About our group:

The Media Mechanical Process and Technology Development organization supports research and development for Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) products. Our team develops materials, processes, and analytical methods that enable reliable head-disk interfaces for future generations of recording media.

We collaborate across media design, sputter-process development, characterization, tribology, product integration, and manufacturing to move new technologies from early-stage research toward product implementation.

About the role - you will:

• Conduct research and development on HAMR media mechanical interfaces and technologies that support head-media spacing reduction.
• Collaborate with sputter-process, media, tribology, characterization, and product-development teams to evaluate new thin-film materials and processes.
• Develop and evaluate thin-film and carbon-based overcoat technologies that enable thinner protective films while maintaining mechanical, chemical, and tribological performance.
• Design and execute experiments to understand relationships among deposition conditions, film structure, material properties, and interface performance.
• Characterize thin films using appropriate optical, structural, chemical, surface, and mechanical analysis methods.
• Analyze experimental data using statistical and scientific methods to identify trends, test hypotheses, and recommend technical approaches and next steps.
• Investigate technical problems through literature review, controlled experimentation, data analysis, and root-cause analysis.
• Develop technical solutions to materials, process, and interface challenges using scientific and engineering principles.
• Document experimental methods and results and communicate technical findings and recommendations through reports, presentations, and cross-functional discussions.
• Work across disciplines to advance promising materials and processes from initial research through evaluation and development for potential product applications.
• Develop deeper expertise in HAMR, magnetic-recording media, thin-film technologies, and product-development processes.

About you:

• You are a curious and motivated researcher who enjoys solving multidisciplinary materials and interface problems.
• You approach experimental development with attention to safety, data quality, reproducibility, and technical detail.
• You apply fundamental scientific principles and sound engineering judgment to practical development challenges.
• You are comfortable learning unfamiliar materials, processes, characterization methods, and application requirements.
• You work effectively with engineers, scientists, and laboratory and process technicians across different technical disciplines.
• You communicate technical ideas, experimental results, and recommendations clearly.
• You can independently plan and execute defined research and development activities while collaborating with other technical experts on complex or unfamiliar challenges.

Your experience includes:

• Bachelor's Degree in Materials Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Physics, Chemistry, or a related technical discipline and 5+ years of experience, or Master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Physics, Chemistry, or a related technical discipline and 3+ years of experience, or PhD and 0+ years of experience or equivalent education and experience.
• Research or development experience involving thin films, coatings, surface science, materials processing, plasma processes, nanoscale materials, or related technologies.
• Hands-on experience with one or more deposition or materials-processing techniques, such as Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD), sputtering, plasma deposition, Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD), Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), evaporation, ion-beam processing, or coating development.
• Experience with one or more materials-characterization techniques, such as ellipsometry, reflectometry, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), profilometry, or related methods.
• Understanding of material structure-property relationships and experience using experimental evidence to investigate scientific or engineering questions.
• Experience designing experiments, analyzing technical data, testing hypotheses, and developing recommendations based on experimental results.
• Ability to communicate research findings clearly through technical documentation, presentations, and cross-functional discussions.
• Ability to collaborate effectively within a multidisciplinary research and engineering environment.

You might also have:

• Research experience with carbon-based materials, diamond-like carbon, amorphous carbon, protective coatings, optical coatings, or ultrathin films.
• Familiarity with thin-film optical properties, including refractive index, extinction coefficient, absorption, reflectivity, or interference effects.
• Experience with surface and interface phenomena, including adhesion, friction, wear, corrosion, surface energy, or lubrication.
• Experience with statistical analysis, Design of Experiments (DOE), modeling, or scientific programming using tools such as JMP, MATLAB, Python, or similar software.
• Exposure to magnetic-recording technology, HAMR, data-storage systems, tribology, semiconductor processing, optical materials, or precision mechanical interfaces.
• Experience with process scale-up, technology transfer, or translating research findings into practical product or manufacturing applications.

The estimated base salary range for this position is $127,691.00 - $182,605.00. 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, 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:

Our Gold LEED-certified Fremont product-design campus drives innovation, bringing together a diverse set of engineering, design, operations, support and administrative teams. The site is equipped with state-of-the-art clean room and lab space. On-site social activities are popular, including our annual BBQ, ice cream social, and holiday events. Wellness programs, gaming rooms and the on-site fitness center help round out and balance your Seagate work-life experience, along with opportunities to give back to our local community.

Location: Fremont USA Research Center
Travel: Up to 10%