Western Digital · 15 hours ago
Staff Engineer, Equipment Engineering
San Jose, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$107K/yr - $142K/yr
4+ years expWestern Digital is a company of problem solvers, committed to powering global innovation in data storage technology. The Staff Equipment Engineer is responsible for sustaining, improving, and qualifying Thin Film process equipment in a high-volume wafer fabrication environment, requiring strong analytical and project management skills.
Big DataComputerHardwareManufacturingSoftware
Responsibilities
Evaluate, select, and implement cost-effective equipment solutions aligned with manufacturing requirements
Lead equipment upgrades, installations, and modifications to support new technologies and increase throughput
Own preventive maintenance programs, spare parts planning, and documentation (procedures, troubleshooting guides, configurations)
Monitor and improve tool performance metrics (MTBF, MTTR, AOU); report weekly and drive improvement plans
Analyze SPC charts and alarm logs; respond to out-of-control conditions and tool aborts with root cause analysis and corrective actions
Support and train maintenance personnel; develop certification programs and technical training materials
Collaborate with QA, Process Engineering, and Maintenance to reduce wafer scrap and improve tool uptime
Lead or support projects focused on grid life, yield, cycle time, and tool matching
Respond to down tool escalations and lead recovery efforts efficiently and effectively
Participate in new tool specification, vendor negotiations, design reviews, and qualification testing
Ensure documentation and knowledge transfer across shifts and functions
Drive continuous improvement initiatives and stay current with emerging equipment and process technologies
Qualification
Required
B.S. in Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field
Minimum 4 years of experience in equipment sustaining or engineering roles in a wafer fab environment
Strong mechanical and electrical aptitude with hands-on troubleshooting experience
Proficiency in data analysis, SPC, and root cause methodologies
Experience with Veeco IBE and IBD systems
Knowledge of vacuum systems, helium leak detection, and control systems (PLC, Galil, Devicenet)
Strong communication and documentation skills; ability to train and lead cross-functional teams
Proficient in MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook), JMP, and Project
Experience in magnetic recording head wafer processing
Familiarity with endpoint detection tools (Hiden SEM, JA Wollam Ellipsometer, Mass Spectrometry)
Experience with Brooks wafer handlers (MAG7, VTR5, Aligners, VCE6)
CAD experience (SolidWorks, AutoCAD) and geometric tolerance knowledge
Six Sigma certification or training
Experience with Wiki-based documentation systems
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
Western Digital Savings 401(k) Plan
Company
Western Digital
Western Digital helps customers capture, preserve, access, and transform an ever-increasing diversity of data.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Western Digital has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (234)
2024 (537)
2023 (448)
2022 (580)
2021 (525)
2020 (332)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$901.37M2023-10-31Post Ipo Debt· $1.37M
2023-01-31Post Ipo Equity· $900M
2015-09-30Post Ipo Equity
Leadership Team
Sesh Tirumala
SVP, CIO
A
Alvin B. Phillips
Founder
Recent News
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