Tribo - component Research & Development Engineer

Tribo-Component Research & Development Engineer

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.

Job Description

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design, develop, and execute component-level test methodologies for HAMR media and head/media interface characterization.
• Develop a deep technical understanding of tester equipment, including laser-based test systems, tribology testers, thermal/mechanical stress platforms, and interface characterization tools.
• Operate, calibrate, and troubleshoot component-level test equipment, ensuring data integrity, repeatability, and correlation across platforms.
• Perform physics-based experimental investigations to understand the impact of media design variables on head/media interface behavior, including laser interaction, tribology, lubrication, and carbon overcoat performance.
• Characterize thermal, optical, mechanical, and magnetic properties of media components and correlate these properties to interface performance and failure mechanisms.
• Conduct reliability and robustness evaluations at the component level using established test protocols, accelerated stress testing, and statistical best practices.
• Investigate laser power, thermal profiles, and tester boundary conditions on head/media interaction, defining component-level design windows and sensitivities.
• Design or modify test fixtures, hardware, and control parameters to isolate component-level phenomena and enable root-cause analysis.
• Work closely with media sputter, process, and design teams to correlate process conditions to component-level test results.
• Collaborate with HDD and Head engineering teams to translate component-level findings into actionable design and test guidance.
• Lead and contribute to end-to-end technical investigations, from problem definition and experimental setup through data analysis and conclusions.

Qualifications

REQUIRED

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Optical Engineering
• Hands-on experience with laser-based testers, thermal/mechanical stress tools, surface analysis, and interface characterization equipment is highly desirable.

SKILLS

• Excellent analytical and root-cause problem-solving skills, with a solutions-oriented mindset.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly present tester data and technical conclusions.
• Strong experience in tribology interface design and component-level tribology testing, including material characterization and analytical instrumentation.
• Demonstrated understanding of test equipment, control systems, sensors, and measurement limitations relevant to head/media interface testing.
• Solid understanding of head/media interface physics and HAMR-related technologies.
• Proven capability in data analytics, statistics, and experimental design, including correlation of tester outputs to physical mechanisms.
• Ability to quickly learn, adapt, and improve new test systems, hardware, and methodologies.
• Programming skills (e.g., Python) for test automation, data analysis, or equipment interfacing are a plus.
• Ability to manage multiple component-level test activities and equipment dependencies while meeting project deadlines.