Company Description
At Western Digital, our vision is to power global innovation and push the boundaries of technology to make what you thought was once impossible, possible.
At our core, Western Digital is a company of problem solvers. People achieve extraordinary things given the right technology. For decades, we've been doing just that-our technology helped people put a man on the moon and capture the first-ever picture of a black hole.
We offer an expansive portfolio of technologies, HDDs, and platforms for business, creative professionals, and consumers alike under our Western Digital®, WD®, and WD_BLACK.
We are a key partner to some of the largest and highest-growth organizations in the world. From enabling systems to make cities safer and more connected, to powering the data centers behind many of the world's biggest companies and hyperscale cloud providers, to meeting the massive and ever-growing data storage needs of the AI era, Western Digital is fueling a brighter, smarter future.
Today's exceptional challenges require your unique skills. Together, we can build the future of data storage.
Job Description
Role Summary
The Director, Strategy & Chief of Staff is a strategic operator and trusted advisor to the VP of Supply Chain, Capital, and Inventory Planning in a fast-paced technology environment. This leader drives clarity, prioritization, and execution across a portfolio that supports hardware development, cloud infrastructure growth, digital supply chain systems, and capital-intensive scaling initiatives.
You will help shape long-term strategy, align cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Finance, Manufacturing, Data/Analytics), and ensure operational excellence across planning cycles. This role is ideal for a high-capacity, tech-savvy leader who thrives at the intersection of strategy, operations, analytics, and executive enablement.
Scope
Supply Chain, Capital, and Inventory Planning for Western Digital's entire portfolio supporting $12B/year revenue growing at ~20% per year
10 Global Factories supporting wafer, Head, Substrate, Media, and final Hard Disk Drive assembly and test
Four Primary Customer Segments - Cloud, Client, Platforms, and Consumer/Channel
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Technology Enablement
Co-develop multi-year supply chain and capital strategies that support hardware launches, global fulfillment, infrastructure scaling, and automation investments.
Lead strategy formulation for digital supply chain transformation-tools, data platforms, forecasting systems, and end-to-end visibility solutions.
Evaluate emerging technologies (AI/ML models for demand planning, IoT for inventory tracking, supply chain digital twins) and drive adoption roadmaps.
Chief of Staff Responsibilities
Serve as the VP's strategic advisor and operational proxy across both internal and external stakeholder forums.
Orchestrate operational rhythms such as QBRs, annual planning, OKR cycles, and investment prioritization reviews.
Ensure alignment between engineering, product, operations, and finance on roadmap dependencies, data needs, and capital allocations.
Structure decision-making frameworks and eliminate operational friction across teams.
Work with the VP on the Organizational Strategy, hiring decisions, and talent development
Executive Communication & Storytelling
Craft narrative-driven, data-backed presentations for C-level, Board, and cross-functional executives.
Translate operational complexity into simple, strategic insights that guide executive decision-making.
Represent the VP in leadership meetings, program reviews, vendor engagements, and operational forums as needed.
Cross-Functional Program & Portfolio Management
Partner with functional leaders on mission-critical programs such as capacity expansion, dual-sourcing strategies, supply chain resiliency efforts, and next-gen planning tool deployments.
Establish a program management structure to track progress, risks, KPIs, and outcomes across a diverse portfolio of initiatives.
Build business cases and analytical models that drive investment decisions for cloud infrastructure, hardware supply, and automation.
Operational Excellence in a Scaling Tech Environment
Design scalable processes that maintain agility-balancing rapid innovation cycles with operational stability and governance.
Partner with Finance, Engineering, and Product to align capital budgets with technology roadmaps and infrastructure timelines.
Develop mechanisms for data-driven supply chain decisions-supporting real-time analytics, cost modeling, and scenario planning.
Qualifications
Qualifications
Required
Extensive experience in supply chain, operations, strategy, or related domains-ideally in a fast-scaling tech, hardware, semiconductors, or cloud infrastructure environment.
Experience partnering closely with Product, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Finance in a technology company.
Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to create compelling narratives for senior executives.
Strong analytical and modeling skills; comfort with large data sets and technology-forward planning ecosystems.
Proven success leading cross-functional initiatives in matrixed organizations.
Ability to influence without authority in high-velocity, ambiguous environments.
Preferred
Experience with cloud, device, or hardware supply chains (e.g., semiconductors, compute/storage, networking equipment).
Familiarity with tech-focused planning tools (e.g., Kinaxis, Oracle, etc.).
Knowledge of AI/ML applications in forecasting, automation, or supply chain optimization.
MBA, MS in Supply Chain, Engineering, or a quantitative field.
Leadership Competencies
Tech-Savvy Problem Solver: Quickly grasps technical concepts and system interdependencies.
Executive Presence: Represents the VP and the function with credibility and confidence.
Systems Thinking: Understands how hardware, software, and supply chain converge in a tech ecosystem.
Data-Driven Leadership: Leverages analytics to drive clarity and influence decisions.
Agile Operator: Balances strategic long-term planning with rapid execution.
Collaborative Influencer: Builds trust across engineering, product, and operations.
Additional Information
All your information
Western Digital is committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and employees and will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on their race, color, ancestry, religion (including religious dress and grooming standards), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), gender (including a person's gender identity, gender expression, and gender-related appearance and behavior, whether or not stereotypically associated with the person's assigned sex at birth), age, national origin, sexual orientation, medical condition, marital status (including domestic partnership status), physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, protected medical and family care leave, Civil Air Patrol status, military and veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. We also prohibit harassment of any individual on any of the characteristics listed above. Our non-discrimination policy applies to all aspects of employment. We comply with the laws and regulations set forth in the "Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088\EEOC\KnowYourRights6.12.pdf) " poster. Our pay transparency policy is available here (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/equal-pay-protections) .
Western Digital thrives on the power and potential of diversity. As a global company, we believe the most effective way to embrace the diversity of our customers and communities is to mirror it from within. We believe the fusion of various perspectives results in the best outcomes for our employees, our company, our customers, and the world around us. We are committed to an inclusive environment where every individual can thrive through a sense of belonging, respect and contribution.
Western Digital is committed to offering opportunities to applicants with disabilities and ensuring all candidates can successfully navigate our careers website and our hiring process. Please contact us at jobs.accommodations@wdc.com to advise us of your accommodation request. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.
Based on our experience, we anticipate that the application deadline will be 06/06/26 , although we reserve the right to close the application process sooner if we hire an applicant for this position before the application deadline. If we are not able to hire someone from this role before the application deadline, we will update this posting with a new anticipated application deadline.
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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.
Notice To Candidates: Please be aware that WD and its subsidiaries will never request payment as a condition for applying for a position or receiving an offer of employment. Should you encounter any such requests, please report it immediately to WD Ethics Helpline (https://secure.ethicspoint.com/domain/media/en/gui/48999/index.html) or email compliance@wdc.com .
