SSD Firmware Engineer - Physical Storage

Company Description

At Western Digital, we are on a mission to unlock the potential of data so people, companies and organizations everywhere can create what’s next. To fulfill our vision, we are always on the lookout for potential team members who share our passion for solving problems to empower others.

When you join Western Digital, you join a legacy more than 50 years in the making. Across our Western Digital®, SanDisk®, SanDisk® Professional, WD® and WD_BLACK™ brands, we have brought some of the most storied advancements in memory and data storage technology to market—and our best, most innovative work is yet to come.

From energizing 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.

Here’s how you can help.

Job Description

Work as part of a team developing firmware for solid state storage devices used in consumer computer systems.  Western Digital’s firmware team designs and implements features to support current and next-generation memory devices and develops features required for new product requirements and applications.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The physical storage team is specifically responsible for the layer of firmware that interface to and controls the NAND memory devices:

• basic operations such as erase, write, and read;
• sophisticated algorithms to maximize performance (write cache, read cache, program and erase suspend / resume, configuring read thresholds for optimal performance);
• mechanisms to handle defect mechanisms (uncorrectable ECC errors, program failures, etc…); and
• countermeasures against those defects (read scrub, wear leveling, optimizing program voltage levels, tracking and setting NAND read thresholds, etc…).

Typical activities include:

• examining design options and evaluating tradeoffs between performance, memory requirements, and processor workloads;
• collaborating with engineers in other teams at Western Digital (Memory Systems, NAND / memory, System Architecture, and Validation) to define overall drive functionality and behavior;
• designing and drafting specifications for FW features that integrate within the overall SSD system and firmware architecture;
• implementing the necessary functionality in C/C++ (and/or machine language in some cases); and
• using debuggers and other tools to analyze failures and correct software defects.

Qualifications

REQUIRED:

• Able to analyze and communicate at various levels of abstraction.
• Innovative problem solver.
• Strong “C” programming experience and skills; experience with logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and/or protocol analyzers useful but not required.
• Ability to communicate ideas clearly and influence technical direction; strong verbal and written communication.

PREFERRED:

• NAND experience highly desired but not required.
• RTOS experience helpful but not required.

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 Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal” poster. Our pay transparency policy is available here.

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 compa