Staff Engineer, Wafer Quality Assurance
WD · San Jose, CA · 1 mo ago
On-siteQuality AssuranceFull-time
We need to output HTML fragment with sections for headings: About the role? Actually the posting includes a description before "Job Description". The instruction: use for section headings (e.g. About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule). Do NOT repeat the job title as a heading. We need to include sections only when posting has real specific content. We have:
- Intro paragraph about WD building infrastructure etc. That could be "About the role" or maybe "About the company". But we can treat as "About the role". It's substantive.
- Then "Job Description ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES" then list of duties. So we can have a section
for section headings (e.g. About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule). Do NOT repeat the job title as a heading. We need to include sections only when posting has real specific content. We have:
- Intro paragraph about WD building infrastructure etc. That could be "About the role" or maybe "About the company". But we can treat as "About the role". It's substantive.
- Then "Job Description ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES" then list of duties. So we can have a section Responsibilities
with - items.
- Then "Qualifications REQUIRED" then bullet list (though not bullet but sentences). We can make
Qualifications
with - .
- Then "ADDITIONAL SKILLS" maybe part of Skills section. Could combine with Qualifications or separate Skills. Since they are additional skills, we can make a
Skills
with list.
- Then "Additional Information" includes EEO etc which we must remove (boilerplate). So we drop that.
- Then "Compensation & Benefits Details" includes benefits description. We can make Benefits
with list of benefits. Pay details: they talk about salary range etc but not specific numbers. The instruction: never create Pay/Schedule/Benefits sections unless posting actually states them. They do state benefits and compensation details (salary range description). So we can include Benefits and maybe Pay? They mention salary range but not actual numbers. The instruction: never emit a heading followed by filler/placeholder text (e.g. "commensurate with experience", "not specified", "N/A", "varies", "TBD"). They say "The salary range is what we believe to be the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting." That's vague but still they gave a description. It's not a specific number but it's not placeholder like "commensurate with experience". It's a description of how they determine pay. Might be acceptable to include Pay section? The instruction: Prefer a few substantive sections over many thin ones. Could combine Pay and Benefits into one Benefits section? But they said separate headings for Benefits, Pay, Schedule. Since they gave compensation details, we could include a Pay subsection describing salary range etc. However they said never create Pay/Schedule/Benefits sections unless posting actually states them. They do state compensation details, so we can include Pay. But we need to avoid filler like "commensurate with experience". The text includes: "An employee’s pay position within the salary range may be based on several factors including but not limited to ..." That's substantive. So we can include Pay.
- Schedule: not mentioned, so omit.
- Also we have "Additional Information" includes accommodation request etc. That's boilerplate/EEO etc, we should remove.
- Also note about application deadline etc. That's metadata; we can drop.
Thus final HTML: About the role
...
then Responsibilities
... then Qualifications
... then Skills
... then Pay
... maybe also
for factors? Could keep as . Then
Benefits
... list benefits.
We must preserve all substantive information; do not invent or summarize away detail. So we need to copy the exact sentences for duties, qualifications, additional skills, pay description, benefits list.
Let's extract.
Intro paragraph: "WD is building the infrastructure behind the AI-driven data economy. As AI scales, so does data. Every interaction, every model, every system generates data that must be stored, managed, and made accessible over time. That’s where we come in. We combine deep engineering expertise with global-scale manufacturing to deliver the storage systems that make AI possible, powering hyperscale data centers, cloud platforms, and enterprise infrastructure worldwide. This isn’t theoretical work. It’s real systems, at real scale, people solving some of the hardest challenges in technology today. We’re looking for people who want to build, solve, and operate at that level. Join us and let’s shape the future of data."
That's the intro.
Responsibilities list (under ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES):
- Perform wafer paper failure analysis (FA) and provide disposition for issues flagged by customers.
- Facilitate wafer manufacturing readiness review (MRR) and process design readiness (PDR) review meetings.
- Drive 8D closure with corrective action and preventive action (CAPA) implementations to prevent reoccurrence
- Failure Mode & Effects Analysis (FMEA): Lead and facilitate FMEA activities across wafer fab to proactively identify, assess, and mitigate potential failure modes and their impact on quality and reliability.
- Partner with process, equipment, manufacturing, and data engineering teams to implement automated quality surveillance and anomaly detection solutions.
- Drive digitalization initiatives that improve CAPA effectiveness, root cause identification, and risk assessment processes.
- Evaluate and integrate generative AI and digital agent technologies to enhance engineering productivity, knowledge management, and quality decision-making.
- Drive adoption of AI-powered quality engineering tools to increase engineering productivity, accelerate defect detection cycle times, and transition the organization from reactive quality management to predictive quality — anticipating and preventing excursions before they impact yield or customer deliverables.
- Participate in developing and deploying AI-assisted quality monitoring solutions for Change Review Board (CRB), Material Review Board (MRB), Failure Analysis (FA), and FMEA activities.
We need to keep each as - .
