Staff Engineer, Wafer Quality Assurance

Western Digital Corp.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Western Digital Corp. is seeking a qualified quality engineer to lead wafer QA programs in a semiconductor setting.

You will partner with process, equipment, manufacturing, and data teams to implement AI surveillance, CAPA improvements, and predictive quality initiatives. The role requires a Bachelor's in a technical field, 3+ years in semiconductor quality, and strong problem-solving plus data interpretation skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related technical field; Master's preferred.
• 3+ years in quality assurance/quality engineering in semiconductor or wafer manufacturing.
• Strong problem-solving and root-cause-analysis skills.
• Ability to analyze datasets and interpret model results.
• Experience with AI/ML or generative AI systems a plus.
• Familiarity with FMEA and IT/manufacturing systems.
• Understanding of wafer products incl. HAMR; SPC and wafer processes a plus.
• Cross-functional collaboration with technical and operations teams.
• Analytical, detail-oriented with strong communication.

Responsibilities

• Perform wafer paper failure analysis and disposition issues flagged by customers.
• Facilitate wafer manufacturing readiness and process design readiness reviews.
• Drive 8D CAPA closures to prevent recurrence.
• Lead FMEA activities across wafer fab to mitigate failure modes.
• Partner with process, equipment, manufacturing, and data teams for AI surveillance.
• Drive digitalization to improve CAPA effectiveness and risk assessment.
• Evaluate and integrate generative AI to improve engineering productivity.
• Adopt AI-powered quality tools to accelerate defect detection and predictive quality.
• Support development of AI-assisted quality monitoring for CRB/MRB/FA/FMEA.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Root-cause analysis

Data interpretation

AI/ML familiarity

Statistical skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Material Science, Physics, Data Sciences or related field

Tools

FMEA

Job description

Company Description

WD is building the infrastructure behind the AI-driven data economy.

As AI scales, so does data. Every interaction, every model, every system generates data that must be stored, managed, and made accessible over time. That’s where we come in.

We combine deep engineering expertise with global-scale manufacturing to deliver the storage systems that make AI possible, powering hyperscale data centers, cloud platforms, and enterprise infrastructure worldwide.

This isn’t theoretical work. It’s real systems, at real scale, people solving some of the hardest challenges in technology today.

We’re looking for people who want to build, solve, and operate at that level.

Join us and let’s shape the future of data.

Job Description

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Perform wafer paper failure analysis (FA) and provide disposition for issues flagged by customers.

• Facilitate wafer manufacturing readiness review (MRR) and process design readiness (PDR) review meetings.

• Drive 8D closure with corrective action and preventive action (CAPA) implementations to prevent reoccurrence

• Failure Mode & Effects Analysis (FMEA): Lead and facilitate FMEA activities across wafer fab to proactively identify, assess, and mitigate potential failure modes and their impact on quality and reliability.

• Partner with process, equipment, manufacturing, and data engineering teams to implement automated quality surveillance and anomaly detection solutions.

• Drive digitalization initiatives that improve CAPA effectiveness, root cause identification, and risk assessment processes.

• Evaluate and integrate generative AI and digital agent technologies to enhance engineering productivity, knowledge management, and quality decision-making.

• Drive adoption of AI-powered quality engineering tools to increase engineering productivity, accelerate defect detection cycle times, and transition the organization from reactive quality management to predictive quality — anticipating and preventing excursions before they impact yield or customer deliverables.

• Participate in developing and deploying AI-assisted quality monitoring solutions for Change Review Board (CRB), Material Review Board (MRB), Failure Analysis (FA), and FMEA activities.

Qualifications

REQUIRED

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Material Science, Physics, Data Sciences or a related technical field (Master's preferred)

• 3+ years of experience in quality assurance, quality engineering, or a related role within semiconductor or wafer manufacturing

• Strong problem-solving and root-cause-analysis skills.

• Ability to analyze datasets and interpret statistical/model-performance results.

• Experience working with AI/ML or generative AI systems a plus.

• Familiarity with FMEA methodology and its application to IT and manufacturing systems

• Basic understanding of wafer product, including HAMR and knowledgeable of SPC, wafer process build, interconnection between process, equipment, manufacturing, backend a plus

• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with the ability to engage both technical and operations teams

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a detail-oriented mindset

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

• Experience with end-to-end quality management in semiconductor manufacturing

• Experience developing or utilizing AI-enabled quality monitoring and reporting systems.

• Knowledge of Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), Copilot technologies, or Digital Agents for engineering workflows.

• Strong data storytelling and visualization skills to communicate complex technical findings to engineering and management teams.

• Continuous improvement mindset with the ability to identify opportunities for automation and digital transformation.

Additional Information

WD is committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and employees and will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on their 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 (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12.pdf) ” poster. Our pay transparency policy is available here (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/equal-pay-protections) .

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.

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 [e-mail] 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.

Based on our experience, we anticipate that the application deadline will be 12/11/2026 (3 months from posting), although we reserve the right to close the application process sooner if we hire an applicant for this position before the application deadline. If we are not able to hire someone from this role before the application deadline, we will update this posting with a new anticipated application deadline.

Compensation & Benefits Details

• An employee’s pay position within the salary range may be based on several factors including but not limited to (1) relevant education; qualifications; certifications; and experience; (2) skills, ability, knowledge of the job; (3) performance, contribution and results; (4) geographic location; (5) shift; (6) internal and external equity; and (7) business and organizational needs.

• The salary range is what we believe to be the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and this range is only applicable for jobs to be performed in California, Colorado, New York or remote jobs that can be performed in California, Colorado and New York. This range may be modified in the future.

• If your position is non-exempt, you are eligible for overtime pay pursuant to company policy and applicable laws. You may also be eligible for shift differential pay, depending on the shift to which you are assigned.

• You will be eligible to be considered for bonuses under either WD’s Short Term Incentive Plan (“STI Plan”) or the Sales Incentive Plan (“SIP”) which provides incentive awards based on Company and individual performance, depending on your role and your performance. You may be eligible to participate in our annual Long-Term Incentive (LTI) program, which consists of restricted stock units (RSUs) or cash equivalents, pursuant to the terms of the LTI plan. Please note that not all roles are eligible to participate in the LTI program, and not all roles are eligible for equity under the LTI plan. RSU awards are also available to eligible new hires, subject to WD's Standard Terms and Conditions for Restricted Stock Unit Awards.

• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid vacation time; paid sick leave; medical/dental/vision insurance; life, accident and disability insurance; tax-advantaged flexible spending and health savings accounts; employee assistance program; other voluntary benefit programs such as supplemental life and AD&D, legal plan, pet insurance, critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity; tuition reimbursement; transit; the Applause Program; employee stock purchase plan; and the WD Savings 401(k) Plan.

• Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.

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 (https://secure.ethicspoint.com/domain/media/en/gui/48999/index.html) or email [e-mail].