Principal Mechanical Design Engineer

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.

At our core, Western Digital 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.

We are a key partner to some of the largest and highest growth organizations in the world. From energizing the most competitive gaming platforms, to enabling systems to make cities safer and cars smarter and more connected, to powering the data centers behind many of the world’s biggest companies and public cloud, Western Digital is fueling a brighter, smarter future.

Binge-watch any shows, use social media or shop online lately? You’ll find Western Digital supporting the storage infrastructure behind many of these platforms. And, that flash memory card that captures and preserves your most precious moments? That’s us, too.

We offer an expansive portfolio of technologies, storage devices and platforms for business and consumers alike. Our data-centric solutions are comprised of the Western Digital®, G-Technology™, SanDisk® and WD® brands.

Today’s exceptional challenges require your unique skills. It’s You & Western Digital. Together, we’re the next BIG thing in data.

Western Digital is looking for a Principal Mechanical Engineer responsible for design and analysis of high performance storage systems and subsystems for the OEM and data center marketplace with specific focus on product design and production engineering; work to develop products that are robust in their ability to withstand shock, vibration, thermal, and other environmental challenges when deployed to a field environment. Apply design knowledge of plastic injection molded parts as well as sheet metal parts with part designs integrated into larger sub-assembly and assembly systems fully modeled in SolidWorks.

Job Description:

The Principal Mechanical Engineer will be a lead resource to the Mechanical Engineer program team lead for the mechanical development and production engineering of datacenter storage systems and subsystems consisting of hard drives, solid state drives, fans, power supplies, electronics with high speed communication interfaces and rack-based hardware. Due to the complex interrelationships of these systems, the candidate will need to hold broad mechanical engineering expertise including Finite Element Analysis (FEA), the ability to design or redesign for the system to meet specific shock and vibration criteria, utilize and apply tolerance analysis methodologies. Other areas of design focus may be thermal design and analysis, electromagnetic interference mitigation and acoustics. The engineer may be an individual or lead contributor on multiple programs and will direct/lead the work of others. In addition to a broad background across many facets of mechanical engineering, the candidate must possess strong analytical skills and be a creative “out of the box” thinker. In this role, the engineer will support the functional (Mechanical Engineer) project representative for areas of mechanical design and analysis/study in addition to collaborating on designs of peers working alongside you as part of the development or production engineering team. Additionally, you will lead/participate in design reviews, be accountable for tracking schedules, issues and resolutions, and work with domestic and international suppliers and manufacturing locations. Acting as a lead engineer, the candidate will be responsible for the development and execution of test plans culminating in test reports demonstrating the design integrity for your areas of expertise and responsibility. Each project team consists of cross-functional engineers with electrical, mechanical, firmware and manufacturing backgrounds at a minimum. In this position, you will mentor and build the skills of less experienced engineers. Candidate designs and analyzes mechanical systems in both the theoretical and empirical realm, influences packaging design and uses the engineering change management system to formally release design content into Agile. Conducts feasibility studies and testing on new and modified designs. Directs support personnel in the preparation of detailed design, design testing and prototype fabrication. Provides design information to packaging engineering for packaging documentation. Apply present knowledge or learn and utilize tools such as JIRA, Agile and Microsoft Office products. This is a senior-level position for the right individual with superior creative design and technical skills, good project management abilities, and an enthusiasm for success as well as extensive experience in use of SolidWorks.

-BSME or MSME degree with minimum of 8+ years product development experience in computing, storage or related fields.
-Expert working knowledge of CAD systems (SolidWorks preferred) required.

-Working knowledge of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and/or finite element analysis (FEA) is desired. Experience with multiple analysis programs is a plus.
-Experience in structural, vibrational, thermal and acoustic modeling and problem resolution a plus.

- Shall be familiar with test instrumentation such as accelerometers, force gauges, air flow and thermal test equipment and structural dynamic analyzers.

- Demonstrated ability in creative problem solving and innovation.

- Highly proficient in writing part and assembly test plans with subsequent execution to the plan and generation of both test plans and test reports thereby validating the design of parts, assemblies and systems.
-Experience in successfully managing (engineering portion) development projects from design to production.
-Excellent project management and communication skills are required.
-Solid understanding of manufacturing technologies and methodologies.

-Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally (<15% total work time on average).

-Extensive knowledge and use of Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, Power Point, MSTeams, OneNote) and Adobe products.

- Strong experimental and analytical skills such as:

A desire to understand why a design was selected and how to test to demonstrate successful functionality
(or lack thereof)

The ability to distill large amounts of experimental data to a meaningful conclusion and write a brief report for internal or external use

- Working knowledge of the following:

Hand tools (pliers, clamps, jigs)

Vises and holding fixtures

Drill, files, burr removal

Lifting and positioning equipment safely

-Ability to lift 50lbs. on an as needed basis.

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 [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.

#LI-TD1

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.
• 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.