Job Description

Western Digital, the premiere producer of hard disk drives (HDDs), is seeking a scientist with experience performing XRD, XRR, and/or XRF on thin-film materials. Magnetic sensor, writer, and disk development are critical to the advancement of data storage. Magnetic media used to store information in hard drives is composed of stacks of thin films ranging from angstroms to tens of nanometers in thickness. Electromagnetic HDD head technology also relies on thin-film stacks, and are produced in wafer fabs applying the same processing techniques used in the semiconductor industry. The primary purpose of our work is to characterize these thin-films in support of the next generation of HDD technology.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• The position involves the use of Rigaku and Panalytical XRD, XRR, and XRF instruments to collect and interpret data to extract parameters from a variety of samples. Experience and/or willingness to learn electron microprobe quantitative analysis is also needed.

• The candidate will work closely with our head and media development teams to provide expert measurement, data interpretation, and input on technological advancement.

• This is an opportunity to join a team of dozens of X-ray scientists, electron microscopists, and chemists who support Western Digital's research, development, and manufacturing efforts world-wide.

Qualifications

Required:

• A candidate pursuing a PhD in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry or other related engineering discipline and significant experience with XRD data analysis is required.

• Experience using XRF (Rigaku) and/or EPMA (JEOL) to perform compositional analysis on thin-films and/or bulk materials is needed.

Preferred:

• A candidate with experience with Rietveld refinement is preferred.

• Experience with XRR data fitting is desired, but the candidate will have the opportunity to develop this skill through training with experienced colleagues.

• An interest in troubleshooting X-ray equipment is a plus.

Skills:

• Strong problem-solving abilities and the desire to work in a team environment are essential.

• The successful applicant will be patient, detail oriented, and hard-working.

• A candidate with experience with Rietveld refinement is preferred.

• Experience with XRR data fitting is desired, but the candidate will have the opportunity to develop this skill through training with experienced colleagues.

This position is located in our world-class Analytical Sciences Laboratory in San Jose, California.

Additional Information

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 outcomes for our employees, our company, our customers, and the world around us. We are committed to an inclusive environment where every individual can thrive through a sense of belonging, respect and contribution.

Western Digital is committed to offering opportunities to applicants with disabilities and ensuring all candidates can successfully navigate our careers website and our hiring process. Please contact us at jobs.accommodations@wdc.com to advise us of your accommodation request. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.

Based on our experience, we anticipate that the application deadline will be 3/19/25 , although we reserve the right to close the application process sooner if we hire an applicant for this position before the application deadline. If we are not able to hire someone from this role before the application deadline, we will update this posting with a new anticipated application deadline.

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Compensation & Benefits Details

• An employee’s pay position within the salary range may be based on several factors including but not limited to (1) relevant education; qualifications; certifications; and experience; (2) skills, ability, knowledge of the job; (3) performance, contribution and results; (4) geographic location; (5) shift; (6) internal and external equity; and (7) business and organizational needs.
• The salary range is what we believe to be the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and this range is only applicable for jobs to be performed in California, Colorado, New York or remote jobs that can be performed in California, Colorado and New York. This range may be modified in the future.
• If your position is non-exempt, you are eligible for overtime pay pursuant to company policy and applicable laws. You may also be eligible for shift differential pay, depending on the shift to which you are assigned.
• You will be eligible to participate in Western Digital’s Short-Term Incentive (STI) Plan, which provides incentive awards based on Company and individual performance. Depending on your role and your performance, you may be eligible to participate in our annual Long-Term Incentive (LTI) program, which consists of restricted stock units (RSUs) or cash equivalents, pursuant to the terms of the LTI plan. Please note that not all roles are eligible to participate in the LTI program, and not all roles are eligible for equity under the LTI plan. RSU awards are also available to eligible new hires, subject to Western Digital’s Standard Terms and Conditions for Restricted Stock Unit Awards.
• 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; 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; and the Western Digital Savings 401(k) Plan.
• Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.