Senior Director, Strategy

Company Description At Western Digital, our vision is to power global innovation and push the boundaries of technology to make what you thought was once impossible, possible. At our core, Western Digital is a company of problem solvers. People achieve extraordinary things given the right technology. For decades, weve been doing just thatour technology helped people put a man on the moon and capture the firstever picture of a black hole. We offer an expansive portfolio of technologies, HDDs, and platforms for business, creative professionals, and consumers alike under our Western Digital, WD, WD_BLA\NK\, and SanDisk Professional brands. We are a key partner to some of the largest and highestgrowth organizations in the world. From enabling systems to make cities safer and more connected, to powering the data centers behind many of the worlds biggest companies and hyperscale cloud providers, to meeting the massive and evergrowing data storage needs of the AI era, Western Digital is fueling a brighter, smarter future. Todays exceptional challenges require your unique skills. Together, we can build the future of data storage. Job Description Western Digital is seeking a strategic leader to identify and evaluate new business opportunities in storage adjacencies, software platforms, and emerging business models. This role will focus on strategic opportunities beyond our core hardware business, including softwaredefined storage, tiered storage solutions, platform partnerships, and innovative business models to serve hyperscalers, neoclouds, sovereign clouds, and OEM partners. The Senior Director will serve as the companys strategic thought leader on how Western Digital can expand its value proposition and capture new revenue streams in the evolving data storage ecosystem. This is a pure strategy and business development role requiring deep expertise in cloud infrastructure, software platforms, and emerging storage business models. The ideal candidate will bring a management consulting background with experience advising technology companies on platform strategy, ecosystem development, and business model innovation. This role reports to the VP of Corporate Strategy. Key Responsibilities Strategic Opportunity Identification & Assessment Identify and evaluate highvalue strategic opportunities in storage adjacencies (software, platforms, services, new business models). Assess market opportunities in SoftwareDefined Storage (SDS), storage management platforms, data orchestration, and tiered storage solutions. Evaluate emerging business models (StorageasaService, consumptionbased pricing, platform partnerships). Develop frameworks for assessing build vs. buy vs. partner decisions for software and platform opportunities. Identify white space opportunities where Western Digitals capabilities create unique competitive advantages, analyzing the strategic fit and value creation potential relative to the core hardware business. Market & Customer Strategy Develop strategic approaches for serving hyperscale, neoclouds, and sovereign cloud initiatives. Analyze customer infrastructure trends and storage requirements that extend beyond hardware. Evaluate opportunities for differentiated solutions for emerging segments (e.g., edge computing, private/hybrid cloud). Assess evolving OEM partnership models for deeper value chain integration. Understand customer Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) drivers and map buying behaviors for integrated solutions versus component purchases. Software & Platform Strategy Evaluate opportunities in storage management software, data placement, and intelligent tiering solutions. Assess SoftwareDefined Storage (SDS) architectures and Western Digitals potential role in the ecosystem. Analyze platform partnership opportunities with cloud providers, System Integrators (SIs), and infrastructure software vendors. Evaluate API strategies, developer ecosystems, and platform business models relevant to storage. Assess opportunities to leverage WDs storage expertise through software intelligence and optimization layers. Analyze the competitive landscape in storage software to identify differentiation opportunities. Partnership & Ecosystem Development Develop and execute strategic partnership frameworks for software vendors, cloud providers, and system integrators. Evaluate potential strategic partners and alliances within the storage ecosystem. Assess diverse partnership models (licensing, codevelopment, joint ventures, revenue sharing). Analyze ecosystem dynamics to build platform effects and network value. Evaluate sovereign cloud initiatives globally for partnership opportunities. Support business development teams with strategic frameworks for partner evaluation and deal structuring. Business Model Innovation Evaluate new business models for storage including consumptionbased pricing, outcomebased models, and managed services Assess storageasaservice opportunities and requirements for Western Digital to compete in servicebased models Analyze financial implications and unit economics of alternative business models vs. traditional product sales Evaluate capabilities, partnerships, and investments required to execute on new business models Assess implications of business model shifts on gotomarket, operations, and organizational capabilities Develop business cases and financial models for adjacency opportunities and new business model initiatives Strategic Analysis & Executive Communication Conduct rigorous strategic analysis of adjacency opportunities with clear recommendations for executive decisionmaking Prepare strategic deepdives and prepared executive and board briefings on storage adjacency strategies, translating complex platform and ecosystem opportunities into clear, actionable Csuite and investment priorities. Synthesize market research, customer insights, and competitive intelligence into strategic recommendations and thought leadership on industry evolution and business model disruption. CrossFunctional Collaboration Partner with Strategy to identify integrated solutions and crossselling opportunities. Collaborate with Product Management and Engineering on platform roadmaps, technical feasibility and feature prioritization for adjacency initiatives. Work with Business Development and Corporate Development on partnership evaluation, M&A targets, and deal execution. Engage Sales and Marketing to understand customer needs and validate strategic assumptions. Collaborate with Finance on financial modeling, business case development, and investment prioritization Qualifications Experience: 12+ years in management consulting, corporate strategy, or business development with a focus on technology platforms and ecosystems. 5+ years at a toptier management consulting firm strongly preferred. Expertise: Proven track record developing platform strategies, ecosystem frameworks, and business model innovations for technology companies. Deep experience with cloud infrastructure, neo clouds, data storage, or enterprise infrastructure markets is strongly preferred. Skills: Exceptional strategic thinking, deep expertise in platform strategy, twosided markets, and ecosystem dynamics. Outstanding analytical/financial modeling skills, including business case development. Core Competencies: Strategic Vision: Ability to identify emerging trends and nonobvious opportunities. Technical & Market Knowledge: Strong technical understanding of emerging trends in AI infrastructure and edge computing alongside cloud architectures and data storage requirements across hyperscale, neo cloud , sovereign and enterprise segments. Platform Thinking: Deep expertise in platform strategy, twosided markets, and ecosystem dynamics (network effects). Ecosystem Orchestration: Skill in designing and managing complex multiparty relationships. Communication & Influence: Proven ability to craft compelling strategic narratives and translate technical/market complexity into clear, actionable executive recommendations. Ability to drive alignment across organizational boundaries and influence Csuite decisions. Education: MBA from a toptier business school is required. Bachelors degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related analytical field is required. Preferred Qualifications Direct consulting experience advising storage, cloud infrastructure, or enterprise software companies. Experience with platform strategy projects including marketplace development, ecosystem strategy, or API strategies. Background in business development or corporate development with experience structuring strategic partnerships. Prior experience working with or for hyperscale cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) or large OEMs. Knowledge of sovereign cloud initiatives in Europe, AsiaPacific, or Middle East regions. Experience with M&A due diligence or strategic investment evaluation in software or platforms. Familiarity with opensource softwar]]>