HDD Applications Engineer (Role Begins Summer 2026)

Western Digital • San Jose, CA

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About The Position

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. Job Description Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Accountable for Customer Qualifications of Enterprise HDDs Interlock with the Cross-Functional Team Including Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Marketing, Sales and Customer Technical Support to Promote Alignment with the Customer Qualification Strategy Partner with a Senior Application Engineer(AE) to Prepare & Deliver Product Introduction/Concept/Design Reviews, Customer Spec Gap Analysis, Development Status Updates and Qualification Failure Analysis Reports Coordinate the Customer Sample Plan Including Gathering of Requirements, Interlocking with Manufacturing and Delivery to the Customer Manage Customer Communication & Qualification of Product Changes (ECs/PCNs) Represent CTS on the Product Core Team 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.

Requirements

• Currently pursuing or recently completed Masters Degree in Engineering or Core Science (For Ex, EE, ME, Physics, etc)
• Can-do attitude
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills
• Ability to Quickly Ascertain a Situation and Determine What is Needed
• Strong Communication and Presentation Ability

Responsibilities

• Accountable for Customer Qualifications of Enterprise HDDs
• Interlock with the Cross-Functional Team Including Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Marketing, Sales and Customer Technical Support to Promote Alignment with the Customer Qualification Strategy
• Partner with a Senior Application Engineer(AE) to Prepare & Deliver Product Introduction/Concept/Design Reviews, Customer Spec Gap Analysis, Development Status Updates and Qualification Failure Analysis Reports
• Coordinate the Customer Sample Plan Including Gathering of Requirements, Interlocking with Manufacturing and Delivery to the Customer
• Manage Customer Communication & Qualification of Product Changes (ECs/PCNs)
• Represent CTS on the Product Core Team

Benefits

• 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
• the WD Savings 401(k) Plan

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level