Chief of Staff - Product Management Engineering at WesternDigital

Western Digital is seeking a Senior Director, Chief of Staff — Product Management (HDD) 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 Responsibilities Strategic 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 barriers   Product 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 speed   Decision 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 strategy   Financial, 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 priorities   KPI & 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 organization   Cross-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 needs   Executive 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 appropriate   Strategic 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 leadership   Scope & 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 speed