Graduate Optical and Probe Test Engineer in Derry

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 for your research and development career.

About the role - you will: We are seeking an Optical and Probe Test Engineer to join our Advanced Transducer Development Team. In this hands‑on role, you will design and develop optical and/or probe test solutions to characterise, validate, and support advanced writer designs, enabling rapid learning across a broad portfolio of new designs. You will also be responsible for the design and creation of optical and probe test toolkits to support device development, characterisation and manufacturing readiness. These efforts will help shape Seagate’s future process technologies and evolve our manufacturing lines to accelerate delivery of next generation HDD products. This is a full‑time, on‑site position, working 39 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and maintain optical and probe test toolkits to support R&D and product development activities
• Develop probe‑based electrical and opto‑electronic test solutions for device characterisation and validation
• Design and implement optical test setups, including alignment, calibration, and stability considerations
• Define test methodologies, data flows, and analysis techniques to extract meaningful performance metrics
• Develop process knowledge and expertise to optimise wafer processing for wafer builds
• Support debug, failure analysis, and root‑cause investigations using optical and probe‑based measurements
• Work with cross‑functional teams to ensure test solutions align with design intent and manufacturing requirements
• Document test methods, toolkit usage, and best practices to ensure scalability and repeatability
• Support tool qualification, acceptance testing, and process transfers
• Maintain thorough documentation of processes, results, and best practices
• Manage and analyse datasets to correlate experimental results with device performance and reliability
• 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:

• Degree (BSc, MSc, or PhD) in Physics, Optical Engineering, Photonics, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline
• Strong understanding of optical systems, opto‑electronic devices, and measurement techniques
• Experience with probe‑based testing (electrical, optical, or combined)
• Experience developing test toolkits, scripts, or frameworks (e.g. Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, or similar)
• Ability to analyse complex datasets and translate results into actionable engineering insight

Desirable Skills:

• Experience with automated test systems and data pipelines
• Familiarity with optical alignment, fibre coupling, and precision positioning systems
• Familiarity with wafer processing techniques used in semiconductor or wafer fabrication
• Experience supporting test development in a cleanroom, lab, or high‑tech manufacturing environment
• Knowledge of design for testability (DFT) concepts
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams

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 Sunday 29th March 2026. This is a Full‑Time position working 39 hours per week. At Seagate we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace.

Location: Springtown, Derry / Londonderry, Northern Ireland