Senior Sales Rep, AI Infrastructure & High-Performance Computing (HPC)

Western Digital•San Jose, CA

3d•Remote

About The Position

This role is core to Western Digital’s AI Infrastructure growth strategy, focused on driving Datacenter HDD and Storage Platform revenue into AI infrastructure build‑outs across High Performance Computing (HPC), National Labs, Sovereign Data, and cloud‑adjacent environments. The Senior Sales Rep, AI Infrastructure & HPC is a quota‑carrying individual contributor who builds and executes territory and account plans, leads partner‑driven pursuits through the U.S. channel ecosystem, and converts platform design‑wins and reference architectures into predictable, repeatable revenue. Coverage model: partner‑first and channel‑led, with direct engagement in priority HPC, National Lab, and Sovereign opportunities alongside SIs/OEMs and end customers. This role is designed for a seller who operates comfortably in architecture‑led, ecosystem selling motions and can translate technical platform value into commercial outcomes through rigorous pipeline, forecast, and close execution. Architecture‑led solution selling across Datacenter HDD and storage platform deployments Channel‑led GTM and partner co‑sell motions (SIs, OEMs, distributors, and cloud‑adjacent providers) Complex, multi‑stakeholder deal leadership, from qualification through negotiation and close. You’ll sell in close partnership with Business Development and technical leaders, leveraging their architecture, design‑win, and ecosystem expertise, while maintaining clear ownership of the commercial motion, partner execution, opportunity management, forecasting discipline, and revenue delivery. This role is core to Western Digital’s AI Datacenter growth strategy, sitting at the intersection of AI infrastructure build‑outs, cloud platforms, High Performance Computing (HPC), and data‑intensive enterprise environments. The Senior Sales Manager, AI Datacenter, Cloud & HPC is a quota‑carrying individual contributor responsible for translating strategic platform wins and AI datacenter pursuits into scalable, repeatable revenue across the U.S. channel ecosystem. This role is designed for a seller who already operates at the level of: Architecture‑driven solution selling, Cloud and AI infrastructure GTM, Multi‑party, ecosystem‑led deals. It requires comfort selling alongside Business Development, technical leaders, SIs, OEMs, and cloud partners, while maintaining rigorous ownership of forecasting, pipeline, and close execution. Reports to: Director of Channel Sales, AI Infrastructure, Enterprise & HPC. Works in close partnership with: Director of Channel Sales, AI Infrastructure & Cloud, Director of Business Development, Storage Platforms & AI Datacenter. This pairing intentionally mirrors the market: Business Development: provides technical and ecosystem support to the sales motion, driving reference architectures, design‑in/design‑win support, partner enablement, and platform attach guidance to accelerate opportunities. Senior Sales Rep, AI Infrastructure & HPC (this role): owns territory and account strategy, partner‑led GTM execution, deal progression and close, turning platform wins into predictable, quota‑based revenue. Together, these roles cover the same AI infrastructure and HPC segments, with Sales owning the commercial strategy and outcomes, while BD amplifies execution through technical depth, partner alignment, and reusable architectures that speed adoption and attach. Organizational Alignment Reports to: Director of Channel Sales – Datacenter & Enterprise. Works in close partnership with: Director of Business Development – Storage Platforms & AI Datacenter. This pairing intentionally mirrors the market: Business Development: new customer acquisition, AI platform attach, ecosystem strategy, and top‑of‑funnel creation. Senior Sales Manager (this role): commercial execution, partner‑led GTM, deal progression, and revenue realization. Together, these roles pursue the same AI, cloud, and HPC segments, but with a clear separation of strategic creation vs. sales execution. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Revenue, Quota & Execution Leadership: Own and deliver quota‑based revenue for WD Datacenter Hard Drives and Storage Platforms across HPC, National Labs, and Sovereign Data environments. Drive complex, multi‑stakeholder deals from qualification through negotiation and close. Convert design‑wins, reference architectures, and platform attachments into predictable revenue streams. Build and maintain quarterly territory and top‑account plans aligned to the HPC, National Lab, and Sovereign Data landscape (priority accounts, buying centers, partner motions, and close plans). Establish joint pursuit plans with key channel partners (SI/OEM/distributor), including enablement needs, stakeholder maps, and platform attach plays. Run a consistent weekly/bi‑weekly operating cadence across active deals (next steps, risks, stakeholder alignment, and close plans). Channel‑Led GTM & Ecosystem Selling: Execute through systems integrators, OEMs, distributors, and cloud‑adjacent service providers. Lead co‑sell and joint pursuit motions with partners aligned to AI infrastructure and cloud consumption models. Work closely with Channel Marketing and BD to: Drive enablement on AI‑relevant architectures. Support GTM campaigns and partner readiness. Influence partner prioritization of WD platforms. Position WD as a strategic component of AI and cloud infrastructure, not a commodity supplier. Datacenter HDD, Platform & Capacity‑Led Solutions: Lead sales for WD’s Datacenter HDD portfolio, including high‑capacity, SMR, and AI‑data‑lifecycle‑aligned solutions. Position HDDs as foundational infrastructure supporting: Tiered storage, Object and data lake architectures, Checkpointing, training data, inference data, and archival. Sell Storage Platforms as part of validated architectures, not stand‑alone products. Support design‑in, POCs, and customer evaluations with BD and technical teams. Software‑Defined Storage & Architecture‑Led Selling: Confidently position WD hardware within software‑defined storage and cloud‑adjacent ecosystems, including: Object storage, Distributed file systems, Data lake and AI data platforms. Translate AI, ML, and HPC workload requirements into clear hardware + SDS alignment. Support adoption of reference architectures, blueprints, and validated designs. Help partners convert architectural value into repeatable sales motions. Cross‑Functional & Executive Engagement: Operate comfortably alongside: Business Development leaders, Partner executives, Customer infrastructure and cloud teams. Serve as a trusted commercial counterpart in advanced HPC and Sovereign cloud pursuits. Represent WD at industry events, partner forums, and customer briefings tied to active deals. Forecasting, Pipeline & Operating Discipline: Maintain high‑confidence pipeline, forecast accuracy, and deal hygiene. Track design‑win stages, platform adoption, and revenue milestones. Use data‑driven insights to prioritize partners, opportunities, and investment.

