Senior Director, Core & Ecosystem Strategy

Job description

Core Business Strategy Define sales and commercial strategy for Western Digital’s core HDD business in partnership with commercial leadership team to support long-term value capture for the business Support broader portfolio of strategic projects that support Western Digital core business overall. Sample topics can potentially include ecosystem activation, technology assessment, vertical integration strategy, international opportunities, supply chain optimization, and more. Build Western Digital's ecosystem strategy across hyperscalers, neoclouds, sovereign clouds, OEMs, system integrators, and cloud infrastructure software vendors; develop frameworks for how WD orchestrates its role in the broader storage ecosystem considering where to lead, where to partner, and where to enable to maximize value capture. Evaluate strategic partnership opportunities with cloud providers, OEMs, system integrators, and ecosystem players; develop deal structuring frameworks and partner models. Strategic Project Execution Execute high-priority strategic projects end-to-end including go-to-market strategy, customer and partner frameworks, business model evaluation, and build-vs-buy-vs-partner assessments. Translate long-term strategic priorities into decisions and recommendations that the Executive Leadership Team can act on. Partner closely with GTM and commercial leadership to co-develop strategies that reflect real customer needs and market dynamics, ensuring strategic recommendations translate into commercial action. Collaborate across Product, Engineering, Commercial, Finance, and Legal teams to align strategy with execution and drive cross-functional alignment on the highest-stakes strategic questions facing the company Executive Communication Deliver strategic briefings, deep dives, and recommendations on competitive dynamics, market trends, and long-term positioning for presentation to senior leadership. Present to C-suite and Board audiences with rigor, clarity, and strategic conviction. Serve as a trusted strategic thought partner to senior business leaders. Minimum 8–10 years of progressive experience spanning top-tier management consulting or in-house corporate strategy and GTM/commercial leadership roles. Required industry experience within a GTM, commercial, sales strategy, or related role at a data storage company (HDD, SSD, storage systems) or directly adjacent infrastructure company (semiconductors, memory, enterprise storage platforms) Deep domain experience in data storage, semiconductors, enterprise/cloud infrastructure, or broader AI infrastructure with fluency in technical and commercial dynamics Proven track record running complex strategic projects end-to-end, from hypothesis development through to analysis and recommendation, with output quality suitable for senior leadership / C-suite. Comfort operating with quantitative rigor in ambiguous, high stakes strategic decisions. Strong financial acumen with the ability to evaluate business models and market economics. Exceptional strategic thinking and structured problem-solving skills. Outstanding executive communication, including materials development, narrative crafting, and live presentation to senior leadership (C-suite and Board). Proven ability to drive alignment and influence senior stakeholders. Education MBA or equivalent experience required. Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Economics, or a related analytical field. Location San Jose, California (must be willing to relocate). Flexibility for remote work within established company policies. 15-25% travel including domestic and international travel to meet with targets, advisors, investors, partners, and industry events. What Makes This Role Unique This is a senior strategic leadership position responsible for defining Western Digital's competitive positioning and value capture across its core HDD businesses. The Senior Director will engage directly with the Executive Leadership Team on the highest-priority strategic questions facing the company, requiring exceptional strategic thinking, commercial fluency, and the ability to shape C-suite decisions that determine how Western Digital competes and wins in the AI-driven data economy.