accommodationwith the application process upon request as required to comply with applicable laws. If you need assistance oraccommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at [e-mail].

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