Early Career Talent – Media Tribology Design Engineer

Early Career Talent – Media Tribology Design Engineer

At Western Digital, 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, Western Digital 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 San Disk® Professional brands.

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, Western Digital is fueling a brighter, smarter future.

Today’s exceptional challenges require your unique skills. Together, we can build the future of data storage.

As a Media Tribology idesign engineer, you will be part of the tribology team responsible for improving the head‑media interface reliability. This role requires:

• Investigate media thermal, optical, mechanical, and magnetic property impacts to media interface.
• Set up evaluation systems to investigate media surface properties and tribology performance
• Work with lube design engineer, COC design engineer to provide interface enablers for new product interface designs, including ePMR and HAMR.
• Work with HDD tribology integration team to qualify the tribo designs
• Provide analysis support to understand the failure.

This position is part of our Early Career program  Early Career program is designed to support individuals beginning their professional career by providing the foundational training through a structured onboarding, mentorship, and development curriculum.

Required:

• Currently pursuing or recently completed Ph.D. in material science, physics, chemistry, EE, mechanical engineering, optical engineering, or equivalent required.
• Knowledge or Experience in Tribology, interface design, tribology testing, material analysis and instrument
• Knowledge in head/media interface and ePMR and HAMR technology
• Possess data analytics and statistics skillset
• Excellent problem‑solving skills, solutions oriented with a positive, can‑do attitude.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including written and verbal communication.

Western Digital is committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and employees and will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on their race, color, ancestry, religion (including religious dress and grooming standards), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), gender (including a person’s gender identity, gender expression, and gender‑related appearance and behavior, whether or not stereotypically associated with the person’s assigned sex at birth), age, national origin, sexual orientation, medical condition, marital status (including domestic partnership status), physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, protected medical and family care leave, Civil Air Patrol status, military and veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.

We also prohibit harassment of any individual on any of the characteristics listed above. Our non‑discrimination policy applies to all aspects of employment. We comply with the laws and regulations set forth in the “Know Your Rights:
Workplace Discrimination is Illegal” poster. Our pay transparency policy is available here.

Western Digital thrives on the power and potential of diversity. As a global company, we believe the most effective way to embrace the diversity of our customers and communities is to mirror it from within. We believe the fusion of various perspectives results in the best…