The System Application HDD Diagnostic Engineer is responsible for enterprise HDD system behavior, diagnostics, customer integration, and root‑cause analysis. This role partners closely with China‑based cloud, OEM/ODM, and hyperscale customers to ensure successful HDD qualification, debug complex system‑level issues, and drive improvements into product design and validation. Staff and Principal levels differ in technical depth, leadership scope, and strategic influence. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Responsible for enterprise HDD system behavior analysis, diagnostics, customer integration support, and root cause analysis to support successful product qualification in China customer environments. Take direction from senior team members to support technical engagement with China-based cloud, OEM/ODM, and hyperscale customers, helping resolve complex system-level issues and drive improvements into product design and validation. Support system-level diagnostics for HDD functional, electrical, mechanical, firmware, and host interaction issues. Perform root cause analysis using drive logs, protocol traces, system logs, error signatures, performance data, and platform-dependent behavior. Conduct specification gap analysis, feature validation, interoperability testing, and workload-based behavior characterization. Collaborate with global Firmware, ASIC, Servo, Mechanical, Reliability, Manufacturing, and Quality teams to drive corrective actions and feature improvements. Support customer sample planning, execution, tracking, and qualification deliverables. Validate fixes and enhancements in customer environments and ensure robust closure. Support preparation of technical reports, failure analysis summaries, and update presentations to internal teams and customers. Participate in the development of internal troubleshooting guides, diagnostic scripts, test methodologies, and platform-specific best practices. For Principal level, influence product architecture, drive long-term diagnostic strategy, and lead cross-functional initiatives.
Bachelor’s degree or above in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or other related fields. Master’s degree or PhD is preferred. Strong ability to isolate and analyze complex system-level issues involving firmware, mechanics, electronics, and host interactions. Fluent Mandarin is required to support customer engagement in China. Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Familiarity with HDD architecture, including microcode/firmware layers, servo, head/media interactions, and electrical/ASIC behavior. Experience with SAS/SATA protocol analyzers, signal integrity tools, performance profiling, environmental stress testing, or HDD diagnostic instrumentation. Python or similar scripting skills for log parsing, automation, or analytics. Familiarity with data center storage system environments. Willingness to travel within China and occasionally internationally to support customer engagements and joint investigations.
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