Staff Engineer, Contamination Control

Company Description

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.

Job Description

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead the Contamination Control Engineering team to ensure world-class contamination prevention and cleanliness performance across manufacturing operations.
• RTPM machine cleanliness improvement, and reduce the number of triggers and false alarms, shorten investigation turnaround time, and strengthen proactive contamination control.
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve contamination control strategies, standards, procedures, and best practices for products, processes, equipment, and manufacturing environments.
• Drive root cause investigations for contamination-related excursions, customer complaints, yield losses, and reliability issues using structured problem-solving methodologies (8D, FMEA, Fishbone, SPC, etc.).
• Establish contamination monitoring programs, cleanliness specifications, and control plans to support product quality and customer requirements.
• Lead contamination control projects, including cleanroom optimization, process qualification, equipment qualification, filtration systems, chemical contamination controls, and particle reduction initiatives.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that improve yield, reliability, process capability, and operational efficiency.
• Develop contamination control roadmaps aligned with technology, factory, and business objectives.
• Analyze contamination data, trend performance metrics, and provide technical recommendations to senior leadership.
• Ensure compliance with company standards, customer requirements, industry regulations, and environmental, health, and safety (EHS) requirements.
• Mentor and develop engineers and technicians through coaching, technical guidance, training, and career development planning.
• Collaborate with global and cross-functional teams to benchmark and deploy best practices across sites.
• Prepare and present technical reports, business cases, and strategic recommendations to management and executive leadership.

Qualifications

REQUIRED

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• Master's Degree is advantageous.
• Minimum 5+ years of engineering experience in semiconductor, HDD, electronics manufacturing, cleanroom operations, medical devices, advanced manufacturing, or related industries, 3–5 years of supervisory, team leadership, or people management experience.

PREFERRED:

• Proven experience in contamination control, cleanliness engineering, yield improvement, process engineering, or quality engineering.
• Strong understanding of particle contamination, molecular contamination, cleanroom technologies, and contamination monitoring systems.
• Experience leading cross-functional engineering projects and driving organizational improvements.
• Demonstrated success managing technical teams and delivering business results.

SKILLS:

Leadership Skills

• Strong people leadership and team development capabilities.
• Strategic thinking and business acumen.
• Influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• Decision-making and conflict-resolution abilities.
• Ability to drive organizational change and continuous improvement.

Technical Skills

• Contamination Control Engineering
• Cleanliness Verification and Monitoring
• Root Cause Analysis (8D, RCA)
• Process Control and Statistical Analysis (SPC, DOE, Minitab)
• Failure Analysis and Reliability Engineering
• Risk Assessment and FMEA
• Yield Improvement Methodologies
• Cleanroom Operations and Standards
• Project Management

Communication Skills

• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Excellent presentation and reporting skills.
• Effective cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder engagement.

Personal Competencies

• Strong analytical and problem-solving mindset.
• High level of ownership and accountability.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. Continuous learning and innovation mindset.