Senior Data Recovery Engineer – HDD Mechanical & SSD Recovery

Salary: $100,000 – $125,000 AUD + Superannuation
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Work Arrangement: Full-Time, Permanent – Onsite
Relocation Assistance: Provided for suitable candidates
Experience: 5+ years of professional data recovery experience

About V4 IT Services

V4 IT Services Pty Ltd is an established Australian IT services company headquartered in Melbourne, providing IT support, computer repairs, data recovery and technical solutions to residential and business customers across Australia.

We are expanding our specialist Data Recovery Division and seeking a highly experienced Senior Data Recovery Engineer to lead our advanced data recovery operations in Melbourne.

This is a unique opportunity for an experienced data recovery specialist to help establish and develop a qualified data recovery laboratory, including cleanroom/clean-bench facilities, specialist equipment, recovery procedures and technical capabilities.

We are specifically looking for an engineer with proven hands-on experience in mechanical HDD recovery, including head replacements, as well as firmware and SSD recovery.

Key Responsibilities

Mechanical HDD Data Recovery

- Independently perform advanced mechanical HDD recovery, including head stack assembly (HSA) replacement, donor head matching and platter-related diagnostics.
- Diagnose clicking, seized, non-spinning, damaged and mechanically failed hard drives.
- Perform controlled HDD opening and internal component replacement using appropriate clean-bench facilities.
- Diagnose and resolve spindle motor, PCB and other mechanical or electronic failures.
- Work with donor drives and perform advanced recovery procedures on damaged storage media.

Firmware, Logical & SSD Recovery

- Diagnose and recover HDD firmware, service area, translator and related failures.
- Perform advanced imaging, bad-sector management and data extraction.
- Diagnose SSD controller, firmware, NAND and electronic failures.
- Perform SSD recovery using professional tools, including PC-3000 SSD where supported.
- Handle complex logical recovery cases involving damaged file systems, inaccessible partitions and corrupted storage devices.
- Troubleshoot USB flash drives, memory cards and other storage media.





Professional Data Recovery Equipment

- Independently operate professional data recovery tools, particularly PC-3000 and PC-3000 Data Extractor.
- Use equipment such as DeepSpar, Dolphin DFL, MRT, Rusolut or equivalent systems where appropriate.
- Select suitable tools, techniques and donor components for individual recovery cases.
- Maintain equipment and follow professional laboratory procedures.

Laboratory Setup & Technical Leadership

- Lead the establishment of V4 IT Services' advanced data recovery laboratory in Melbourne.
- Assist with selecting, sourcing and setting up clean benches, specialist recovery equipment, tools and spare parts.
- Develop standard operating procedures for mechanical, firmware, logical and SSD recovery.
- Establish professional drive handling, imaging, documentation and data protection procedures.
- Train and mentor junior technicians in HDD/SSD diagnosis and recovery techniques.
- Manage complex recovery cases independently from diagnosis through to data extraction and verification.
- Collaborate with company management to expand the capabilities of the Data Recovery Division.
- Maintain strict customer data confidentiality, security and quality standards.

Essential Requirements

- Minimum 5 years of professional hands-on data recovery experience, preferably in a specialist data recovery laboratory.
- Demonstrated experience successfully performing HDD head replacements and mechanical recovery procedures.
- Proven ability to independently diagnose and recover mechanically damaged HDDs.
- Strong working experience with PC-3000, PC-3000 Data Extractor or comparable professional equipment.
- Strong understanding of HDD architecture, firmware, electronics and mechanical components.
- Experience diagnosing and recovering failed SSDs.
- Experience working with clean benches or controlled environments for HDD mechanical recovery.




- Ability to troubleshoot difficult recovery cases independently.
- Strong problem-solving and diagnostic skills.
- Good English communication skills and ability to document technical procedures.
- Willingness to work full-time from our Melbourne facility.

Highly Desirable Skills

- Advanced SSD/NVMe recovery using PC-3000 SSD or equivalent.
- NAND chip-off recovery and reconstruction using specialist tools.
- RAID, NAS and server data recovery.
- HDD platter transfer and spindle-related recovery experience.
- PCB repairs, micro-soldering and electronics troubleshooting.
- Experience with DeepSpar, MRT, Dolphin DFL or Rusolut.
- Previous experience setting up or managing a professional data recovery laboratory.
- Experience training or supervising junior data recovery engineers.

What We Offer

- Competitive salary of $100,000 – $125,000 AUD + Superannuation, depending on experience.
- Permanent, full-time employment based in Melbourne.
- Relocation assistance for suitable interstate candidates.
- Opportunity to establish and lead a specialist Data Recovery Division.
- Access to professional data recovery tools and investment in laboratory infrastructure.
- Opportunity to influence equipment selection, procedures and technical operations.
- Long-term career progression into a laboratory leadership or management position.
- Support from an established Australian IT services company.

Important: This is a senior, hands-on technical role. Candidates whose experience is limited to logical recovery, software-based recovery or basic hard drive troubleshooting will not be suitable.

We are seeking a specialist who can independently perform advanced recovery procedures and help build a professional data recovery laboratory from the ground up.

Pay: $100,000.00 – $125,000.00 per year

Benefits:

- Relocation assistance

Ability to commute/relocate:

- Melbourne VIC: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Preferred)

Application Question(s):

- How many years have you been performing professional HDD mechanical recovery?
- Which professional data recovery tools have you used extensively?
- Approximately how many successful HDD head replacements have you personally completed?

Work Location: In person

📌 Senior Data Recovery Engineer – HDD Mechanical & SSD Recovery (Relocation Assistance Provided) (Melbourne)
🏢 V4 Services
📍 Melbourne