Senior Technologist - Firmware Development

Western Digital; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 150,900 - 201,200; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Paid sick leave

Medical/dental/vision insurance

Life, accident and disability insurance

Tuition reimbursement

Employee stock purchase plan

Job summary

Western Digital is seeking a Senior Technologist - Firmware Development in Irvine, California. This role involves designing and debugging firmware for HDD technologies, collaborating with teams and performing system-level debugging to ensure product performance.

The ideal candidate will have expertise in C/C++/Python and a degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering. The position offers a competitive salary range of $150,900.00 - $201,200.00 and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant field is required.
• Expertise in firmware or embedded software development.
• Solid debugging skills with experience in troubleshooting complex system issues.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop firmware for HDD technologies.
• Collaborate with teams to define firmware requirements.
• Perform system-level debugging to resolve firmware issues.

Skills

Firmware or embedded software development

C/C++/Python coding

Debugging skills

Storage technologies (HDD architecture, SATA, SAS, NVMe)

AI coding assistants familiarity

Performance optimization

Mentorship and team leadership

Problem-solving abilities

Effective communication skills

Agile methodologies

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field

Job description

Senior Technologist - Firmware Development

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and debug firmware for HDD technologies, ensuring functionality, reliability, and efficiency.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams (hardware engineers, validation teams, and architects) to define firmware requirements and deliver products in alignment with project goals.
• Perform system-level debugging to analyze and resolve firmware issues impacting product performance or operational reliability.
• Contribute to the development of technical documentation, architecture designs, and code reviews to support the lifecycle of firmware projects.
• Utilize AI-assisted coding tools to enhance firmware coding efficiency and gain insights into advanced debugging methodologies.
• Mentor and guide firmware team members to ensure alignment, team growth, and professional development.
• Collaborate on storage performance evaluations to improve HDD firmware functionalities and support various customer and data-intensive applications.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.

Skills

• Expertise in firmware or embedded software development with focus on C/C++/Python coding.
• Solid debugging skills (using tools such as JTAG, ICE, bus analyzers) and experience troubleshooting complex system issues.
• Must have hands on experience in storage technologies, including HDD architecture and interface protocols like SATA, SAS, and NVMe.
• Exposure to and familiarity with AI coding assistants (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, Cursor, or similar tools).
• Experience in large-scale firmware projects within the storage industry or similar domains.
• Experience with performance optimization and storage system firmware processes.
• Proven mentorship and team leadership experience to guide engineers through challenging development and debugging tasks.
• Strong problem solving abilities with attention to detail and the ability to work in a fast paced and innovative environment.
• Effective communication skills to collaborate across technical and non‑technical teams.
• Knowledge of software development processes such as Agile methodologies.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $150,900.00 - $201,200.00

• Pay position within the salary range may be based on factors including education, experience, skills, performance, location, and business needs.
• Salary range applies to jobs performed in California, Colorado, New York, or remote positions that can be performed in these states.
• Non exempt positions are eligible for overtime pay per company policy and applicable laws; shift differential pay may apply.
• Eligible for bonuses under WD’s Short Term Incentive Plan (STI) or Sales Incentive Plan (SIP) and possibly the Long‑Term Incentive (LTI) program, subject to role and performance.
• Benefits include paid vacation, paid sick leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life, accident and disability insurance, tax‑advantaged FSAs and HSAs, employee assistance program, voluntary benefits (supplemental life, AD&D, legal plan, pet insurance, critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity), tuition reimbursement, transit benefits, the Applause Program, employee stock purchase plan, and WD Savings 401(k) Plan.

Equal Opportunity Employment

WD is committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and employees and will not discriminate against any applicant or employee 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 (including a person’s gender identity, gender expression, and gender related appearance and behavior, whether or not stereotypically associated with the person’s assigned sex at birth), age, national origin, sexual orientation, medical condition, marital status (including domestic partnership status), physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, protected medical and family care leave, Civil Air Patrol status, military and veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. We also prohibit harassment of any individual on any of the characteristics listed above. Our non discrimination policy applies to all aspects of employment. We comply with the laws and regulations set forth in the "Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal" poster. Our pay transparency policy is available here.

WD thrives on the power and potential of diversity. As a global company, we believe the most effective way to embrace the diversity of our customers and communities is to mirror it from within. We believe 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.

Accommodations for Applicants with Disabilities

WD 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 [email protected] 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

Please be aware that WD 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 WD Ethics Helpline or email [email protected].