Recording Head Mechanical Process Development - Staff Engineer (Onsite)

Seagate Technology•Bloomington, MN

8d•$109,400 - $159,500•Onsite

About The Position

Seagate is seeking a high-quality individual to develop innovative processes and equipment for precision lapping of recording heads, managing projects from inception through transfer to Seagate’s Thailand-based volume manufacturing site. The Slider Lapping Development group in Bloomington, MN identifies and develops improvements in recording head row bar lapping processes and equipment that meet future product roadmap requirements, focusing on final reader and writer heights, surface flatness, and air bearing surface finish. This role encourages daily cross-functional team discussions within a team of experts in mechanical engineering, materials, physics, robotics, electronic sensors, and process control algorithms.

Requirements

High precision process and equipment design, development, qualification, and manufacturing
Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering and 8+ years of experience, or Master’s degree in the same and 6+ years of experience, or PHD and 3+ years of experience or equivalent education and experience

Nice To Haves

Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Excellent ability to work in a cross-functional, cross-cultural team environment balanced with independent judgment and decision-making
Organized and able to efficiently manage multiple projects
Ability to supervise the activities of others (this is not a people management role)
Ability to understand basic engineering principles behind the manufacturing processes and associated software applications
Using modeling, simulation, statistical analysis, or numerical tools such as COMSOL, ANSYS, MATLAB, Python, or JMP to support mechanical process development, equipment design, or process optimization is desired
Lapping/polishing in the semiconductor or HDD industry or equipment development/design is strongly desired

Responsibilities

Architect, design, and develop advanced row bar lapping processes and equipment that provide sub-nanometer dimensional control and angstrom level surface finishes.
Lead high-precision process development through root cause determination, rapid experimentation, process learning, and concept validation using comprehensive data analysis across multiple process areas.
Work with internal equipment teams and external suppliers to develop, build, and refine first-of-kind tools from initial concept through feasibility, prototype validation, integration, and pre-production readiness.
Collaborate with controls, software, vision, automation, inspection, and process-control engineers to integrate robust capability into tool designs and production-ready systems.
Partner with product and recording head development teams to understand critical requirements, KPIVs, and upstream/downstream process interactions, then convert them into clear equipment, process, and system specifications.
Deliver validated solutions, engineering documentation, and transfer packages that enable Thailand-based and other global teams to replicate, scale, optimize, and sustain process capability in volume manufacturing.