Staff Engineer, Equipment Engineering

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day equipment maintenance, troubleshooting, and line issue management to ensure high availability.
• Lead equipment reliability and engineering improvement initiatives to support stable manufacturing operations.
• Drive preventive and predictive maintenance strategies to reduce failures and sustain long-term performance.
• Manage equipment upgrades, machine conversions, and technology improvements for next-generation HDD products.
• Lead new equipment installation, commissioning, and acceptance testing.
• Perform root cause analysis for equipment failures and implement corrective actions.
• Collaborate with Process Engineering and Yield teams to improve performance and reduce defects.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers and technicians.
• Manage engineering projects related to equipment modifications, ensuring execution within scope and budget.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Electronic, Materials Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 8–12 years of experience in equipment engineering, preferably in sputter media, semiconductor, or vacuum coating environments.
• Strong knowledge of vacuum systems, sputtering equipment, and automation systems.
• Proficiency in equipment control architecture and automation systems.
• Strong analytical and data analysis skills to evaluate OEE and reliability trends.
• Excellent project management skills with the ability to lead cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience specifically in a sputter media or semiconductor manufacturing environment.
• Deep knowledge of high-vacuum technology and plasma physics.
• Proficiency with PLC systems and equipment control interfaces.
• Solid understanding of Statistical Process Control (SPC).

About the Company

Western Digital is a company of problem solvers dedicated to powering global innovation. We offer an expansive portfolio of technologies, including HDDs and platforms for business, creative professionals, and consumers under our Western Digital®, WD®, WD_BLACK™, and SanDisk® Professional brands. We are fueling a brighter, smarter future by meeting the massive data storage needs of the AI era.