Summer 2026 Intern Hardware Development Engineering Tape Head Development

Position Overview:

Were inviting motivated graduate students to apply for our Hardware Development Engineer this role you will gain invaluable experience with advanced measurement technologies including UV microscopes and Picoscale laser interferometers focusing on the measurement and analysis of magnetic recording heads. This internship is an exceptional opportunity to contribute to the innovation and development of data storage technology.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Use state-of-the-art equipment to measure the span of magnetic recording heads applying your skills in UV microscopy and laser interferometry.
• Accurately measure head deformations (both in-plane and out-of-plane) using advanced interferometry techniques.
• Conduct hands-on measurements on critical components like rowbars and modules deepening your understanding of data storage hardware.
• Analyze measurement data using software tools such as MatLab and JMP to identify patterns and correlations informing future technology developments.
• Propose experimental projects based on your findings contributing to the improvement of measurement methods and our understanding of magnetic recording technologies.
• Use of AFM/MFM to characterize Tape head performance/design.

Why This Internship

This position is more than an internship; its a gateway into the field of hardware development for data storage solutions. Youll work alongside experts in a dynamic environment that bridges theoretical knowledge with practical application. This internship will enhance your engineering skills prepare you for a future career in the tech industry and give you the opportunity to contribute to meaningful technological advancements.

Qualifications :

Academic Path: Were looking for Masters students poised to graduate between December 2026 and June 2027 from disciplines such as Electrical Engineering (EE) Physics Mechanical Engineering (ME) or Computer Science (CS). Your educational journey is key to bringing fresh perspectives to our team.

Technical Proficiencies: In our work proficiency in MatLab Solidworks and programming languages like C or Python is highly valued. These skills are instrumental in navigating the challenges and opportunities in our projects. If your toolkit includes experience with Autodesk Eagle or Arduino IDE were excited about the diverse insights you can bring.

Lab Experience: Hands-on experience with lab equipment such as digital voltmeters (DVMs) oscilloscopes and familiarity with soldering and working on detailed components enriches our collaborative projects. If youve engaged with CNC mills routers 3D printers or soldering stations your practical knowledge will greatly contribute to our team.

Innovation Drive: A passion for robotics microcontrollers and a drive to apply these interests in real-world scenarios are qualities we cherish. Your enthusiasm for exploring new technologies and solving complex problems is what we aim to support and develop further.

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 persons gender identity gender expression and gender-related appearance and behavior whether or not stereotypically associated with the persons 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 company our customers and the world around us. We are committed to an inclusive environment where every individual can thrive through a sense of belonging respect and contribution.

Western Digital is committed to offering opportunities to applicants with disabilities and ensuring all candidates can successfully navigate our careers website and our hiring process. Please contact us at to advise us of your accommodation your email please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.

Based on our experience we anticipate that the application deadline will be 4/16/26 although we reserve the right to close the application process sooner if we hire an applicant for this position before the application deadline. If we are not able to hire someone from this role before the application deadline we will update this posting with a new anticipated application deadline.

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Compensation & Benefits Details

• An employees pay position within the salary range may be based on several factors including but not limited to (1) relevant education; qualifications; certifications; and experience; (2) skills ability knowledge of the job; (3) performance contribution and results; (4) geographic location; (5) shift; (6) internal and external equity; and (7) business and organizational needs.
• The salary range is what we believe to be the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting.  We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and this range is only applicable for jobs to be performed in California Colorado New York or remote jobs that can be performed in California Colorado and New York.  This range may be modified in the future.
• If your position is non-exempt you are eligible for overtime pay pursuant to company policy and applicable laws.  You may also be eligible for shift differential pay depending on the shift to which you are assigned.

• You will be eligible to be considered for bonuses under either Western Digitals Short Term Incentive Plan (STI Plan) or the Sales Incentive Plan (SIP) which provides incentive awards based on Company and individual performance depending on your role and your performance. You may be eligible to participate in our annual Long-Term Incentive (LTI) program which consists of restricted stock units (RSUs) or cash equivalents pursuant to the terms of the LTI plan. Please note that not all roles are eligible to participate in the LTI program and not all roles are eligible for equity under the LTI plan. RSU awards are also available to eligible new hires subject to Western Digitals Standard Terms and Conditions for Restricted Stock Unit Awards.

• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid vacation time; paid sick leave; medical/dental/vision insurance; life accident and disability insurance; tax-advantaged flexible spending and health savings accounts; employee assistance program; other voluntary benefit programs such as supplemental life and AD&D legal plan pet insurance critical illness accident and hospital indemnity; tuition reimbursement; transit; the Applause Program; employee stock purchase plan; and the Western Digital Savings 401(k) Plan.
• Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned vested and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus commission benefits or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Companys sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Companys sole discretion consistent with the law.

Notice To Candidates: Please be aware that Western Digital and its subsidiaries will never request payment as a condition for applying for a position or receiving an offer of employment. Should you encounter any such requests please report it immediately to Western Digital Ethics Helpline or email .

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Intern