Sensor Stack Development Engineer

About our group:

The Research & Development group is at the heart of our mission to build the world's most advanced data storage technologies. As part of a seasoned team, reporting to the R&D Manager, you'll help define and drive groundbreaking innovations that shape the future of storage solutions. The Advanced Transducer Development team is leading the charge in delivering the next generation of high-performance recording head devices, critical to enabling cutting-edge data storage, retrieval and reliability. If you're energized by pioneering technology, fueled by creativity, and driven to turn bold ideas into reality, this is your opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

About the role - you will:

Leveraging our high-tech wafer fabrication facility in Derry UK, with state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and design tools, you will be part of the research and development team responsible for Seagate's future HDD products. You'll work closely with design engineers, global development teams and process engineers to build, test and characterize nano-scale magnetic reader sensor devices. Your focus will be on the development of the next generation of TGMR-based sensor stacks, defining materials requirements in collaboration with design and enabling the material property options, across metals, dielectrics and thin film growth techniques, that make future devices possible.

You will:

As a key player in TGMR sensor stack development, you will drive innovation in nano-scale reader sensors, ensuring device performance, reliability, yield and sigmas. Your expertise will shape next-generation storage technology through:

• Developing next-generation TGMR-based sensor stacks, designing and optimizing magnetic multilayers, tunnel barriers and interfaces to meet targets for magnetoresistance, resistance-area product, magnetic stability and noise.
• Defining materials requirements in collaboration with design, translating device and performance targets into clear material property specifications.
• Enabling material property options across metals and dielectrics, including electrical, magnetic, mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties, stress, microstructure and interface quality.
• Developing and optimizing thin film growth processes, including sputtering, atomic layer deposition (ALD), electroplating and evaporation, at 200mm wafer scale.
• Characterizing films and devices using techniques such as XRD, XRR, XPS, SEM/TEM, AFM, ellipsometry, four-point probe and stress measurement, and translating the results into process and design improvements.
• Collaborating with equipment and materials vendors to define, test, and integrate next-generation deposition capability and materials aligned with future product roadmaps.
• Managing experiments, projects, and wafer tracking to ensure timely and impactful results.
• Supporting technology transfers to the product development engineering team.
• Contributing to Seagate's intellectual property portfolio, including invention disclosures, patents, and peer-reviewed publications.

About you:

• You are an innovative and self-motivated worker with an insatiable curiosity
• You have excellent organizational, project management and problem-solving skills
• You have a reputation for honesty, integrity, and showing respect toward others
• You earn the technical respect of peers and can effectively influence technical decisions
• You are analytical with excellent data analysis skills and with an ability to find breakthrough solutions
• You have a track record of innovation and routinely use outside sources (journals, patents, university work and conferences) for developing new ideas and directions

Your experience includes:

• Your educational background should be in materials, physics, chemistry, materials engineering, or a related field.
• Graduated with PhD within the last 24mths or within the next 6mths.
• A solid materials science background covering structure-property relationships in metal and dielectric thin films. Knowledge of magnetic thin films and TGMR / magnetic tunnel junction stacks is highly desirable.
• Hands-on experience with thin film processing, in particular, experience on the deposition of TGMR sensor stacks.
• Knowledge of characterization techniques, including structural, compositional, electrical, mechanical and magnetic/magnetotransport (e.g. VSM, MOKE, CIPT).
• Experience in micro/nanofabrication or semiconductor wafer processing is desirable.

Please note that you must demonstrate on 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 2nd December 2026

This is a Full-Time position working 39 hours per week, on-site working.

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.

Location:

Derry / Londonderry, Northern Ireland

Our Springtown site is Derry/Londonderry's largest manufacturer, we're proud that Seagate is a flexible and inclusive place to work.

Here at work, you can grab breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks at our subsidized on-site cafe.

Looking for an active break from your workday? We've got you covered. Take a group or individual exercise class during lunch or after work at our on-site gym.

Network with your colleagues through the Young Professionals Network, Women's Leadership Group, the Carers Café (for caregivers of individuals with disabilities), Volunteer in the community with our support! Join our creative network, which includes a choir, foreign language classes and even a cookery class!

Join our Employee Resource Groups (ERG), a voluntary, employee-led community built on a shared diversity identity and/or an appreciation of that identity, open to ALL current employees at Seagate!

See list below of many of our Springtown Company Benefits:

• Health - Private Healthcare, for employees and dependents, Company sick pay and medical leave, Occupational healthcare service, Employee assistance programmes, Group income protection and On-site gym/ exercise classes / personal trainer.
• Work Life Balance - Annual leave, Flexible working hours, Part-time working, Enhanced maternity pay, Enhanced paternity pay, Bereavement leave.
• Finance - Pension - employer contributory scheme, Life assurance, Employee stock purchase plan, Competitive base pay, Company bonus scheme, Reward and recognition, Employee savings scheme, Perks at work discount programmes, Employee discount scheme, Pay for civil / jury duty.
• Career - Degree / non degree assistance, Externally accredited training and development opportunities, Service awards, LinkedIn learning, Learning & development programmes.

Location: Springtown, United Kingdom

Travel: None