Advanced HDD Technology Designs and Integration (Hardware/Firmware Engineer)

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.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

1. Development of enabling emerging technologies for next-generation Hard Disk Drive (HDD) products.
2. Advanced HDD system design, optimization, and integration of emerging technologies into new product platforms.
3. Contribute to the development of next-generation Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) technology, applying innovative engineering solutions to challenging system design problems.
4. Participate in the design, development, integration, and validation of hardware and firmware solutions.
5. Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including hardware engineers, firmware engineers, validation teams, and system architects, to define requirements and deliver products aligned with project objectives.
6. Develop clean, efficient, and maintainable code in C/C++ and other relevant programming languages.
7. Perform system-level debugging, root cause analysis, and issue resolution to improve product performance, reliability, and manufacturability.
8. Develop Python-based automation tools for testing, log analysis, data processing, and validation activities.
9. Contribute to technical documentation, architecture reviews, design specifications, and code reviews throughout the product development lifecycle.
10. Leverage AI-assisted development and coding tools to improve engineering productivity, code quality, and debugging efficiency.

This role is part of WD's early career development program. WD's early career development program is ideal for individuals at the early stages of their professional career.  Participants receive foundational training through structured onboarding, mentorship, and a curated development curriculum. The responsibilities of this role are typically aligned with candidates who have approximately 0–2+ years of relevant professional experience, though candidates of all experience levels are encouraged to apply.

Required:

1. Currently pursuing or recently completed a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.

2. Right to work in the US without requiring WD to commence or sponsor an immigration case in order to employ you now or at any point in the future.

3. Strong foundation in electrical engineering fundamentals, including electromagnetics, electronic circuits, signal integrity, and power integrity analysis.
4. Proficiency in C/C++ programming, including debugging and testing.
5. Experience with Python or MATLAB for scripting, test automation, and data analysis.
6. Familiarity with laboratory instrumentation and signal measurement tools such as oscilloscopes.
7. Solid understanding of embedded systems and hardware-software interaction.
8. Academic knowledge of microcontrollers, peripherals, and communication interfaces (e.g., UART).
9. Familiarity with firmware testing methodologies and test-driven development practices.
10. Interest in or experience with AI-assisted software development and engineering productivity tools.
11. Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
12. Experience or academic background related to HDD systems, HAMR technology, magnetic recording systems, lasers, or optoelectronics is a plus.

What We Offer

1. Hands-on experience developing breakthrough HDD technologies, including prototype system design, optimization, bring-up, functional verification, failure analysis, and manufacturing support.
2. Opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge HAMR and advanced storage technology innovations.
3. Exposure to challenging real-world hardware, firmware, and systems engineering projects.
4. Mentorship and technical guidance from experienced industry experts and engineering leaders.
5. A collaborative, innovative, and inclusive culture that supports continuous learning and professional growth.

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 [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.

Based on our experience, we anticipate that the application deadline will be 10/1/26, 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.
• 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 or email [email protected].