Supplier Innovation Engineer

At WD, 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, WD 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, WD is fueling a brighter, smarter future.

Today’s exceptional challenges require your unique skills. Together, we can build the future of data storage.

The Supplier Innovation Engineer partners closely with industry ecosystem, strategic suppliers, and internal cross‑functional teams to enable new technologies, reduce total cost of ownership (TCO), and strengthen supplier manufacturing capability, capacity, quality, sustainability, and resilience. This role sits at the intersection of supply chain, engineering, and operations, driving innovation across the supplier ecosystem to support long-term business growth and competitiveness.

The ideal candidate combines strong technical acumen with supplier-facing leadership, using data, structured problem-solving, and collaboration to translate emerging technologies into scalable, cost-effective, and resilient supply chain solutions.

 

Key Responsibilities

Supplier Technology Enablement & Innovation

• Partner with suppliers to evaluate, pilot, and scale new technologies, processes, and materials that improve cost, performance, quality, and time-to-market

• Serve as a technical interface between suppliers and internal engineering, manufacturing, quality, and procurement teams

• Identify and drive supplier-led innovation opportunities aligned with product and supply chain roadmaps

• Lead initiatives to reduce total cost of ownership through design-for-manufacturability, process optimization, automation, yield improvement, and lifecycle cost analysis

• Evaluate trade-offs across cost, quality, risk, sustainability, and scalability to inform sourcing and technology decisions

• Support should-cost modeling and fact-based negotiations through deep technical and process understanding

• Assess and improve supplier capacity, scalability, and technical readiness to support current and future business demand

• Drive initiatives to improve supplier operational maturity, including process capability, equipment readiness, workforce skills, and digitalization

• Partner with supply chain and operations teams to strengthen supplier resilience, including dual sourcing, risk mitigation, and recovery planning

• Collaborate with suppliers and internal quality teams to improve process capability, reduce variability, and prevent escapes

• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action for systemic supplier issues

• Promote continuous improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma, SPC) across the supplier base

• Support supplier sustainability initiatives related to environmental impact, energy efficiency, waste reduction, and responsible sourcing

• Work closely with engineering, manufacturing, quality, procurement, finance, and program management teams to align priorities and execution

• Communicate complex technical and supply chain topics clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

• Influence to drive alignment and results across organizational boundaries

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, or a related technical field

• 5+ years of experience in supply chain engineering, manufacturing engineering, supplier development, or related roles

• Experience working directly with suppliers on technical, operational, or cost-reduction initiatives

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven mindset

• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, or Business (MBA)

• Experience introducing new manufacturing technologies or processes into production

• Background in cost modeling, should-cost analysis, or value engineering

• Experience in complex, global supply chains, sourcing, and R&D partnerships

 

Key Competencies

• Supplier collaboration and influencing

• Systems thinking and end-to-end supply chain perspective

• Technical depth with business judgment

• Structured problem solving and continuous improvement

• Change leadership and execution focus

WD 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.

WD 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.

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 or email [email protected].