Product Development Engineer

Job Description

About Western Digital

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, empowering people to achieve extraordinary things with technology, from helping put a man on the moon to capturing 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™ brands. We partner with some of the largest and highest-growth organizations in the world, enabling systems for safer cities, powering data centers for global companies and hyperscale cloud providers, and meeting the massive data storage needs of the AI era. Western Digital is truly fueling a brighter, smarter future.

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

Position: Product Development Engineer (Early Career)

Position Overview

This role supports the integration, validation, and launch of Hard Disk Drive (HDD) products from the development phase through high-volume manufacturing. The successful candidate will work with cross-functional teams to ensure drives meet stringent performance, quality, and manufacturing requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Integration & Testing:
  • Support system integration activities and assist in troubleshooting issues during validation.
  • Help bring up manufacturing test processes and implement product features.
  • Learn to identify patterns in HDD failures and contribute to corrective action plans.
• Quality & Yield Support:
  • Help analyze test data to identify improvement opportunities.
  • Support yield improvement initiatives under the guidance of senior engineers.
  • Track and report on key metrics related to drive performance and manufacturing quality.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
  • Work with Engineering, Manufacturing, and Quality teams to support manufacturing test milestones.
  • Participate in technical reviews and status meetings.
  • Communicate progress, issues, and learnings to team members and management.
• Product Development Support:
  • Assist in defining development phases, product requirements, and feature specifications alongside the HDD Program Management Team.
  • Help document development processes and maintain technical documentation.

Early Career Program

This position is part of our Early Career program at Western Digital. Our program is specifically designed to support individuals beginning their professional journey by providing foundational training through structured onboarding, mentorship, and a comprehensive development curriculum.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Currently pursuing or recently completed a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• Right to work in the US without requiring Western Digital to commence or sponsor an immigration case in order to employ you at any point in the future.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively in team environments.
• Familiarity with scripting/programming (C++, Python, MATLAB, TCL, or similar).
• Exposure to statistical analysis or data visualization tools.
• Understanding of manufacturing processes or quality systems.
• Internship or project experience in hardware validation or integration.
• Basic understanding of storage systems, data acquisition, or test engineering.

Commitment to Diversity & Benefits

Western Digital is committed to providing equal opportunities and fostering an inclusive environment where every individual can thrive through a sense of belonging, respect, and contribution. We believe in the power and potential of diversity and mirror the diversity of our customers and communities from within.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid vacation time; paid sick leave; medical/dental/vision insurance; life, accident and disability insurance; tax-advantaged flexible spending and health savings accounts; an employee assistance program; tuition reimbursement; and a 401(k) Plan. Employees may also be eligible for bonuses under our Short Term Incentive Plan and potentially participate in our annual Long-Term Incentive (LTI) program, which may consist of restricted stock units (RSUs) or cash equivalents, based on role and performance. Western Digital is committed to offering accommodations to applicants with disabilities to ensure a successful application and hiring process.