Senior Engineer – SIT Lab (Customer Validation)

Western Digital•Irvine, CA

10h•$81,000 - $108,000•Onsite

About The Position

This role involves leading the verification of compatibility between Western Digital storage drives and enterprise customer systems. The engineer will serve as a technical owner for qualification status and readiness decisions. They will work closely with development engineering and customer technical support to ensure product design quality, drive cross-functional alignment, and advocate for the resolution of systemic issues impacting customer satisfaction. The position requires configuring complex multi-drive systems for testing, monitoring, analyzing, and interpreting drive logs, system logs, and bus signals to assess test status, identify trends, and escalate risks. The engineer will also be responsible for isolating, analyzing, and documenting test failures, conducting root cause analysis, and influencing corrective actions. Additionally, they will architect, develop, and maintain test scripts and automation frameworks to improve team efficiency and scale across multiple programs and platforms. Creating test schedules, writing reports, and communicating status to stakeholders (customers, management, cross-functional partners) are key responsibilities. The role also includes mentoring junior engineers and co-ops, and proactively identifying and driving improvements in test coverage, lab processes, or tooling.

Requirements

BS degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Computer Science
3+ years of related professional experience, with demonstrated growth in scope and technical ownership
Deep, hands-on experience validating complex enterprise computer systems, including multi-device configurations
Exceptional organization and planning skills, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent programs and shifting priorities
Strong and polished verbal and written communication, with the ability to tailor messaging to both technical and non-technical audiences
Proven ability to perform detailed failure analysis and independently lead investigations into complex system hardware and software issues with minimal guidance

Nice To Haves

Application-level programming (Java, C++, C#, etc.) with a track record of delivering tools or automation that benefited the broader team
Application-level scripting (Python, Perl, Tcl, etc.), including development of reusable frameworks or parsers used across programs
Strong working knowledge of storage interface protocols (SATA, SAS, NVMe), including an understanding of protocol-level behavior relevant to failure analysis
Extensive experience installing, operating, and troubleshooting Windows and Linux server storage systems in enterprise or lab environments
Demonstrated ability to speak confidently about complex technical topics with customers and stakeholders, including presenting findings, defending qualification decisions, and representing the team externally

Responsibilities

Lead the verification of compatibility between Western Digital storage drives and enterprise customer systems, serving as a technical owner on qualification status and readiness decisions
Work closely and proactively with development engineering and customer technical support to ensure product design quality, driving cross-functional alignment and advocating for resolution of systemic issues that impact customer satisfaction
Independently configure complex multi-drive systems for test, then expertly monitor, analyze, and interpret drive logs, system logs, and bus signals to assess test status, identify trends, and escalate risk appropriately
Isolate, analyze, and document test failures with depth and precision, conducting root cause analysis and influencing corrective action across engineering teams
Architect, develop, and maintain test scripts and automation frameworks that improve team efficiency, reduce manual effort, and scale across multiple programs and platforms
Create test schedules, write clear and concise reports, and confidently communicate written and verbal status to stakeholders — including customers, management, and cross-functional partners at varying technical levels
Mentor junior engineers and co-ops, sharing technical expertise and best practices to elevate overall team capability
Proactively identify gaps in test coverage, lab processes, or tooling and drive improvements without waiting to be directed

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