NPI Program Management

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®, WD_BLACK™, and SanDisk® Professional brands.

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.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Responsible for managing one or areas leading to factory introduction and ramp up of hard disk drive production
• Applies program management and manufacturing expertise in resolving complex cross-functional problems and issues
• Provides input to process technology direction and establishes methodologies for achieving those goals
• Develops and presents program status and review information to department/corporate groups resulting in influencing direction/decision/outcomes
• Facilitates the resolutions of complex team issues, builds consensus, maintains process focus, and overcomes barriers
• Works closely with cross-functional groups to generate program plans, i.e., program/product overview, schedule, build and test plans, resources and costs. Manages resources to meet functional and product business goals
• Works closely with cross-functional engineering departments during product development to achieve cost, quality, schedule and technical objectives
• Ensures that available tooling and test equipment capacity to support initial high volume manufacturing after program transfer
• Manages and lead cross-functional teams that are focused in the development of hard disk drive products/features from design to release for customers, with a special emphasis on manufacturing technologies, qualification testing and high volume manufacturing operations and processes.
• Develops, defines, and executes project plans, schedules, budgets and deliverables.  Identifies needed resources for projects, defines and assigns major project roles.
• Monitors the product/program/project from initiation through delivery, interfacing with external customers of field-based employees on technical matters.
• Assigns and monitors work of management staff, providing technical support and direction.  Has overall product/program/project management responsibility, i.e. coordinates efforts leading to product release. 
• Selects, develops, and evaluates personnel to ensure the efficient operation of the function. 
• Direct people-management responsibility is typically required.  Identifies and defines technology programs that address strategic technical or company needs. 
• Carries out technical and unusually difficult business related programs by exhibiting outstanding initiative, innovations and consistently applying creative approaches resulting in significant business contributions. 
• Exhibits expert skill in applying or matching appropriate technology with business needs. 
• Demonstrates the ability to foresee strategic and practical company needs.
• Domestic and international travel required. 

REQUIRED:

• Any combination equivalent to, but not limited to, the following:
• Degree in Electrical Engineering
• BS + 12 yrs. related experience
• MS + 10 or more yrs. related experience
• PhD + 8 or more yrs. related experience
• 5+ year's experience managing employees
• Leads integrates and coordinates activities of multiple, complex teams with broad assignments and very significant business impact.  Builds team that demonstrates results; influences and drives its results, process and direction.
• Establishes and achieves strategic goals, objectives and deliverables for multiple programs and manages team/project/program to achieve them.
• Facilitates resolution of complex team issues, builds consensus, maintains project/process focus, overcomes barriers, encourages and inspires other team members and fosters relationships with other team leaders and department managers.  Ensures that the team has a clear mission aligned to the broader vision and mission of the company. Maintains process focus
• May supervise and manage engineers, technical staff and others as required. Hires, fires, evaluate, and administer compensation and personnel actions in accordance with company policies and standards. 
• Provides input on hiring decisions in other areas.
• Provides effective leadership to staff members
• Facilitate team/department meetings
• Resolve complex conflicts with team
• Initiate efforts to overcome barriers.

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” poster. Our pay transparency policy is available here.

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 [email protected] 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 03-01-2026 (3 months from posting), 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.

#LI-RR1

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 Western Digital’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 Western Digital’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 Western Digital 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 Western Digital 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 Western Digital Ethics Helpline or email [email protected].