Sr Staff Wafer Yield Engineer
Seagate Technology
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Job summary
Seagate Technology seeks a Senior Staff Wafer Yield Engineer to provide technical leadership across high-volume wafer manufacturing. You will shape yield strategy, lead cross-functional investigations, and drive data-driven improvements spanning quality, output, cost, and readiness.
The role emphasizes AI-enabled workflows, advanced analytics, and collaboration with Process, Equipment, Product, and IT teams to deliver durable manufacturing gains.
Qualifications
- 10+ years of relevant experience in wafer manufacturing or related field.
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, or related technical field.
- Experience leading multidisciplinary teams across complex priorities.
- Strong statistics, DOE, capability analysis, and QA systems.
- Experience applying AI/analytics to engineering decision-making.
Responsibilities
- Provide senior technical leadership for wafer yield and quality in wafer manufacturing.
- Shape yield strategy and improvement priorities aligned with product commitments and cost goals.
- Own and advance performance systems for line yield, scrap, and defect metrics.
- Lead investigations connecting process, equipment, material, and product signals to performance.
- Promote AI-enabled workflows and analytics tools to improve decision-making.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
Sr Staff Wafer Yield Engineer
11/6/26
15520
Join Seagate's Wafer Engineering organization and help advance the technologies behind next-generation data storage. As a Senior Staff Wafer Yield Engineer, you will provide technical leadership across a complex, high-volume wafer manufacturing environment. You will help shape yield strategy, solve high-impact product and factory challenges, and translate data into decisions that improve quality, output, cost, and manufacturing readiness. Working across Process, Equipment, Product, Integration, Sustaining, Quality, Operations, Metrology, IT, and Technology Development, you will influence solutions from early technology development through released-product performance while helping build more automated and AI-enabled engineering workflows.
Wafer Yield Engineering protects and improves manufacturing yield, product quality, shipment readiness, and performance across Seagate's advanced wafer operations. Our team combines product and process expertise, statistical analysis, defect engineering, CTQ governance, probe and line-yield management, and structured problem solving. We support new product introductions, technology transfers, manufacturing ramps, and released products while creating scalable systems that enable faster, more consistent engineering decisions.
- Provide senior technical leadership for wafer yield and quality in wafer manufacturing
- Shape yield strategy and improvement priorities in alignment with product commitments, manufacturing velocity, quality, cost, capacity, and shipment goals.
- Own and advance performance systems for line yield, probe yield, scrap, parametric performance, defect DPPM, and other critical indicators.
- Lead high-impact investigations that connect process, equipment, material, defect, metrology, and product signals to downstream performance.
- Apply structured problem solving, causal reasoning, statistical methods, 8D, and corrective-action disciplines to close significant excursions and chronic yield losses.
- Develop defect strategies spanning inspection and screening, classification standards, defect libraries, chronic-defect ownership, and defect-to-performance correlation.
- Establish efficient operating mechanisms for yield and scrap reviews, factory events, engineering holds, qualification readiness, and executive communication.
- Partner across Operations, Process, Equipment, Product, Integration, Sustaining, Quality, Metrology, IT, Facilities, and Technology Development to deliver durable improvements.
- Represent Yield Engineering in technical and operational reviews, audits, product and technology forums, customer discussions, and leadership updates.
- Promote cross-site alignment and consistent methods for yield reporting, CTQ management, defect disposition, process qualification, event response, and knowledge sharing.
- Advance analytics, automation, and AI-enabled workflows using tools such as JMP, Python, SQL, Power BI, Power Automate, statistical process control, machine learning, and manufacturing dashboards.
- Create reusable engineering knowledge, investigation methods, decision frameworks, training materials, and event-learning systems that accelerate onboarding and problem solving.
- Model a culture of integrity, inclusion, accountability, curiosity, disciplined experimentation, speed to learning, and continuous improvement.
- Champion the responsible adoption of Generative AI and AI/Machine Learning, automation tools, analytics platforms, and digital assistants in daily engineering work.
- Partner with Digital Transformation, Data Science, IT, and Manufacturing Systems teams to scale secure, maintainable AI-enabled solutions for yield management and factory operations.
- You are an influential technical leader who can set direction, align diverse teams, and deliver measurable manufacturing and product outcomes.
- You combine deep engineering judgment with a systems view of manufacturing and move comfortably from detailed failure mechanisms to executive-level decisions.
- You use data, experimentation, and structured reasoning to separate signal from noise, prioritize the highest-value work, and drive issues through verified corrective action.
- You communicate complex technical information clearly and build alignment across functions, sites, and organizational levels.
- You are energized by change and help teams adopt more automated, analytics-enabled, and AI-enabled ways of working.
- Technical experience in wafer fabrication, thin-film, semiconductor, precision, or other high-volume advanced manufacturing environments.
- A record of leading complex yield improvement, product quality, defect reduction, process control, manufacturing analytics, or technical problem-solving initiatives.
- Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary teams across complex operational and strategic priorities.
- Strong command of statistics, design of experiments, capability analysis, root-cause methods, corrective action, and manufacturing quality systems.
- Experience translating technical investigations and improvement portfolios into measurable outcomes in yield, scrap, cycle time, quality, output, cost, or risk reduction.
- Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, including communication with technical teams, business partners, and senior leadership.
- Experience applying AI, generative AI, analytics, or workflow automation to improve engineering decision-making and productivity.
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, or a related technical field, with 10+ years of relevant experience; an advanced degree is welcome.
- Experience with wafer fabrication, recording-head manufacturing, thin-film processes, photolithography, etch, deposition, CMP, metrology, electrical or optical test, or defect inspection.
- Expertise in Wafer manufacturing, electrical testing, defect detection and investigation, or yield management.
- Proficiency with JMP, Python, SQL, Power BI, Power Automate, Microsoft products, Machine learning, or related data and automation platforms.
- Experience leading cross-site technology transfer, product qualification, yield ramp, or manufacturing-readiness programs.
- Lean, Six Sigma, 8D, Kepner-Tregoe, or equivalent structured problem-solving training or certification.
- Experience building technical training, onboarding, competency frameworks, digital knowledge systems, or AI-ready engineering content.
Our Normandale campus spans two suburbs, Edina and Bloomington, and serves as the Recording Head development and manufacturing arm of Seagate. Located in the heart of a bustling community, Seagate offers an on-site cafe, or if you prefer, you can drive to one of many restaurants just minutes away. Need to grab a gift over lunch time? Shopping is abundant in the area. If working out is your thing, the on-site fully equipped fitness center hosts wellness programs, outdoor activities, tournaments and group workouts. Looking for something more laid back? Reset in one of our meditation rooms, or simply take a walk around our indoor walking path. On-site cultural festivals, celebrations and community volunteer opportunities also abound.
The estimated base salary range for this position is $132,974.40 - $193,814.40. The individual salary is based on work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.
- eligibility to participate in discretionary bonus program
- medical
- dental
- vision
- life insurance
- short-and long-term disability
- 401(k)
- employee stock purchase plan
- health savings account
- dependent care
- healthcare spending accounts
- paid time off
- 12 holidays
- flexible time off provided pursuant to Seagate policy
- a minimum of 48 hours of paid sick leave
- 16 weeks of paid parental leave
The benefits for this position are based on a full-time schedule for a full calendar year and may differ depending on work location.
Location: Normandale, United States
Travel: Up to 10%
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 and passionate 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 accommodation with the application process upon request as required to comply with applicable laws. If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at accommodations@seagate.com.
All Seagate jobs will remain open for a minimum of seven days.
For information on how Seagate collects and uses your personal information during the application process, please review the Applicant Privacy Statement.
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