Director, System Qa Test
Current
Sep 2023 - Present
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Mark Vallis Email & Phone Number
HDD / SSD Validation Manager | Product/Firmware Validation | White Box/Black Box Test Development | Storage Technology | Enterprise Storage | Budget/People Management | Mentoring/Coaching
at
Groq
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✓ Verified Jul 2026
3 data sources
Profile completeness 86%
Current company
Role
HDD / SSD Validation Manager | Product/Firmware Validation | White Box/Black Box Test Development | Storage Technology | Enterprise Storage | Budget/People Management | Mentoring/Coaching
Location
Rancho Santa Margarita, California, United States
Company size
Who is Mark Vallis? Overview
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Quick answer
Mark Vallis is listed as HDD / SSD Validation Manager | Product/Firmware Validation | White Box/Black Box Test Development | Storage Technology | Enterprise Storage | Budget/People Management | Mentoring/Coaching at Groq, a with 79 employees, based in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, United States. AeroLeads shows a matched LinkedIn profile for Mark Vallis.
Mark Vallis previously worked as Director, System QA Test at Groq and Sr. Director, SSD Validation at Western Digital. Mark Vallis holds Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Electrical And Electronics Engineering from Uc Irvine.
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Groq
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Profile bio
About Mark Vallis
I'm an experienced professional in the Storage industry. I'm intimately familiar with the validation and debug of HDD and SSD firmware, for the both the Client space and Enterprise space. I've held progressively higher levels of leadership positions with increased scope and impact. I helped develop and grow Western Digital’s world class validation team.• Strong engineering manager capable of leading technical teams with diversified backgrounds toward their stated goals and objectives• Proactive and strategic manager able to look at the “big picture” and identify what needs to get done and sets the direction for the leaders under him to make it happen• Skilled in defining and overseeing organizations with multiple layers of management• Adept at mentoring and coaching individual contributors and managers at various levels• Proficient at developing processes related to product validation to increase productivity and First Time Right Qualification• Uses strong technical skills and hands on approach to solve complex technical problems• Strong technical understanding of HDD’s and SSD’s and the storage industry• Strong interpersonal skills - gets along well with everyone yet commands respect from peers and senior leaders• Strong oral and written communication skills
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6 roles
Mark Vallis work experience
A career timeline built from the work history available for this profile.
Sr. Director, Ssd Validation
Oversaw Client SSD and Enterprise SSD global validation teams with over 170 people, responsible for White Box, Black Box, and System level testing with a leadership team of a dozen Directors, Sr. Managers, Managers, and Supervisors located in the US and India.* Consolidated multiple enterprise SSD validation teams from various acquisitions that were located in various geographies into one cohesive team* Built and scaled out the NVMe/PCIe SSD validation team, process, and infrastructure, leveraging knowledge gained from the many years spent validating HDD's. Increased productivty by reducing test noise and increasing test coverage.* Developed the strategy and oversaw the roll out of system level interoperability testing aligned with Business Units* Achieved First Time Right qualification on latest eSSD product at top tier Cloud customer* Drove implementation of closed loop corrective action and configuration management processes
Mar 2018 - Mar 2023
Sr. Director Hdd Validation (Client & Enterprise), Sw Tools, Fw Ci, And Hdd Performance Testing
Responsible for White Box and Black Box testing of Client and Enterprise HDD’s, leading global teams based in the US and Asia. Held additional responsibility of HDD Characterization (Servo & Read Channel), test tool development, firmware continuous integration, and HDD performance testing.* Oversaw various functions related to HDD Validation as WD grew from a $6B (FY2005) to a $20B (FY2018) Company* Responsible for White Box, Black Box, and Interoperability testing and the disposition and severity of issues discovered during testing* Responsible for the development of test strategy and processes, test tools, and test scripts* Oversaw Client & Enterprise HDD validation - SATA/SAS, Mobile, Desktop, Server, Consumer, Surveillance* Integrated Enterprise HDD (SAS) validation into WD's validation team with the acquisition of HGST by Western Digital - assumed responsibility for HDD Validation/Characterization team in Japan* Responsible for teams in Irvine CA, San Jose CA, Malaysia, and JapanPrevious Title in this role:Director, HDD Validation: 2005 to 2007
Jan 2005 - Mar 2018
Director/Sr. Manager/Manager Hdd Fw Development
Managed FW development teams developing FW for Mobile (2.5") and Desktop (3.5") HDD's.* Responsible for the development of Controller, Cache, SMART/DRM, and Defect Management FW along with customer requested features and industry standard features* Worked with Marketing and customer facing teams to define required features and create development plansPrevious Titles in this role included:Director, HDD Strategic & Product FW Development; 2000 - 2005Sr. Manager, HDD Product FW Development; 1998 - 2000Manager, HDD FW Feature Development; 1996 - 1998
Jun 1996 - Jun 2005
Manager, Hdd Validation & Storage Applications Engineering
Managed and oversaw the growth of WD’s Firmware testing and compatibility lab, known as the FIT (Functional Integrity Test) lab, as well as the Applications Engineering team supporting WD Field Engineers and customers.
