Key Responsibilities
Under the guidance of senior engineers, the Associate Engineer will contribute to the design, analysis, testing, and improvement of tape drive and robotic storage systems.
Responsibilities include:
- Support development and testing of precision electromechanical systems used in tape drives and robotic storage products.
- Assist in characterization of tape transport dynamics, motion control performance, and mechanical system behavior.
- Contribute to development and optimization of servo control systems for positioning, motion, and tension-control applications.
- Analyze motor-control systems including brushless DC motors, voice coil actuators, encoders, sensors, and feedback systems.
- Apply digital signal processing techniques to measurement systems, diagnostics, filtering, and control applications.
- Develop mathematical models and simulations to better understand system performance.
- Design and execute engineering experiments and collect performance data.
- Use Python and other engineering tools to analyze data, automate tests, and generate reports.
- Apply statistical methods to evaluate product performance, reliability, and manufacturing variation.
- Investigate product issues through structured root-cause analysis techniques.
- Analyze telemetry and large engineering datasets to identify trends and performance correlations.
- Support development of predictive analytics and machine-learning methods for reliability and performance analysis.
- Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, firmware, recording, robotics, and manufacturing engineers.
- Document test procedures, analytical methods, technical findings, and lessons learned.
- Present technical results clearly to engineering teams and stakeholders.
- Continuously develop subject-matter expertise in tape storage technologies and automation systems.
Required Education
M.S. or Ph.D. preferred in one of the following fields:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mechatronics Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Robotics Engineering
- Control Systems Engineering
- Electromechanical Engineering
- Applied Physics
- Related Engineering Discipline
Strong B.S. candidates with relevant internships, research, co-op experience, or project work may also be considered.
Preferred Qualifications
The ideal candidate demonstrates:
- Strong engineering fundamentals and analytical thinking
- Curiosity and desire to learn complex technologies
- Ability to connect theory, modeling, and experimental results
- Experience with Python, MATLAB, or similar technical computing tools
- Exposure to controls, robotics, signal processing, motion systems, data analytics, or reliability engineering
- Excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting skills
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary engineering teams
Preferred Experience
Exposure through research, internships, graduate projects, or employment in one or more of the following areas is desirable:
- Robotics and automation
- Motion control and servo systems
- Mechatronics
- Digital signal processing
- Applied statistics and data analytics
- Machine learning
- Semiconductor equipment
- Hard disk drives or storage systems
- Precision instrumentation and measurement systems
- Laboratory testing and engineering experimentation