Metrology Equipment Engineer en Western Digital

Company Description

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

We are seeking a detail-oriented and analytical Equipment Engineer specializing in Metrology Tools to join our  team. In this role, you will be responsible for maintaining, optimizing, and troubleshooting Metrology Equipment crucial to our thin-film head wafer manufacturing production line within a Class 100 cleanroom environment.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Responsibilities include toolsets: Small-Spot XRFs, Large-Spot XRFs, Interferometric Metrology Systems like Zygo/Unifire, Optical & Laser Inspections Systems, Reflectometry and Ellipsometry Metrology Systems, AFM and Magnetic Metrology Systems.
• Experience on e-Beam and Overlay Metrology systems will be a Plus.
• You will work collaboratively with Process Engineering, Maintenance, Manufacturing, Vendors, and other cross-functional teams to optimize equipment performance and reliability utilizing AI tools.
• A successful candidate will work independently, demonstrate problem-solving skills, utilize AI tools & Technologies, and be flexible to support team needs, including Weekend Work.

Qualifications

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Preventive Maintenance and Troubleshooting: 

• Responsible for preventive maintenance on assigned toolsets per established procedures. 
• Document maintenance activities on checklists and maintain accurate history in tool logbooks/database 
• Diagnose and repair unscheduled failures utilizing AI Diagnostic tools to identify root cause and reduce downtime and improve Mean-time Between Failure (MTBF).  

Continuous Improvement: 

• Lead the continuous improvement initiatives to enhance Equipment Reliability, Availability, MTBF, and minimize Mean Time to Repair (MTTR); Utilizing AI Tools to improve efficiency.  
• Define, write, and update preventive maintenance procedures to maximize efficiency. 

Data Analysis & System Integration: 

• Develop and support equipment upgrades by evaluating and installing sensors to capture real-time data and integrate with factory systems. 
• Analyze data using advanced statistical and AI tools to diagnose and enhance preventive and predictive maintenance system. 
• Characterize equipment data and collaborate with teams to incorporate it into factory systems (e.g., Fault Detection, SPC, MES.  

Training & Mentorship: 

• Provide technical training and certification for maintenance personnel. 
• Mentor junior engineers and promote cross-functional collaboration. 

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Optical, or a related technical field.
• Minimum 0-2+ years of experience in Equipment Maintenance and Repair of relevant Metrology tooling experience within a semiconductor fab, HDD manufacturing, or a similar high-tech environment.
• Strong, hands-on optical, mechanical and electrical aptitude with the ability to interpret schematics and assembly diagrams.
• Understanding of failure mechanisms and ability to conduct root-cause analysis.
• Effective communication skills and proven ability to collaborate with Maintenance, Manufacturing, Engineering, and cross-functional teams.
• Knowledge of control systems and/or PLC (Process Logic Control).
• Project management skills and ability to lead or contribute to cross-functional projects.
• Flexibility for overtime and weekend work.

Preferred:

• Direct experience with X-Ray Fluorescence Systems (XRFs), Optical Metrology & Inspections Systems, Overlay Metrology, e-Beam Metrology Systems, Reflectometry/Ellipsometry/Interferometry systems. 
• Proficiency in data extraction and analysis from structured and unstructured sources, including tool logs, to support preventive maintenance improvements, utilizing AI tools, wherever possible.  

Key Skills and Abilities

• Strong interpersonal and training skills for mentoring and team collaboration.
• High level of adaptability problem-solving ability and independent decision-making skills
• Experience with Lean Preventive Maintenance and continuous improvement methodology

Salary Ranges: 106,600.00-142,100.00

Additional Information

WD 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.

WD 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.

WD 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 [email protected] 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 8/14/2026 (3 months from posting), 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

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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 be considered for bonuses under either WD’s Short Term Incentive Plan (“STI Plan”) or the Sales Incentive Plan (“SIP”) 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 WD'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 WD 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.

Notice To Candidates: Please be aware that WD and its subsidiaries will never request payment as a condition for applying for a position or receiving an offer of employment. Should you encounter any such requests, please report it immediately to WD Ethics Helpline or email [email protected].