Requirements

10+ years in Datacenter, AI infrastructure, HPC or Sovereign Cloud technology sales
Proven success in quota-carrying roles managing complex, consultative sales cycles
Experience partnering closely with Business Development, strategic partnerships, and GTM/ecosystem teams
Strong channel orientation with SIs, OEMs, distributors, and cloud-aligned partners
Architecture-led solution selling
Channel co-sell and partner influence (SIs/OEMs/distributors)
Strategic territory and account planning
Executive-level communication and stakeholder management
C-level presentation experience
Strong negotiation and closing skills
Knowledge of datacenter system integration and design
General understanding of data center software offerings
Forecast rigor, pipeline management, and operating discipline
Ability to partner effectively with BD and technical leaders to accelerate design-wins and platform adoption

Nice To Haves

Direct exposure to HPC, National Labs, and/or Sovereign Cloud data platforms
Familiarity navigating regulated procurement and compliance-driven customer environments (e.g., public sector research, sovereign/regulated data platforms)
Experience selling solution stacks (hardware + software + services), not point products
Comfort engaging on cloud infrastructure models (IaaS, hybrid, GPU cloud), AI data lifecycle requirements, and storage economics/TCO at scale
Background working with large SIs, OEMs/ODMs, VARs/VADs, and storage/cloud/AI ecosystems

Responsibilities

Own and deliver quota-based revenue for WD Datacenter Hard Drives and Storage Platforms across HPC, National Labs, and Sovereign Data environments
Drive complex, multi-stakeholder deals from qualification through negotiation and close
Convert design-wins, reference architectures, and platform attachments into predictable revenue streams
Build and maintain quarterly territory and top-account plans aligned to the HPC, National Lab, and Sovereign Data landscape
Establish joint pursuit plans with key channel partners (SI/OEM/distributor)
Run a consistent weekly/bi-weekly operating cadence across active deals
Execute through systems integrators, OEMs, distributors, and cloud-adjacent service providers
Lead co-sell and joint pursuit motions with partners aligned to AI infrastructure and cloud consumption models
Work closely with Channel Marketing and BD to drive enablement on AI-relevant architectures, support GTM campaigns and partner readiness, and influence partner prioritization of WD platforms
Position WD as a strategic component of AI and cloud infrastructure, not a commodity supplier
Lead sales for WD’s Datacenter HDD portfolio, including high-capacity, SMR, and AI-data-lifecycle-aligned solutions
Position HDDs as foundational infrastructure supporting tiered storage, object and data lake architectures, checkpointing, training data, inference data, and archival
Sell Storage Platforms as part of validated architectures, not stand-alone products
Support design-in, POCs, and customer evaluations with BD and technical teams
Confidently position WD hardware within software-defined storage and cloud-adjacent ecosystems, including object storage, distributed file systems, and data lake and AI data platforms
Translate AI, ML, and HPC workload requirements into clear hardware + SDS alignment
Support adoption of reference architectures, blueprints, and validated designs
Help partners convert architectural value into repeatable sales motions
Operate comfortably alongside Business Development leaders, partner executives, and customer infrastructure and cloud teams
Serve as a trusted commercial counterpart in advanced HPC and Sovereign cloud pursuits
Represent WD at industry events, partner forums, and customer briefings tied to active deals
Maintain high-confidence pipeline, forecast accuracy, and deal hygiene
Track design-win stages, platform adoption, and revenue milestones
Use data-driven insights to prioritize partners, opportunities, and investment

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 WD Savings 401(k) Plan