Qualifications REQUIRED:
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Material Science, Physics, Data Sciences or a related technical field (Master's preferred)
- 3+ years of experience in quality assurance, quality engineering, or a related role within semiconductor or wafer manufacturing
- Strong problem-solving and root-cause-analysis skills.
- Ability to analyze datasets and interpret statistical/model-performance results.
- Experience working with AI/ML or generative AI systems a plus.
- Familiarity with FMEA methodology and its application to IT and manufacturing systems
- Basic understanding of wafer product, including HAMR and knowledgeable of SPC, wafer process build, interconnection between process, equipment, manufacturing, backend a plus
- Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with the ability to engage both technical and operations teams
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a detail-oriented mindset
Note there is duplication of problem-solving skills; we keep both as separate items? Might be okay.
ADDITIONAL SKILLS:
- Experience with end-to-end quality management in semiconductor manufacturing
- Experience developing or utilizing AI-enabled quality monitoring and reporting systems.
- Knowledge of Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), Copilot technologies, or Digital Agents for engineering workflows.
- Strong data storytelling and visualization skills to communicate complex technical findings to engineering and management teams.
- Continuous improvement mindset with the ability to identify opportunities for automation and digital transformation.
Pay section: copy the paragraph under "Compensation & Benefits Details" that talks about pay. Let's extract:
"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 need to keep that as substantive. Could put in
or
? It's prose; we can use .
Benefits: after that paragraph: "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."
We can make
- each benefit separated by semicolons. Need to split.
List:
- 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
- the WD Savings 401(k) Plan
We need to keep the exact phrasing? The instruction: preserve ALL substantive information; do NOT invent or summarize away detail. So we should keep the exact phrases as they appear, maybe each as a list item.
We could keep the sentence as a single
but they said use
- for any list of duties/requirements/benefits. So we need to split into items.
We must be careful not to lose detail like "such as supplemental life and AD&D, legal plan, pet insurance, critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity". That's part of the item.
Now also note there is a note: "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." That's also part of compensation details; we should include that as part of Pay section maybe as a separate paragraph.
Also "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 compliance@wdc.com." That's boilerplate? It's a notice about scam warning; instruction says remove scam-warning boilerplate. So drop that.
Also "Based on our experience, we anticipate that the application deadline will be 12/11/2026 (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
Qualifications
with- .
- Then "ADDITIONAL SKILLS" maybe part of Skills section. Could combine with Qualifications or separate Skills. Since they are additional skills, we can make a
Skills
with list. - Then "Additional Information" includes EEO etc which we must remove (boilerplate). So we drop that. - Then "Compensation & Benefits Details" includes benefits description. We can makeBenefits
with list of benefits. Pay details: they talk about salary range etc but not specific numbers. The instruction: never create Pay/Schedule/Benefits sections unless posting actually states them. They do state benefits and compensation details (salary range description). So we can include Benefits and maybe Pay? They mention salary range but not actual numbers. The instruction: never emit a heading followed by filler/placeholder text (e.g. "commensurate with experience", "not specified", "N/A", "varies", "TBD"). They say "The salary range is what we believe to be the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting." That's vague but still they gave a description. It's not a specific number but it's not placeholder like "commensurate with experience". It's a description of how they determine pay. Might be acceptable to include Pay section? The instruction: Prefer a few substantive sections over many thin ones. Could combine Pay and Benefits into one Benefits section? But they said separate headings for Benefits, Pay, Schedule. Since they gave compensation details, we could include a Pay subsection describing salary range etc. However they said never create Pay/Schedule/Benefits sections unless posting actually states them. They do state compensation details, so we can include Pay. But we need to avoid filler like "commensurate with experience". The text includes: "An employee’s pay position within the salary range may be based on several factors including but not limited to ..." That's substantive. So we can include Pay. - Schedule: not mentioned, so omit. - Also we have "Additional Information" includes accommodation request etc. That's boilerplate/EEO etc, we should remove. - Also note about application deadline etc. That's metadata; we can drop. Thus final HTML:About the role
...
thenResponsibilities
- ... then
- .
Qualifications REQUIRED:
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Material Science, Physics, Data Sciences or a related technical field (Master's preferred)
- 3+ years of experience in quality assurance, quality engineering, or a related role within semiconductor or wafer manufacturing
- Strong problem-solving and root-cause-analysis skills.
- Ability to analyze datasets and interpret statistical/model-performance results.
- Experience working with AI/ML or generative AI systems a plus.
- Familiarity with FMEA methodology and its application to IT and manufacturing systems
- Basic understanding of wafer product, including HAMR and knowledgeable of SPC, wafer process build, interconnection between process, equipment, manufacturing, backend a plus
- Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with the ability to engage both technical and operations teams
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a detail-oriented mindset
Note there is duplication of problem-solving skills; we keep both as separate items? Might be okay.
ADDITIONAL SKILLS:
- Experience with end-to-end quality management in semiconductor manufacturing
- Experience developing or utilizing AI-enabled quality monitoring and reporting systems.
- Knowledge of Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), Copilot technologies, or Digital Agents for engineering workflows.
