Mechanical Design Engineer; Senior Technologist

Mechanical Design Engineer (Senior Technologist)

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. We are 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®, …, etc. We are a key partner to some of the largest and highest‑growth organizations in the world, enabling systems to make cities safer, powering data centers behind hyperscale cloud providers, and meeting the data storage needs of the AI era.

Western Digital is seeking a Mechanical Design Engineer (Senior Technologist) responsible for design and analysis of high‑performance storage systems and subsystems for the OEM and data center marketplace with specific focus on product design for the housing of hard‑disk drives (HDDs). The successful candidate will develop products that are robust enough to withstand shock, vibration, thermal, acoustic, and other environmental challenges while maintaining world‑class design principles.

The role involves applying design knowledge of HDDs to influence enclosure design, working with PCB, sheet metal, plastic components, and system fans; collecting population‑level data for enclosures; performing statistical analysis; and contributing to intellectual property. Intimate knowledge of Solid Works and ANSYS, as well as data acquisition and MATLAB scripting, will be essential. The engineer will lead and mentor cross‑functional teams, conduct feasibility studies, write test plans, oversee data acquisition, and ensure successful enclosure operation at system and HDD levels.

• BSME or MSME degree with minimum of 10+ years product development experience in computing, data storage or related fields; especially in the realm of HDD manufacturing and/or design.
• The ability to learn new concepts quickly and apply them to new situations.
• Demonstrated ability in creative problem solving and innovation.
• Extensive working knowledge of CAD systems (Solid Works preferred) required.
• Extensive experience in design and modeling of vibration, shock, and acoustic attenuation components with intentional design features and tolerance considerations.
• Working knowledge of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and/or structural finite element analysis (FEA) is desirable; experience with multiple analysis programs is a plus.
• Prior experience with ANSYS non‑linear analysis using viscoelastic materials is desirable.
• Familiar with test instrumentation such as accelerometers, force gauges, airflow, and thermal test equipment.
• Highly proficient in writing and executing test plans and test reports to validate the design of parts, assemblies, and systems to positively impact HDD function in an enclosure.
• Experience in successful participation (engineering portion) of development projects from design to production.
• Excellent project multi‑tasking and communication skills are required.
• Solid understanding of manufacturing technologies and methodologies; actual manufacturing experience is a plus.
• Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally (≤10% of total work time).
• Extensive knowledge and use of Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, One Note) and Adobe products.
• Experience with developing scripting and GUI code using MATLAB.
• Ability to distill large amounts of experimental data to a meaningful conclusion and write a brief report for internal or external use.

• Hand tools (pliers, clamps, jigs).
• Vices and holding fixtures.
• Drill, files, burr removal.
• Lifting and positioning equipment safely.
• Ability to lift 50lbs on an as‑needed basis.

Western Digital is committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and employees and will not…