Chief of Staff - Product Management & Emerging Businesses (San Jose)
Company DescriptionAt 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.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 DescriptionWestern Digital is seeking a Senior Director, Chief of Staff — Product Management & Emerging Businesses to serve as a strategic and operational partner to the SVP of Product Management and Emerging Businesses. This role acts as an extension of the SVP, driving operational rigor, execution of key initiatives, and cross-functional alignment across the entire organization.This position operates at the center of product, technology, and business decision-making — ensuring that strategy translates into action. The Chief of Staff leads operating cadence, drives accountability across priorities, enables effective decision-making, and ensures alignment of resources, investments, and outcomes.The role serves as a force multiplier for Product leadership by improving execution speed, decision quality, and organizational efficiency. Success in this role requires strong judgment, enterprise-wide perspective, and the ability to lead through influence in a highly matrixed environment.The ideal candidate brings a combination of operational leadership, program execution, financial acumen, and cross-functional collaboration, with experience in engineering, program management, finance, or prior Chief of Staff roles within complex technology organizations.Key ResponsibilitiesStrategic Execution & Initiative Leadership· Partner with the SVP to translate strategy into executable plans, priorities, and measurable outcomes · Drive and track high-impact initiatives across Product Management and Emerging Businesses · Ensure alignment of goals, resources, and timelines across the organization · Act as a delegate for the SVP to advance initiatives and remove execution barriersProduct Management Operating System & Cadence· Own and run the global Product Management operating cadence including QBRs, roadmap reviews, executive checkpoints, and planning cycles · Establish and maintain operating rigor across planning, execution, and review processes · Drive accountability for deliverables, timelines, and business outcomes · Continuously improve processes to increase efficiency, transparency, and speedDecision Support & Prioritization· Enable high-quality decision-making through structured analysis, insights, and executive-ready recommendations · Help prioritize initiatives and investments based on strategic value, ROI, and resource constraints · Anticipate risks, identify trade-offs, and recommend actionable solutions · Ensure decisions are aligned with enterprise objectives and long-term strategyFinancial, Resource & Workforce Planning· Partner closely with Finance on budgeting, forecasting, and investment planning · Monitor performance against financial targets, portfolio investments, and cost structures · Collaborate with HR on organizational planning, talent strategy, and workforce alignment · Ensure resources are deployed effectively to support strategic prioritiesKPI & Performance Management· Establish and track key performance indicators across revenue, margin, execution, and operational health · Provide visibility into business performance, trends, and areas of risk or opportunity · Drive a results-oriented culture with clear metrics and accountability · Ensure consistent reporting and performance management across the organizationCross-Functional Leadership & Alignment· Serve as a central coordination point across Product, Engineering, Firmware, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, HR, and Go-to-Market teams · Lead cross-functional alignment on key initiatives, roadmap execution, and operational priorities · Facilitate decision forums and resolve cross-organizational tradeoffs · Ensure execution is aligned with technology readiness, operational capability, and market needsExecutive Enablement & Communications· Optimize the effectiveness, focus, and leverage of the SVP · Develop executive communications, presentations, and business updates · Translate complex technical and business topics into clear executive narratives · Represent the SVP in meetings and forums as appropriateStrategic Programs & Transformation Initiatives· Lead high-impact, cross-functional programs including platform transitions, cost optimization, and operational improvements · Drive transformation initiatives within Product Management operating models · Support strategic investments, partnerships, and M&A evaluations as needed · Sponsor and execute special projects on behalf of Product leadershipScope & Impact· Enterprise-wide impact across Product Management and Emerging Businesses · Drives execution of strategic priorities and operational performance · Regular engagement with VP/SVP/GM-level leadership · Direct ownership of operating frameworks and business cadence · Leads cross-functional initiatives with company-level visibility · Acts as a multiplier of leadership effectiveness, decision quality, and execution speedQualificationsRequired· Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Finance, or related field · Progressive xperience in engineering, program management, finance, product strategy, or Chief of Staff roles · Proven ability to drive complex, cross-functional initiatives to completion · Strong operational, financial, and business acumen · Demonstrated ability to influence without authority in a matrixed organization · Exceptional communication, organization, and execution skills · Strong judgment with an enterprise-wide perspectivePreferred· Experience in storage, semiconductor, or infrastructure technology industries · Prior Chief of Staff or equivalent operational leadership experience · MBA or advanced technical degree · Experience supporting executive-level decision-making and planning processes · Background in portfolio planning, budgeting, and transformation initiativesAdditional InformationWestern 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 6/23/26, 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 deadLI-BN1SummaryType: Full-timeFunction: Strategy/PlanningExperience level: DirectorIndustry: Computer Hardware
