Jobs / United States / Western Digital Technologies INC
Manager Metrology Equipment Engineering
Western Digital Technologies INC · 🇺🇸 San Jose, CA, US
Sponsorship verdict
Sponsorship possible
One solid signal, not two — worth applying, and worth asking about sponsorship early.
- Employer is on a government sponsor recordThe US Department of Labor certified 176 H-1B/E-3 labor condition applications for this employer between Oct 2025 and Jun 2026 (latest Jun 2026) — the step every H-1B hire needs first. USCIS also records 56 H-1B approvals in FY2023. Source: LCA disclosure data (US Department of Labor (OFLC)).
- The posting doesn’t mention sponsorshipSilence isn’t a refusal — ask the recruiter before investing much time.
- No salary bar for this routeH-1B has no fixed salary bar: the employer must pay at least the prevailing wage for the role and area. Cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level. Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/29/2025-23853/weighted-selection-process-for-registrants-and-petitioners-seeking-to-file-cap-subject-h-1b, rules effective 2026-02-27.
- What Western Digital Technologies INC paid sponsored hires in similar roles35 certified filings for “Staff Engineer, Hardware Development Engineering” (Industrial Engineers) in CA: $120k–$163k, median $145k. Most were filed at wage level II (44%) — 2 lottery entries, ≈31% projected selection odds for cap-subject employers. Source: US Department of Labor LCA disclosure data (Oct 2025 – Jun 2026).
- Confirmed live todayWhen a source last listed this job as open.
US H-1B: cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level — Level I gets 1 entry, Level IV gets 4 (DHS projected selection odds ≈15% at Level I to ≈61% at Level IV). Universities and non-profit research employers are cap-exempt. The $100,000 fee for new petitions from abroad is currently blocked by a court order (appeal pending).
A verdict summarises public evidence; it is not legal advice and never a guarantee — the employer and the immigration authority decide. Sign in to factor in where you can already work.
Or apply yourself on the official page →
Sponsor Radar — Western Digital Technologies INC
The US Department of Labor certified 176 H-1B/E-3 labor condition applications for this employer between Oct 2025 and Jun 2026 (latest Jun 2026) — the step every H-1B hire needs first. USCIS also records 56 H-1B approvals in FY2023. Source: LCA disclosure data (US Department of Labor (OFLC)).
Past sponsorship or register membership never guarantees sponsorship for this vacancy or for you. Full Sponsor Radar for Western Digital Technologies INC →
About the role
Role Overview We are seeking an experienced and strategic Metrology Equipment Engineering Manager to lead a team of Metrology Equipment Engineers supporting wafer manufacturing operations in San Jose and Fremont. In this role, you will be responsible for the technical direction, operational performance, and continuous improvement of the wafer metrology equipment fleet. You will serve as the primary escalation point for equipment issues across the metrology engineering team, drive prioritization decisions that balance line availability, quality risk, and resource capacity, and develop your team's technical and professional capabilities. You will partner closely with manufacturing, process integration, quality, and equipment supplier teams to ensure measurement systems meet the precision and throughput demands of leading-edge HDD wafer production. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Team Leadership & People Management • Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Metrology Equipment Engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence, accountability, and continuous learning • Set clear performance expectations, conduct regular 1:1s, and deliver timely, constructive feedback through formal performance reviews and ongoing coaching • Support career development planning for team members across technical and leadership growth paths • Drive team engagement, retention, and skill development through targeted training, stretch assignments, and cross-functional exposure • Onboard new team members and ensure effective knowledge transfer across the team • Model adoption of AI-assisted analysis tools and automation workflows to elevate team efficiency and analytical capability Escalation Management • Serve as the primary technical escalation point for all wafer metrology equipment issues, including critical measurement excursions, tool downtime, and data quality anomalies • Apply structured problem-solving methodologies (8D, RCCA, DMAIC) to drive rapid and permanent resolution of high-severity equipment issues • Engage with equipment suppliers, field service engineers, and internal stakeholders to resolve complex technical issues that exceed individual engineer scope • Maintain clear escalation pathways and communication protocols to ensure manufacturing leadership is informed of risk exposure and recovery timelines • Own post-incident reviews to capture learnings and prevent recurrence across the fleet Prioritization & Resource Management • Manage and prioritize workload across the team to align metrology engineering resources with production urgency, quality risk, and strategic program milestones • Balance competing demands across preventive maintenance schedules, qualification activities, excursion investigations, and improvement projects • Develop and maintain a team capacity model to support headcount planning, overtime decisions, and contractor or vendor resource allocation • Partner with manufacturing and process engineering leaders to align metrology equipment roadmap and readiness with production ramps and new technology introductions Metrology Equipment Operations & Technical Oversight • Oversee the operation, calibration, qualification, and maintenance of the full wafer metrology equipment portfolio, including optical, SEM, and physical measurement systems • Ensure all measurement systems meet accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility requirements through rigorous MSA, GRR, and capability assessments • Review and approve measurement procedures, protocols, equipment qualifications, and technical documentation developed by the team • Establish and maintain equipment health monitoring systems, KPI dashboards, and fleet performance metrics (uptime, MTTR, calibration compliance, measurement uncertainty) • Ensure com