Senior Manager, Firmware Development (Embedded Systems)

Location: Hybrid, Irvine, CA, United States. The role is performed from the Irvine office.

Salary: $169,700–$226,300 per year.

Company

Develops storage systems and infrastructure for hyperscale data centers, cloud platforms, enterprise infrastructure, and AI-driven data workloads, combining engineering expertise with global-scale manufacturing.

What you will do

• Lead, develop, and retain a firmware engineering team responsible for architecture, design, implementation, integration, debugging, and sustaining activities.
• Set team goals, priorities, execution plans, and resource allocation in line with product roadmaps, schedules, and quality expectations.
• Drive disciplined firmware development through design reviews, coding standards, defect management, test strategy, release readiness, and complete lifecycle documentation.
• Provide technical leadership for embedded firmware involving data structures, software algorithms, device drivers, control paths, and hardware interfaces.
• Guide debugging, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions across firmware, hardware, system, and platform interactions.
• Partner with ASIC, hardware, systems, validation, manufacturing, reliability, quality, and program teams while communicating risks, dependencies, and technical decisions to senior stakeholders.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field. An advanced degree is preferred.
• 10+ years of embedded or firmware development experience, including meaningful experience leading engineering teams.
• 3+ years of people management or equivalent leadership experience, including performance management, coaching, and career development.
• Strong technical foundation in embedded systems and firmware development using C/C++, including low-level software, device control, drivers, and hardware/software integration.
• Experience leading teams through complete product development cycles from concept through release and sustaining support.
• Experience managing engineers with a broad range of experience and skill levels.
• Strong problem-solving, debugging, and root-cause analysis skills in complex system environments.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills for technical and execution topics with engineering and management audiences.
• Leadership expectations include inclusive and accountable team building, adaptive leadership, timely decisions, early escalation, risk closure, coaching, feedback, stretch assignments, and succession planning.

Nice to have

• Experience with storage, data-path, controller, or other performance-sensitive embedded systems.
• Experience with firmware development tools, laboratory debugging environments, emulation, simulation, and automated test frameworks.
• Working knowledge of structured development methodologies, CI/CD practices, code review discipline, and quality-oriented release processes.
• Experience in global, cross-functional product development organizations.

Culture & Benefits

• Inclusive, respectful, collaborative environment grounded in accountability, technical rigor, and consistent execution.
• Paid vacation and sick leave, medical, dental, and vision insurance, life, accident, and disability insurance.
• Flexible spending and health savings accounts, employee assistance, legal, pet, critical illness, accident, and hospital indemnity programs.
• Tuition reimbursement, transit benefits, employee stock purchase plan, and WD Savings 401(k) Plan.
• Eligibility for short-term incentives and, depending on role and eligibility, long-term incentives or restricted stock units.