About The Role

Strategic Projects Ownership

Associate will independently own and lead strategic projects that span both core business in data storage as well as New Ventures which covers new business opportunities related to technologies in photonics, magnetics, and nano-fabrication.
Independently lead and own project outputs end-to-end including market sizing, competitive landscaping, end customer and segment analysis, GTM frameworks, build-buy-partner assessments, and more; serve as a credible thought partner to executives and cross-functional stakeholders.
Track timelines, synthesize cross-functional inputs, and deliver against tight deadlines with minimal supervision while escalating appropriately on critical decisions.

Research & Analysis

Conduct primary and secondary research: market sizing, competitive landscaping, customer and partner dynamics, technology trend tracking, and peer benchmarking.
Synthesize insights from diverse sources into clear analytical conclusions that inform strategic recommendations.

Executive Deliverables

Develop executive-quality deliverables: structured slide decks, one-pagers, briefing notes, and read-outs for executive leadership (C-suite and Board) audiences.
Translate complex analysis into clear, compelling narratives suitable for senior leadership consumption.

Financial & Analytical Modeling

Build and maintain supporting financial and analytical models including market sizing, scenario analysis, business case development, and GTM economics.
Develop quantitative frameworks that underpin strategic recommendations with rigor and defensibility.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Partner closely with cross-functional stakeholders to align on strategic priorities, gather inputs, and drive recommendations through to decisions.
Build trusted relationships with commercial, product, and finance stakeholders and drive alignment independently.
Minimum of 3–6 years experience overall with minimum 2 spent in consulting, corporate strategy, investment banking, or a research-intensive analytical role; progressive career trajectory with increasing scope, ownership, and complexity of work over time.
Demonstrated ability to own and lead complex strategic projects end-to-end with C-suite output quality, from problem structuring through to final recommendation.
Strong financial and analytical acumen including models, scenario analysis, and business case development; comfortable with quantitative frameworks.
Experience conducting primary research (expert interviews, customer conversations, channel checks) and secondary research (industry reports, analyst research, public filings) to inform strategic recommendations.
Strong cross-functional collaborator who can build trusted relationships with commercial, product, and finance stakeholders; drives alignment independently.
Experience working with senior leaders and delivering executive-level deliverables independently.
Solid Excel and PowerPoint skills; data visualization a plus.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Experience supporting or embedded in commercial, GTM, or sales organizations preferred

Preferred Qualifications

Prior experience in deep technology, data storage, semiconductor, or enterprise infrastructure.
Experience with competitive intelligence or market research tools (e.g., PitchBook, Bloomberg, Gartner).

Education

MBA or equivalent work experience preferred.
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Economics, Finance, or a related analytical field.

Location

San Jose, California (must be willing to relocate)
Flexibility for remote work within established company policies.
10-20% travel including domestic and international travel to meet with targets, advisors, investors, partners, and industry events.

What Makes This Role Unique

This is a high-impact analytical role at the center of Western Digital's corporate strategy function, offering direct exposure to the Executive Leadership Team on the company's most important strategic questions. The Associate will independently drive strategic projects championed by senior executives on a wide range of topics and business areas that cover core business (HDD, data storage, infrastructure, AI/cloud) and New Ventures. The role offers a rare opportunity to build deep expertise in AI infrastructure, data storage, and new deep technologies while operating with the autonomy and rigor of a top-tier corporate strategy function.

WD is committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and employees and will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on their race, color, ancestry, religion (including religious dress and grooming standards), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), gender (including a person’s gender identity, gender expression, and gender-related appearance and behavior, whether or not stereotypically associated with the person’s assigned sex at birth), age, national origin, sexual orientation, medical condition, marital status (including domestic partnership status), physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, protected medical and family care leave, Civil Air Patrol status, military and veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. We also prohibit harassment of any individual on any of the characteristics listed above. Our non-discrimination policy applies to all aspects of employment. We comply with the laws and regulations set forth in the " Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal ” poster. Our pay transparency policy is available HERE

WD thrives on the power and potential of diversity. As a global company, we believe the most effective way to embrace the diversity of our customers and communities is to mirror it from within. We believe the fusion of various perspectives results in the best outcomes for our employees, our company, our customers, and the world around us. We are committed to an inclusive environment where every individual can thrive through a sense of belonging, respect and contribution.

WD is committed to offering opportunities to applicants with disabilities and ensuring all candidates can successfully navigate our careers website and our hiring process. Please contact us at [email hidden] to advise us of your accommodation request. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.

Based on our experience, we anticipate that the application deadline will be 10 /06/2026  (3 months from posting), although we reserve the right to close the application process sooner if we hire an applicant for this position before the application deadline. If we are not able to hire someone from this role before the application deadline, we will update this posting with a new anticipated application deadline.

Compensation & Benefits Details

An employee’s pay position within the salary range may be based on several factors including but not limited to (1) relevant education; qualifications; certifications; and experience; (2) skills, ability, knowledge of the job; (3) performance, contribution and results; (4) geographic location; (5) shift; (6) internal and external equity; and (7) business and organizational needs.
The salary range is what we believe to be the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting.  We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and this range is only applicable for jobs to be performed in California, Colorado, New York or remote jobs that can be performed in California, Colorado and New York.  This range may be modified in the future.
If your position is non-exempt, you are eligible for overtime pay pursuant to company policy and applicable laws.  You may also be eligible for shift differential pay, depending on the shift to which you are assigned.
You will be eligible to be considered for bonuses under  either WD’s Short Term Incentive Plan (“STI Plan”) or the Sales Incentive Plan (“SIP”) which provides incentive awards based on Company and individual performance, depending on your role and your performance. You may be eligible to participate in our annual Long-Term Incentive (LTI) program, which consists of restricted stock units (RSUs) or cash equivalents, pursuant to the terms of the LTI plan. Please note that not all roles are eligible to participate in the LTI program, and not all roles are eligible for equity under the LTI plan. RSU awards are also available to eligible new hires, subject to WD's Standard Terms and Conditions for Restricted Stock Unit Awards.
We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including 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; and the WD Savings 401(k) Plan.
Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.

Notice To Candidates: Please be aware that WD and its subsidiaries will never request payment as a condition for applying for a position or receiving an offer of employment. Should you encounter any such requests, please report it immediately to  WD Ethics Helpline or email [email hidden] .