Oct 1990 - Jun 1996
Sr. Engineer/Engineer, Storage Applications Engineering
Learned storage technology (ST-506 controller, PATA/IDE interface, HDD’s), conducted controller and HDD testing, and trained Field Applications Engineers
Apr 1986 - Oct 1990
Team & coworkers
Colleagues at Groq
Other employees you can reach at groq.com. View company contacts for 79 employees →
KB
Kristina Brown
Colleague at GroqMountain View, California, United States
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MA
Mohamed Ahmed
Colleague at GroqCanada
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AB
Alan Bu
Colleague at GroqToronto, Ontario, Canada
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YL
Yuan Liu
Colleague at GroqGreater Vancouver Metropolitan Area, Canada
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HE
Hassan Ejaz Chaudhry
Colleague at GroqNew York, United States
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RP
Randy Passint
Colleague at GroqUnited States
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CF
Cedric Feghali
Colleague at GroqToronto, Ontario, Canada
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AV
Anisha Varma Mantena
Colleague at GroqHyderabad, Telangana, India
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AL
Andrew L.
Colleague at GroqToronto, Ontario, Canada
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JS
Josip Smolcic
Colleague at GroqCanada
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Kristina Brown
Colleague at GroqMountain View, California, United States
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MA
Mohamed Ahmed
Colleague at GroqCanada
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AB
Alan Bu
Colleague at GroqToronto, Ontario, Canada
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YL
Yuan Liu
Colleague at GroqGreater Vancouver Metropolitan Area, Canada
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HE
Hassan Ejaz Chaudhry
Colleague at GroqNew York, United States
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RP
Randy Passint
Colleague at GroqUnited States
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CF
Cedric Feghali
Colleague at GroqToronto, Ontario, Canada
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AV
Anisha Varma Mantena
Colleague at GroqHyderabad, Telangana, India
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AL
Andrew L.
Colleague at GroqToronto, Ontario, Canada
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JS
Josip Smolcic
Colleague at GroqCanada
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1 education record
Mark Vallis education
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Mark Vallis
Quick answers generated from the profile data available on this page.
What company does Mark Vallis work for?
Mark Vallis works for Groq.
What is Mark Vallis's role at Groq?
Mark Vallis is listed as HDD / SSD Validation Manager | Product/Firmware Validation | White Box/Black Box Test Development | Storage Technology | Enterprise Storage | Budget/People Management | Mentoring/Coaching at Groq.
Where is Mark Vallis based?
Mark Vallis is based in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, United States while working with Groq.
What companies has Mark Vallis worked for?
Mark Vallis has worked for Groq and Western Digital.
Who are Mark Vallis's colleagues at Groq?
Mark Vallis's colleagues at Groq include Kristina Brown, Mohamed Ahmed, Alan Bu, Yuan Liu, and Hassan Ejaz Chaudhry.
How can I contact Mark Vallis?
You can use AeroLeads to view verified contact signals for Mark Vallis at Groq, including work email, phone, and LinkedIn data when available.
What schools did Mark Vallis attend?
Mark Vallis holds Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Electrical And Electronics Engineering from Uc Irvine.
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