Job DescriptionWe are looking for a Principal Test Automation Engineer who combines deep storage domain expertise with the ability to build AI-native workflows that multiply engineering productivity, find bugs faster, and reduce escapes. You will set standards for AI-assisted validation workflows and scale best practices across the team. This role requires solid knowledge of SAS, SCSI, NVMe, NVMe-oF, and TCP, along with hands-on experience using AI to accelerate test creation, exploratory testing, triage, root cause analysis, and workflow automation.
You will work across the full validation lifecycle - from requirements and user stories, to test planning and automation, to post-run triage, bug filing, documentation, and PR workflows - using tools like Jira and Jenkins, and MCP-enabled AI assistants. You won't just use existing tools; you'll build new ones where gaps exist.
You'll join a team that is actively investing in AI-native engineering practices and with MCP integrations already connecting our AI workflows to tools like Jira and Jenkins, and a roadmap to expand further across our automation platform and REST APIs. You'll have the opportunity to shape how AI transforms our validation workflows, not just execute someone else's playbook.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES- Translate requirements, design docs, and user stories into test plans, test cases, and pytest automation using AI-assisted and MCP-enabled workflows.
- Drive AI-assisted exploratory testing by identifying edge cases, negative scenarios, recurring failure patterns, and coverage gaps.
- Build and operationalize AI-driven triage, root cause analysis, and failure trend analysis - correlate logs, traces, firmware output, and hardware events across subsystems; build tools and dashboards that surface patterns, cut MTTR, and deliver data-backed release-readiness signals.
- Build reusable AI-driven workflows, templates, and playbooks across tools like Jira and Jenkins - including RAG-based knowledge systems grounded in platform specs, historical failures, and engineering documentation for test creation, triage, bug filing, documentation, execution summaries, and PR preparation.
- Mentor team members on AI-assisted engineering practices, prompt engineering, and MCP workflow adoption.
- Develop automated tests using pytest for firmware and storage subsystem validation across JBOD, JBOF, NAS, and SAN platforms.
- Optimize regression efficiency through risk-based test selection, rerun strategy improvements, prioritization, and flaky test detection and reduction.
QualificationsRQUIRED- B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field
- Experience converting requirements and user stories into test plans, test cases, and automated validation using AI-assisted workflows.
- Experience applying AI tools in engineering workflows, including promp engineering, RAG, and tool/agent integrations (e.g., MCP); production experience is a plus, but strong demonstrated initiative counts.
- Strong experience in test automation and quality assurance, with significant focus on storage systems.
- Hands-on experience with Python and pytest
- Strong understanding of storage systems and validation methodologies
- Knowledge of SAS, SCSI, NVMe, NVMe-oF
- Understanding of TCP
- Strong Linux troubleshooting and system-level debugging skills
- Good understanding of hardware-software interaction
- Experience identifying coverage gaps, weak scenarios, and missing negative tests, with understanding of regression optimization and data-driven quality improvement
- Strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills
- Self-driven and able to work effectively in a fast-paced environment
PREFERRED SKILLS- Experience with AI-assisted IDEs (Windsurf, Cursor, Copilot) and custom workflow/rule authoring
- Active engagement with the AI landscape - you follow model releases, experiment with new tools, and bring relevant advances into your work.
- Experience testing REST APIs
- Experience with Fabric Switches
- Familiarity with RDMA/RoCE (used with NVMe-oF)
- Experience with HDD/SSD debugging
- Comfortable working in a lab/data center environment
- Experience building reusable automation frameworks, validation workflows, or engineering playbooks
- Familiarity with PR workflows, release validation, and engineering documentation
- Experience building internal tools and dashboards using Streamlit, Gradio FastAPI, or similar
Salary Range126,800.00-169,100.00
Compensation & Benefits Details- An employee's pay position within the salary range may be based on several factors including but not limited to (1) relevant education; qualifications; certifications; and experience; (2) skills, ability, knowledge of the job; (3) performance, contribution and results; (4) geographic location; (5) shift; (6) internal and external equity; and (7) business and organizational needs.
- The salary range is what we believe to be the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and this range is only applicable for jobs to be performed in California, Colorado, New York or remote jobs that can be performed in California, Colorado and New York. This range may be modified in the future.
- If your position is non-exempt, you are eligible for overtime pay pursuant to company policy and applicable laws. You may also be eligible for shift differential pay, depending on the shift to which you are assigned.
- You will be eligible to be considered for bonuses under either WD's Short Term Incentive Plan ("STI Plan") or the Sales Incentive Plan ("SIP") which provides incentive awards based on Company and individual performance, depending on your role and your performance. You may be eligible to participate in our annual Long-Term Incentive (LTI) program, which consists of restricted stock units (RSUs) or cash equivalents, pursuant to the terms of the LTI plan. Please note that not all roles are eligible to participate in the LTI program, and not all roles are eligible for equity under the LTI plan. RSU awards are also available to eligible new hires, subject to WD's Standard Terms and Conditions for Restricted Stock Unit Awards.
- We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid vacation time; paid sick leave; medical/dental/vision insurance; life, accident and disability insurance; tax-advantaged flexible spending and health savings accounts; employee assistance program; other voluntary benefit programs such as supplemental life and AD&D, legal plan, pet insurance, critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity; tuition reimbursement; transit; the Applause Program; employee stock purchase plan; and the WD Savings 401(k) Plan.
- Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company's sole discretion, consistent with the law.
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