Director of Talent Acquisition - Product & Technology

Western Digital • San Jose, CA

17h

About The Position

The Director of Talent Acquisition – Product & Technology serves as the executive recruiting partner and strategic talent leader for our most critical innovation organizations. This role oversees the full recruiting lifecycle for high-impact technology roles, drives long-term workforce strategies, and partners directly with senior product and engineering leadership, including ELT members, to shape the talent capabilities needed for Western Digital’s future. The ideal leader brings deep functional expertise in Product, Engineering, and Technical recruiting; mastery of modern AI recruiting tools; exceptional relationship-building skills; and the ability to translate market data and talent insights into strategic business decisions.

Requirements

• 10–15+ years of recruiting experience, with at least 6+ years leading teams in Product, Engineering, or Technology recruiting .
• Deep functional expertise and credibility with technology leaders across engineering, R&D, firmware, hardware, or software development.
• Expert-level proficiency with LinkedIn Recruiter and LinkedIn Talent Insights ; certifications preferred.
• Advanced knowledge of AI recruiting tools, prompt engineering, sourcing automations, and talent intelligence platforms.
• Strong executive presence with proven ability to influence C-level and SVP-level stakeholders.
• Experience designing and deploying structured interview methodologies (VBI, BBI).
• Skilled in facilitating technical case studies, panel interviews, and senior-level evaluation processes.
• Strong business acumen and ability to translate product and technology strategies into talent needs.

Nice To Haves

• Experience leading TA for a global, matrixed technology organization.
• Familiarity with hardware, semiconductor, storage, AI/ML, or enterprise software domains.
• Experience with high-growth or transformation environments.
• Expertise with talent intelligence platforms (Eightfold, SeekOut, Gem, Ashby).
• Change management experience related to TA transformation or process modernization.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Talent Leadership Partner with ELT members, SVPs, and VPs across Product Management, Engineering, Architecture, Hardware, Firmware, and Software to build and execute global talent strategies.
• Translate product roadmaps and engineering org designs into proactive workforce and capability planning.
• Coach executives on technical hiring trends, global market shifts, and future-of-work skillsets.
• Deliver executive-level insights using LinkedIn Talent Insights, competitive intelligence, and talent market analytics.
• Executive Partnership & Stakeholder Influence Serve as a trusted advisor to CPO, CTO, Product GMs, and Engineering leaders.
• Influence leaders to adopt consistent hiring processes, structured evaluation, and modern assessment strategies.
• Drive executive alignment around role definition, candidate personas, and long-term pipeline strategy.
• Manage escalations and build executive-level confidence in TA effectiveness.
• Advanced Technical Recruiting & Assessment Oversee full-cycle recruiting for highly technical and niche roles including PM, TPM, Firmware, Hardware, Software, Systems, Cloud, Architecture, AI/ML, and Platform Engineering.
• Facilitate structured processes, rigorous technical assessments, and interview calibration across hiring teams.
• Champion VBI, BBI, and structured interview methodology; ensure hiring teams are trained, aligned, and compliant.
• Develop technical assessment in partnership with business to develop talent bar and assessment continuity.
• AI, Automation & Sourcing Innovation Lead team-level adoption of AI recruiting tools, prompt engineering, sourcing automation, and talent intelligence platforms.
• Continuously evaluate emerging technologies and implement best-of-breed tools to enhance speed, quality, and scalability.
• Ensure the TA function remains at the forefront of AI-driven recruiting innovation.
• Pipeline Development & Talent Intelligence Build and oversee long-term pipelines for critical technical roles and leadership talent.
• Leverage deep expertise with LinkedIn Recruiter, LinkedIn Insights , and advanced Boolean search strategies.
• Guide hiring leaders in identifying evolving skillsets required to build the workforce of the future.
• Oversee market mapping and competitive talent intelligence efforts.
• Operational Excellence & Team Leadership Lead, coach, and elevate a high-performing team of technical recruiters and sourcers.
• Establish metrics, KPIs, and dashboards to monitor pipeline health, quality of hire, and recruiter effectiveness.
• Drive continuous improvement, process standardization, and consistency across global technology recruiting.
• Partner with HR, Compensation, Talent Development, and Diversity teams to deliver integrated, holistic talent solutions.
• Candidate Experience & Employer Brand Ensure a world-class, transparent candidate experience for senior technical and product talent.
• Collaborate with HR and Marketing to refine employer brand messaging tailored to product and engineering audiences.
• Act as an ambassador of Western Digital’s culture, technology, and innovation story.

Benefits

• 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
• the Western Digital Savings 401(k) Plan

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees