HAMR Design Staff Engineer

About our group:

Our technology development group designs Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) heads for future products. We design integrated optics that deliver light from a laser to a Near‑Field Transducer (NFT) and design the plasmonic NFT that focuses the laser light to a spot size of tens of nanometers in diameter (10x smaller than the diffraction limit).

We also design the magnetic circuit that applies a >2 Tesla, GHz magnetic field within nanometers of the NFT optical spot. This leading‑edge photonic and magnetic integration designed by our group won the 2026 SPIE Prism Award in the Optical Materials and Components category.

About the role - you will:

• Identify and develop concepts to improve HAMR recording head performance.
• Optimize NFT designs to improve performance and reliability.
• Determine design approaches, methods, and tradeoffs to support development of HAMR devices.
• Work with designers and the wafer process team to translate concepts into manufacturable devices, including evaluation of design and process tradeoffs.
• Collaborate with design and test teams to characterize devices using standard tests and develop new test methodologies as needed.
• Apply analytical tools, modeling, and experimental data to improve understanding of HAMR device behavior.
• Communicate technical results and insights to product, wafer processing, and test teams.
• Coordinate activities within project teams and contribute to design direction across groups.

About you:

• You work independently on complex technical problems that require evaluation of multiple variables.
• You apply sound judgment when selecting methods and approaches.
• You build effective working relationships across engineering teams.
• You manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced development environment.
• You communicate technical information clearly.
• You are comfortable working in a collaborative R&D environment.

Your experience includes:

• Bachelor's Degree in Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field and 8+ years of experience, or Master’s degree in the same fields and 6+ years of experience, or PhD and 3+ years of experience or equivalent education and experience
• Experience with near‑field optics, plasmonics, waveguide optics, and device physics
• Experience in integrated optical component design and analysis
• Experience using optical modeling tools (Comsol, Lumerical, RSoft, FDTD or similar)
• Experience applying modeling and experimental data to solve design problems
• Ability to work across teams to support development of advanced technologies
• Ability to adapt in a fast‑moving development environment

You Might Also Have:

• Experience in failure analysis, data analysis, wafer processing techniques, or image analysis
• Experience using statistical and data tools such as JMP or Python

The estimated base salary range for this position is $105,665.00 - $154,005.00. The individual salary is based on work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

Seagate offers comprehensive benefits to its eligible employees, including participation in a discretionary bonus program, medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, short‑ and long‑term disability, 401(k), employee stock purchase plan, health savings account, dependent care, and healthcare spending accounts. Seagate also offers paid time off, including 12 holidays, flexible time off pursuant to policy, a minimum of 48 hours of paid sick leave, and 16 weeks of paid parental leave. The benefits for this position are based on a full-time schedule for a full calendar year and may differ depending on work location.

Location:

Our Normandale campus spans two suburbs, Edina and Bloomington, and serves as the Recording Head development and manufacturing arm of Seagate. Located in the heart of a bustling community, Seagate offers an on-site café, or if you prefer, you can drive to one of many restaurants just minutes away. Need to grab a gift over lunch time? Shopping is abundant in the area. If working out is your thing, the on-site fully equipped fitness center hosts wellness programs, outdoor activities, tournaments and group workouts. Looking for something more laid back? Reset in one of our meditation rooms, or simply take a walk around our indoor walking path. On-site cultural festivals, celebrations and community volunteer opportunities also abound.

Location: Normandale, United States
Travel: Up to 10%