Metrology Engineer – Optical & Physical (Ph.D. Only)

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

You will join an advanced metrology team supporting magnetic recording head wafer fabrication in the hard disk drive industry. Your primary responsibility will be to support critical dimension (CD), profile, and structural parameter measurement operations and development using optical metrology techniques, including spectroscopic ellipsometry, scatterometry, white-light interferometry, and overlay metrology.

This role is well suited for physics graduates interested in structure modeling and inverse problem solving. You will work with real production data, contribute to physics-based and structure-based models, and help improve measurement accuracy, stability, and cross-tool correlation. The position provides hands-on exposure to production-impacting metrology challenges, with close collaboration across process, equipment, and data

This role is part of WD's early career development program. WD's early career development program is ideal for individuals at the early stages of their professional career.  Participants receive foundational training through structured onboarding, mentorship, and a curated development curriculum. The responsibilities of this role are typically aligned with candidates who have approximately 0–2+ years of relevant professional experience, though candidates of all experience levels are encouraged to apply.

Qualifications

Essential Duties  & Responsibilites:

• Currently pursuing or recently completed Ph.D.  degree in Physics, Applied Physics, Materials Science, or equivalent experience
• Strong foundation in optics, or applied physics
• Proficiency in Python for data analysis, modeling, and automation; foundational knowledge of SQL preferred
• Experience with structure, geometry, or physical modeling, gained through coursework, research, or projects
• Familiarity with numerical modeling or inverse problem approaches (e.g., fitting, parameter extraction, optimization)
• Demonstrated intellectual curiosity, strong analytical and problem-solving skills, humility, and a collaborative mindset
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly explain technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences

Additional Information

Western Digital 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