Engineer - Photolithography in Derry, Londonderry

About our group

At Seagate our mission is to build the world’s best data storage devices. The Advanced Transducer Development group is a global R&D organization that develops new recording head technologies to advance areal density and enable Seagate’s HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 4 year+ product roadmap. Our process team uses state-of-the-art wafer fabrication tools and cleanroom facilities to innovate and deliver leading-edge writers and read sensors. With an emphasis on proving feasibility of new devices, processes and materials, we help build Seagate’s future time-to-market leadership. If you are excited by innovative technology development, are naturally creative, and passionate about seeing ideas come to life then this could be a perfect fit to your research and development career.

About the role – you will:

• Develop novel, robust, and manufacturable lithography processes to achieve critical shape and dimension targets in advanced head devices.
• Utilize next-generation scanners with existing or new patterning materials to achieve design requirements.
• Maintain stability of wafer processes, including data analysis for statistical process control and investigation of root causes for process excursions.
• Apply problem-solving techniques to resolve operational issues with wafer processing and development flows to minimize wafer cycle time and scrap.
• Work with design partners to understand requirements for device performance and close gaps between intended and fabricated structures.
• Interface with the wider RD and Product wafer teams (deposition, etch, CMP, wet process and integration) to integrate new lithography process modules into advanced prototype wafer builds.
• Explore techniques with wafer capital equipment suppliers and research partners to advance process capability in resist coating, optical exposure, resist development and litho metrology.
• Manage experiments, projects and wafer tracking to deliver results to the designated schedule.
• Participate in technology transfers to the product development engineering team.
• Contribute to Seagate’s IP portfolio in the form of invention disclosures, patents, trade secrets, peer-reviewed journal articles, and/or white papers.

About you

You are self‑motivated, intellectually curious, able to work independently and have a strong attention to detail. You are an honest and respectful team player, capable of working in strong partnership with a diverse global group of engineers and technicians. You are a well‑organized multitasker, able to balance day‑to‑day wafer processing needs with longer‑term development work. You maintain thorough documentation of results and can clearly present and discuss them with other staff members in engineering and management forums. You have a track record of innovation and regularly use outside sources (journals, patents, university projects and conferences) to inspire new ideas and directions. You are able and eager to work in a mix of clean room and laboratory environments.

Your experience includes:

• Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degree in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Optical Engineering, Applied Optics, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related science or engineering field.
• 3+ years of hands‑on lithography or wafer process development experience in an R&D or manufacturing environment.
• Strong hands‑on experience and in-depth understanding of optical imaging, photoresist formulation and chemistry, mask design, dosing, pattern formation, etc.
• Expertise in lithography‑related characterization techniques (e.g. inspection, ellipsometry, profilometry, SEM, etc).
• Experience operating and/or maintaining lithography process equipment (coat/develop tools, steppers/scanners/aligners, strippers, etc).
• Modeling or simulation of resist behavior and pattern formation (helpful but not essential).
• Knowledge of standard statistical experimentation methods including hypothesis testing, DOE design and analysis and ANOVA.
• Familiarity with JMP or R preferred but not essential.

Please note that you must demonstrate in the application how you meet the criteria for the role as identified above. To facilitate shortlisting, the company reserves the right to apply enhanced criteria. Completed applications should be submitted no later than midnight on Wednesday, 8th April 2026. This is a Full‑Time position working 39 hours per week. Location Springtown, Derry / Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

Seagate Technology is committed to equal opportunity in employment and welcomes applications from all sections of the community irrespective of sex, marital status, religious affiliation, age, disability or ethnic origin. The company specifically welcomes applications from the Protestant community who are currently underrepresented in this job category. All applications will be considered strictly on the basis of merit.

Company Benefits:

• Health – Private healthcare, for employees and dependents, company sick pay and medical leave, occupational healthcare service, employee assistance programmes, group income protection, on‑site gym/exercise classes/personal trainer.
• Work Life Balance – Annual leave, part‑time working, enhanced maternity pay, enhanced paternity pay, bereavement leave, onsite gym.
• Finance – Pension – employer contributory scheme, life assurance, employee stock purchase plan, competitive base pay, company bonus scheme, reward and recognition, perks at work discount programmes, pay for civil/jury duty.
• Career – Degree/non‑degree assistance, externally accredited training and development opportunities, service awards, LinkedIn Learning, learning & development programmes.
• Travel: None.