Senior Director, Strategy

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®,  NK , and San Disk® 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.

Job Description

Western Digital is seeking a strategic leader to identify and evaluate new business opportunities in storage adjacencies, software platforms, and emerging business models. This role will focus on strategic opportunities beyond our core hardware business, including software‑defined storage, tiered storage solutions, platform partnerships, and innovative business models to serve hyperscalers, neoclouds, sovereign clouds, and OEM partners. The Senior Director will serve as the company’s strategic thought leader on how Western Digital can expand its value proposition and capture new revenue streams in the evolving data storage ecosystem.

This is a pure strategy and business development role requiring deep expertise in cloud infrastructure, software platforms, and emerging storage business models. The ideal candidate will bring a management consulting background with experience advising technology companies on platform strategy, ecosystem development, and business model innovation. This role reports to the VP of Corporate Strategy.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Opportunity Identification & Assessment

• Identify and evaluate high‑value strategic opportunities in storage adjacencies (software, platforms, services, new business models).

• Assess market opportunities in Software‑Defined Storage (SDS), storage management platforms, data orchestration, and tiered storage solutions.

• Evaluate emerging business models (Storage‑as‑a‑Service, consumption‑based pricing, platform partnerships).

• Develop frameworks for assessing build vs. buy vs. partner decisions for software and platform opportunities.

• Identify white space opportunities where Western Digital’s capabilities create unique competitive advantages, analyzing the strategic fit and value creation potential relative to the core hardware business.

Market & Customer Strategy

• Develop strategic approaches for serving hyperscale, neoclouds, and sovereign cloud initiatives.

• Analyze customer infrastructure trends and storage requirements that extend beyond hardware.

• Evaluate opportunities for differentiated solutions for emerging segments (e.g., edge computing, private/hybrid cloud).

• Assess evolving OEM partnership models for deeper value chain integration.

• Understand customer Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) drivers and map buying behaviors for integrated solutions versus component purchases.

Software & Platform Strategy

• Evaluate opportunities in storage management software, data placement, and intelligent tiering solutions.

• Assess Software‑Defined Storage (SDS) architectures and Western Digital’s potential role in the ecosystem.

• Analyze platform partnership opportunities with cloud providers, System Integrators (SIs), and infrastructure software vendors.

• Evaluate API strategies, developer ecosystems, and platform business models relevant to storage.

• Assess opportunities to leverage WD’s storage expertise through software intelligence and optimization layers.

• Analyze the competitive landscape in storage software to…