Tribo-Component Research & Development Engineer

SanDisk; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

WD in California is seeking a skilled engineer to design, develop, and execute component-level test methodologies for HAMR media and head/media interface characterization. You will work with laser-based testers, tribology tools, and thermal/mechanical stress platforms to understand material and interface performance.

You will analyze tester data, correlate process conditions to test results, and collaborate with media sputter, process, and design teams.

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Optical Engineering
• Hands-on experience with laser-based testers and interface characterization equipment is highly desirable

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and execute component-level test methodologies for HAMR media and head/media interface characterization.
• Operate, calibrate, and troubleshoot component-level test equipment; ensure data integrity and repeatability.
• Perform physics-based investigations to understand impact of media design variables on head/media interface behavior.
• Characterize thermal, optical, mechanical, and magnetic properties of media components and correlate to performance and failure mechanisms.
• Conduct reliability and robustness evaluations at the component level using established test protocols.

Skills

Analytical skills

Root-cause analysis

Written and verbal communication

Tribology testing

HAMR physics

Data analytics

Python

Education

MS or PhD in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Optical Engineering

Tools

Laser-based testers

Tribology testers

Thermal/mechanical stress tools

Surface analysis equipment

Job description

At WD, our vision is to power global innovation and push the boundaries of technology to make what you thought was once impossible, possible.

At our core, WD is a company of problem solvers. People achieve extraordinary things given the right technology. For decades, we’ve been doing just that—our technology helped people put a man on the moon and capture the first-ever picture of a black hole.

We offer an expansive portfolio of technologies, HDDs, and platforms for business, creative professionals, and consumers alike under our Western Digital®, WD®, and WD_BLACK™.

We are a key partner to some of the largest and highest-growth organizations in the world. From enabling systems to make cities safer and more connected, to powering the data centers behind many of the world’s biggest companies and hyperscale cloud providers, to meeting the massive and ever-growing data storage needs of the AI era, WD is fueling a brighter, smarter future.

Today’s exceptional challenges require your unique skills. Together, we can build the future of data storage.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design, develop, and execute component-level test methodologies for HAMR media and head/media interface characterization.
• Develop a deep technical understanding of tester equipment, including laser-based test systems, tribology testers, thermal/mechanical stress platforms, and interface characterization tools.
• Operate, calibrate, and troubleshoot component-level test equipment, ensuring data integrity, repeatability, and correlation across platforms.
• Perform physics-based experimental investigations to understand the impact of media design variables on head/media interface behavior, including laser interaction, tribology, lubrication, and carbon overcoat performance.
• Characterize thermal, optical, mechanical, and magnetic properties of media components and correlate these properties to interface performance and failure mechanisms.
• Conduct reliability and robustness evaluations at the component level using established test protocols, accelerated stress testing, and statistical best practices.
• Investigate laser power, thermal profiles, and tester boundary conditions on head/media interaction, defining component-level design windows and sensitivities.
• Design or modify test fixtures, hardware, and control parameters to isolate component-level phenomena and enable root-cause analysis.
• Work closely with media sputter, process, and design teams to correlate process conditions to component-level test results.
• Collaborate with HDD and Head engineering teams to translate component-level findings into actionable design and test guidance.
• Lead and contribute to end-to-end technical investigations, from problem definition and experimental setup through data analysis and conclusions.

REQUIRED

• M.S. or Ph.D.in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Optical Engineering
• Hands-on experience with laser-based testers, thermal/mechanical stress tools, surface analysis, and interface characterization equipment is highly desirable.

SKILLS

• Excellent analytical and root-cause problem-solving skills, with a solutions-oriented mindset.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly present tester data and technical conclusions.
• Strong experience in tribology interface design and component-level tribology testing, including material characterization and analytical instrumentation.
• Demonstrated understanding of test equipment, control systems, sensors, and measurement limitations relevant to head/media interface testing.
• Solid understanding of head/media interface physics and HAMR-related technologies.
• Proven capability in data analytics, statistics, and experimental design, including correlation of tester outputs to physical mechanisms.
• Ability to quickly learn, adapt, and improve new test systems, hardware, and methodologies.
• Programming skills (e.g., Python) for test automation, data analysis, or equipment interfacing are a plus.
• Ability to manage multiple component-level test activities and equipment dependencies while meeting project deadlines.

Salary Range

134,800.00-179,700.00

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" 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.

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 08/04/2026 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.

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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.
• Thesalaryrange 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 Yorkor 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 theSales 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 WDand 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 [e-mail].