- Strong data storytelling and visualization skills to communicate complex technical findings to engineering and management teams.
- Continuous improvement mindset with the ability to identify opportunities for automation and digital transformation.
Pay section: copy the paragraph under "Compensation & Benefits Details" that talks about pay. Let's extract:
"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 need to keep that as substantive. Could put in
or
- ? It's prose; we can use
- each benefit separated by semicolons. Need to split.
List:
- 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
- the WD Savings 401(k) Plan
We need to keep the exact phrasing? The instruction: preserve ALL substantive information; do NOT invent or summarize away detail. So we should keep the exact phrases as they appear, maybe each as a list item.
We could keep the sentence as a single
but they said use
- for any list of duties/requirements/benefits. So we need to split into items. We must be careful not to lose detail like "such as supplemental life and AD&D, legal plan, pet insurance, critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity". That's part of the item. Now also note there is a note: "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." That's also part of compensation details; we should include that as part of Pay section maybe as a separate paragraph. Also "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 compliance@wdc.com." That's boilerplate? It's a notice about scam warning; instruction says remove scam-warning boilerplate. So drop that. Also "Based on our experience, we anticipate that the application deadline will be 12/11/2026 (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
. Benefits: after that paragraph: "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." We can make
- each benefit separated by semicolons. Need to split.
List:
- 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
- the WD Savings 401(k) Plan
We need to keep the exact phrasing? The instruction: preserve ALL substantive information; do NOT invent or summarize away detail. So we should keep the exact phrases as they appear, maybe each as a list item.
We could keep the sentence as a single
Qualifications
- ... then
Skills
- ... then
Pay
... maybe also
- for factors? Could keep as
. Then
Benefits
- ... list benefits.
We must preserve all substantive information; do not invent or summarize away detail. So we need to copy the exact sentences for duties, qualifications, additional skills, pay description, benefits list.
Let's extract.
Intro paragraph: "WD is building the infrastructure behind the AI-driven data economy. As AI scales, so does data. Every interaction, every model, every system generates data that must be stored, managed, and made accessible over time. That’s where we come in. We combine deep engineering expertise with global-scale manufacturing to deliver the storage systems that make AI possible, powering hyperscale data centers, cloud platforms, and enterprise infrastructure worldwide. This isn’t theoretical work. It’s real systems, at real scale, people solving some of the hardest challenges in technology today. We’re looking for people who want to build, solve, and operate at that level. Join us and let’s shape the future of data."
That's the intro.
Responsibilities list (under ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES):
- Perform wafer paper failure analysis (FA) and provide disposition for issues flagged by customers.
- Facilitate wafer manufacturing readiness review (MRR) and process design readiness (PDR) review meetings.
- Drive 8D closure with corrective action and preventive action (CAPA) implementations to prevent reoccurrence
- Failure Mode & Effects Analysis (FMEA): Lead and facilitate FMEA activities across wafer fab to proactively identify, assess, and mitigate potential failure modes and their impact on quality and reliability.
- Partner with process, equipment, manufacturing, and data engineering teams to implement automated quality surveillance and anomaly detection solutions.
- Drive digitalization initiatives that improve CAPA effectiveness, root cause identification, and risk assessment processes.
- Evaluate and integrate generative AI and digital agent technologies to enhance engineering productivity, knowledge management, and quality decision-making.
- Drive adoption of AI-powered quality engineering tools to increase engineering productivity, accelerate defect detection cycle times, and transition the organization from reactive quality management to predictive quality — anticipating and preventing excursions before they impact yield or customer deliverables.
- Participate in developing and deploying AI-assisted quality monitoring solutions for Change Review Board (CRB), Material Review Board (MRB), Failure Analysis (FA), and FMEA activities.
We need to keep each as
- .
Qualifications REQUIRED:
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Material Science, Physics, Data Sciences or a related technical field (Master's preferred)
- 3+ years of experience in quality assurance, quality engineering, or a related role within semiconductor or wafer manufacturing
- Strong problem-solving and root-cause-analysis skills.
- Ability to analyze datasets and interpret statistical/model-performance results.
- Experience working with AI/ML or generative AI systems a plus.
- Familiarity with FMEA methodology and its application to IT and manufacturing systems
- Basic understanding of wafer product, including HAMR and knowledgeable of SPC, wafer process build, interconnection between process, equipment, manufacturing, backend a plus
- Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with the ability to engage both technical and operations teams
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a detail-oriented mindset
Note there is duplication of problem-solving skills; we keep both as separate items? Might be okay.
ADDITIONAL SKILLS:
- Experience with end-to-end quality management in semiconductor manufacturing
- Experience developing or utilizing AI-enabled quality monitoring and reporting systems.
- Knowledge of Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), Copilot technologies, or Digital Agents for engineering workflows.
- Strong data storytelling and visualization skills to communicate complex technical findings to engineering and management teams.
- Continuous improvement mindset with the ability to identify opportunities for automation and digital transformation.
Pay section: copy the paragraph under "Compensation & Benefits Details" that talks about pay. Let's extract:
"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 need to keep that as substantive. Could put in