Principal Software Engineer - Archive Object, S3 & Key-Value Systems

Company Description

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.

Job Description

About the Role

We are seeking a seasoned Software Engineer (Principal Engineer Level) to help build and evolve enterprise-grade storage platforms used by mission-critical workloads. This role focuses on Archive Object storage, S3-compatible services, and distributed Key-Value stores, with strong emphasis on reliability, durability, scalability, and long-term maintainability.

You will work on core storage services that must meet enterprise expectations for performance, compliance, and operational stability.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain enterprise-class object and archival storage systems
• Develop and enhance S3-compatible APIs and data paths
• Build and optimize distributed key-value storage services for metadata and control planes
• Ensure high durability, availability, and consistency across storage layers
• Participate in architectural reviews and long-term platform planning
• Debug and resolve complex issues in production distributed systems
• Collaborate with QA, SRE, and operations teams to ensure production readiness
• Mentor engineers and contribute to engineering best practices

Qualifications

Educational Background

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.

Required Qualifications

• Extensive software engineering development experience - Must have in order to qualify for position
• Strong background in enterprise or infrastructure software- Must have in order to qualify for position
• Hands-on experience with object storage, S3-compatible systems, archival storage, or KV stores- Must have in order to qualify for position
• Solid understanding of distributed systems (replication, consensus, failure handling)
• Experience building highly reliable, fault-tolerant services
• Strong debugging, performance tuning, and code review skills
• Proficiency in Java, Go, C++, Rust, or Python

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with enterprise storage platforms or large-scale data infrastructure
• Familiarity with S3 internals, lifecycle management, tiering, and retention policies
• Knowledge of erasure coding, encryption, compression, or data protection schemes
• Experience with RocksDB, LevelDB, or similar KV engines
• Understanding of enterprise requirements such as security, compliance, and data governance
• Experience supporting long-lived systems in production environments

Additional Information

Western Digital is committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and employees and will not discriminate 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