Vice President, Platform Engineering

Western Digital • San Jose, CA

1d

About The Position

The Vice President of Platform Engineering will lead the organization responsible for designing, developing, and scaling next-generation, high-density hardware storage architectures. The role owns the storage platform roadmap and execution across ultra-dense JBODs and storage servers, managing hardware, firmware, and manufacturing operations teams to deliver reliable, serviceable, and cost-efficient solutions for hyperscale data centers and modern AI workloads.

The position oversees product development from initial concept through architecture, board bring-up, validation, factory transition, and global high-volume manufacturing. It leads engineering directors, managers, and principal architects across electrical, mechanical, firmware, and operations domains, and serves as the executive escalation point for contract manufacturing delivery, quality, yields, and factory handoffs.

The role also directs prototype NPI builds, factory bring-up, and EVT/DVT/PVT, as well as supplier and contract manufacturer engagements. It oversees departmental budgets, laboratory capital allocation, headcount planning, factory tooling costs, and organizational risk mitigation. The position requires customer knowledge to inform technical development, expertise in high-speed interfaces and chassis and power engineering, and an understanding of manufacturing test, assembly optimization, and supply-chain scaling.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering, or a highly related technical field.
• 15+ years of hands-on engineering experience.
• 8+ years in senior management roles, leading teams of 50 or more employees geographically distributed across the United States and Asia.
• Experience directly handling enterprise hardware platforms and NPI-to-mass-production lifecycles.
• Proven record of on-time program delivery and successful ramp into high-volume production.
• 8+ years of experience working directly with tier-1 and tier-2 enterprise customers.
• Experience engaging customers to understand requirements, propose solutions and architectures, and establish long-term engineering- and executive-level relationships.
• Proven record managing tier-1 global contract manufacturers or original design manufacturers to deliver hardware at hyperscale volumes.
• Outstanding executive communication skills, including explaining complex technical trade-offs to board-level stakeholders.
• Track record of improving engineering organizations through stronger methodology, platform reuse, schedule predictability, and first-pass execution.
• Experience operating in a global company environment with distributed teams across the Americas, Asia, and EMEA.

Responsibilities

• Drive development lifecycles for next-generation high-capacity storage enclosures, from concept and architecture through board bring-up, validation, and global high-volume manufacturing.
• Build, manage, and mentor engineering directors, managers, and principal architects across electrical, mechanical, firmware, and operations domains.
• Oversee manufacturing engineering and operations teams transitioning designs from the lab to the factory.
• Own product delivery through contract manufacturing execution, including handoffs, yields, quality controls, and executive escalations.
• Lead prototype NPI builds, factory bring-up, and EVT/DVT/PVT, and establish processes for scaling into high-volume production.
• Lead technical engagements and design reviews with silicon suppliers, component vendors, and contract manufacturing partners to support manufacturability, assembly, and cost-reduction targets.
• Oversee departmental budgets, laboratory instrumentation capital allocation, headcount planning, factory tooling costs, and organizational risk mitigation.
• Apply understanding of customers and data center ecosystems to inform technical product development.
• Provide direction on multi-layer PCB architectures incorporating PCIe Gen 6/7, SAS 12G/24G, SATA, and high-speed SERDES interfaces.
• Ensure chassis and power architectures balance storage density with thermal dynamics, airflow constraints, and power distribution requirements.
• Oversee manufacturing test development, structural test metrics, assembly-line optimization, and supply-chain scaling for complex electromechanical assemblies.
• Transform engineering organizations through stronger methodology, platform reuse, schedule predictability, and improved first-pass execution.

Benefits

• Paid vacation time
• Paid sick leave
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life, accident, and disability insurance
• Flexible spending and health savings accounts
• Employee assistance program
• Supplemental life and AD&D insurance
• Legal plan
• Pet insurance
• Critical illness, accident, and hospital indemnity coverage
• Tuition reimbursement
• Transit benefits
• Applause Program
• Employee stock purchase plan
• WD Savings 401(k) Plan
• Potential eligibility for bonuses under the Short Term Incentive Plan or Sales Incentive Plan
• Potential eligibility for the annual Long-Term Incentive program, which may include restricted stock units or cash equivalents

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive