Technologist Tribology Engineering - Media
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.
Requirements
- Masters or Ph.D. degree in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, or related discipline
- Min 8-10 years of work experience in Tribology field
- Tribology and interface science experience
- Surface/material characterization techniques (e.g., AFM, FTIR, XPS/ESCA, TEM)
- Tribological testing and data analysis experience
- Experience or familiarity with Head-media interface (HMI) in HDD systems
Nice To Haves
- Advanced recording technologies (ePMR, HAMR) is highly preferred
Responsibilities
- Investigate and characterize media thermal, optical, mechanical, and magnetic properties and their impact on the head-media interface (HMI) for next-generation HDD products.
- Develop and implement advanced surface characterization and tribology evaluation systems to assess media performance, durability, and reliability.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with lubrication (lube) and carbon overcoat (COC) design teams to enable robust interface solutions for ePMR and HAMR technologies.
- Drive integration efforts with HDD tribology and recording integration teams to validate and qualify interface designs for production readiness.
- Perform failure analysis and root cause investigations, leveraging advanced material and surface analysis techniques to improve product reliability.
- Support technology transfer from R&D to manufacturing, ensuring smooth ramp of new media/interface designs.
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
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
