Level: Senior Staff Engineer (Senior Individual Contributor role; no direct reports)
About our group:
The HGA Process Development team owns early‑stage process invention, feasibility, and KPIV understanding to enable future product requirements
The team builds deep, physics‑based process knowledge, focusing on identifying critical KPIVs, defining their relationships to KPOVs, and delivering validated, tool‑ready concepts
Working closely with HGA/TGA design and product teams, the group ensures alignment to next‑generation architectures while influencing process capability and design tradeoffs
Operating upstream of integration and factory organizations, the team emphasizes rapid learning, concept validation, and technical risk reduction
Development is strongly engineering‑driven, with focus on process physics, materials behavior, and reliability, supported by analytical tools such as modeling and FEA
About the role - you will:
- Lead and build the Advanced HGA Process Development team, including hiring, coaching, and developing a multi‑disciplinary organization spanning process, materials, tooling, controls, software, and metrology
- Own the technical direction and execution of early development, ensuring strong pipeline of innovative concepts and effective down‑selection based on technical merit and scalability
- Drive development of core process capabilities, including slider attach, adhesive dispense, interconnect technologies, and supporting metrology and modeling
- Establish and enforce a strong KPIV/KPOV engineering discipline, enabling deep process understanding, transfer function development, and data‑driven decision making
- Lead tool concept development and equipment strategy, working with internal teams and external suppliers to enable first‑of‑kind process and automation solutions
- Partner closely with U.S.-based design, materials, and product teams to align process development with future architecture needs, including regular cross‑time‑zone collaboration
- Ensure successful handoff to integration teams, delivering validated concepts, clear process windows, and well‑defined scaling and risk mitigation strategies
- Build and manage lab capability and infrastructure in Thailand, enabling rapid prototyping, experimentation, and learning cycles
- Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and technical excellence, balancing speed, rigor, and creativity in early‑stage development
About you:
- Proven experience in engineering leadership, ideally in HDD manufacturing, precision assembly, or advanced process development
- Strong background in process development, tool design, or manufacturing engineering, with ability to guide complex, multi‑disciplinary technical work
- Experience leading teams in ambiguous, early‑stage development environments, driving from concept to validated solutions
- Solid understanding of data‑driven engineering approaches, including structured problem solving and statistical thinking
- Ability to collaborate effectively across global teams, influencing design, materials, and product decisions
- Strong people leadership and talent development skills, with track record of building high‑performing teams
Location:
Teparuk Thailand
Home to over 4,000 employees, our Teparuk site specializes in producing nano-recording heads—a crucial component for the read/write functionality of hard disk drives. At our Teparuk facility, work is both productive and enjoyable. You and your colleagues can grab breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks at our 24/7 on-site canteen and coffee shop. Stay active by taking a few laps around our running track or participating in volleyball, basketball, table tennis, badminton, or football at our on-site gymnasium and fitness center. We also offer a variety of activities, including music, dance, and aerobic classes. Alternatively, unwind in our lush green areas. Consider joining any of our employee resource groups (ERGs), such as Seagate Women in Leadership Network (SWLN), Seagate PRIDE: Thailand chapter, or Seagate’s parents and caregivers' group. These ERGs provide educational and fun activities. Additionally, enjoy on-site festivals, celebrations, and opportunities to give back to the local community.
