Principal Project Manager - Head Recording R&D Systems Lead (Onsite)

About our group:

We are seeking a Principal Engineer to provide technical leadership and architectural ownership for systems supporting advanced hard disk drive (HDD) recording research and development. This onsite role partners closely with recording technology teams across wafer, design, process, and integration, enabling efficient experimentation, data-driven development, and accelerated innovation.

This role has a strong focus on AI-enabled recording development, including simulation, characterization, analytics, and automation. The successful candidate is a senior technologist with deep systems expertise, capable of operating at the intersection of recording physics, software platforms, data infrastructure, and lab environments, and influencing across organizations through technical excellence.

About the role - you will:

Recording R&D Systems Architecture:

• Own the technical architecture, system design, and roadmap alignment  for R&D systems supporting recording technology development.
• Ensure systems effectively support head, media, servo, and recording path experimentation.
• Design recording head and test systems that enable rapid experimentation while maintaining data integrity, traceability, and repeatability.
• Drive technical integration across laboratory tools, R&D platforms, data systems, and enterprise applications.
• Act as the technical authority for system tradeoffs, scalability decisions, and architectural evolution.

AI and Advanced Analytics Enablement:

• Lead the technical enablement of AI and advanced analytics within recording development workflows.
• Architect and evolve data pipelines for characterization, test, and simulation data.
• Enable AI/ML applications such as trend detection, anomaly analysis, yield correlation, and model-based optimization.
• Work directly with recording engineers to identify, prototype, and harden high-value AI use cases.
• Guide the transition of AI solutions from exploratory prototypes to sustained R&D usage.

Onsite Technical Collaboration:

• Work onsite with recording, design, and test teams to understand real-world engineering workflows and system constraints.
• Travel as needed to R&D labs, development sites, and manufacturing partners to support system deployment and optimization.
• Ensure alignment and continuity across recording R&D, operations, and manufacturing data systems.

Technical Leadership and Influence:

• Provide senior technical leadership, design reviews, and mentorship to engineers and system contributors.
• Establish and influence standards, best practices, and design principles for R&D systems, data management, and AI integration.
• Influence direction across teams and organizations through technical credibility rather than formal authority.
• Serve as a recognized technical expert in recording R&D systems and analytics.

Operational Excellence:

• Ensure reliability, performance, scalability, and security of systems supporting recording development.
• Define and track key R&D system metrics such as experiment cycle time, data availability, and analysis latency.
• Lead root-cause analysis and resolution of complex system and integration issues.
• Partner with vendors providing lab equipment, data platforms, analytics tools, and AI technologies.

Strategy and Governance:

• Contribute to long-term recording R&D and enterprise systems strategy.
• Technically evaluate and recommend investments in data infrastructure, simulation platforms, and AI-enabling technologies.
• Balance innovation speed with requirements for IP protection, data governance, and security.

About you:

• Excellent communication skills for collaboration with recording, process, and design engineers
• Ability to provide technical leadership, mentorship, and architectural guidance to engineers and system contributors
• Ability to influence across organizations through technical credibility rather than formal authority

Your experience includes:

• Supporting complex technical or R&D systems
• Working in disk drive, storage technology, or recording adjacent environments
• Understanding system architecture, data flows, and integration patterns
• Working knowledge of AI/ML concepts applied to engineering, test, or analytics workflows
• Willingness and ability to work onsite and travel as required
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or related technical field and 15+ years of experience; or 12 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 8 years of experience; or equivalent experience

You might also have:

• Direct experience in disk drive recording development wafers, (heads, media, slider and HGA)
• Familiarity with lab automation, characterization systems, or  test data environments
• Experience enabling AI or advanced analytics for engineering or manufacturing correlation
• Experience moving solutions from R&D into manufacturing
• Leveraging manufacturing systems to accelerate R&D

Salary: The estimated base salary range for this position is $158,500.00 - $235,400.00. The individual salary is based on work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

Benefits:  Seagate offers comprehensive benefits to its eligible employees, including, but not limited to, eligibility to participate in 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 provided pursuant to Seagate 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:

Bloomington, MN (This is an onsite position.)

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 meditations rooms or simply take a walk around our indoor walking path. On-site cultural festivals, celebrations, and community volunteer opportunities also abound.

Domestic/International Travel: Up to 25% (Required to coordinate R&D labs, development sites, and manufacturing partners domestic and internationally)

Location: Normandale, United States
Travel: Up to 25%