Senior Director, IT - Engineering Services

Western Digital Corp•San Jose, CA

62d

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced Senior Director of IT to lead and modernize IT services supporting our Global Product Engineering Organization within a high-tech and manufacturing environment. Our products involve highly complex data storage hardware and firmware, and while experience across both hardware and software engineering is essential, this role will primarily focus on hardware engineering support. As a trusted partner to Engineering Executive Leadership and Mid-Level Management, the Senior Director will operate at both the strategic and tactical levels. The mission is to accelerate engineering efficiency and innovation through modern technologies, best-in-class practices, and intelligent integration of AI-driven accelerators. This role requires exceptional communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to build and sustain bi-directional partnerships between IT and engineering teams. The successful candidate will also possess a holistic understanding of end-to-end product lifecycle flows, from ideation through design, validation, and manufacturing, as well as strong IT infrastructure experience.

Requirements

Proven success supporting large, global hardware and firmware engineering organizations in a high-tech or manufacturing company.
Strong knowledge of end-to-end product development and manufacturing processes.
Demonstrated ability to build trusted, collaborative partnerships with engineers, from executives to technical leads.
15+ years of progressive IT leadership experience, including senior leadership roles.
Strong background in product engineering systems, including PLM, CAD/EDA, and related tools.
Deep understanding of hardware engineering workflows, complemented by exposure to software engineering practices.
Experience with AI/ML applications in engineering or IT domains.
Experience in IT infrastructure, including high-performance compute, storage, virtualization, and cloud.
Exceptional communication, negotiation, and influence skills with the ability to engage at all organizational levels.
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (Master's preferred).

Responsibilities

Serve as the senior IT leader supporting global hardware and firmware engineering organizations.
Partner with engineering executives and managers to define, align, and deliver IT strategies that enable innovation, velocity, and scalability.
Modernize engineering technologies, processes, and practices to improve efficiency, quality, and collaboration.
Drive AI adoption across engineering workflows where it can meaningfully accelerate design, validation, and decision-making.
Champion IT-Engineering partnership, ensuring open communication, transparency, and mutual alignment on priorities.
Oversee IT capabilities supporting product lifecycle management (PLM), CAD, EDA, test automation, simulation, and other engineering tools.
Collaborate with business and manufacturing IT teams to ensure continuity and efficiency from product ideation through manufacturing handoff.
Provide leadership across IT infrastructure supporting engineering workloads, including compute, storage, high-performance environments, and cloud integration.
Lead vendor and partner negotiations, ensuring cost-effective and scalable solutions.
Develop, mentor, and inspire a global IT team to meet the evolving needs of engineering.