Director – Strategic Sourcing - Heads & Media

Job Description

The Director, Strategic Sourcing – Heads & Media is responsible for leading the global sourcing strategy, supplier ecosystem, and business performance for Western Digital's Heads & Media commodity portfolio. This leader drives long-term competitive advantage through strategic supplier partnerships, cost transformation, risk mitigation, technology alignment, and supply assurance.

The role partners closely with Engineering, Operations, Product Development, Finance, and Executive Leadership to define and execute category strategies that support business growth, innovation, supply continuity, and financial performance. The Director leads a global team of sourcing professionals while serving as the executive point of contact for key suppliers and industry partners.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Category Leadership

• Define and execute global sourcing strategies and multi-year commodity roadmaps for Heads & Media.
• Align category strategies with enterprise objectives, technology roadmaps, product requirements, and business priorities.
• Lead long-range planning for supplier capacity, technology availability, geographic diversification, and risk mitigation.
• Monitor industry, market, macroeconomic, and competitive trends to identify opportunities and threats.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Serve as executive sponsor for strategic Heads & Media suppliers.
• Drive supplier segmentation, governance models, executive business reviews, and performance management.
• Develop collaborative partnerships that enable innovation, technology leadership, quality improvement, and cost competitiveness.
• Lead supplier escalation management and corrective action initiatives.

Commercial & Cost Leadership

• Deliver annual cost reduction, productivity, and value engineering targets.
• Lead complex commercial negotiations, long-term agreements, pricing strategies, and business allocation decisions.
• Develop should-cost models, market intelligence insights, and benchmarking analyses.
• Drive total cost of ownership optimization across the supply base.

Risk & Supply Continuity

• Identify and proactively manage risks associated with supply continuity, capacity constraints, geopolitical events, financial stability, and compliance.
• Develop resilient sourcing strategies including dual sourcing, regional diversification, and contingency planning.
• Partner with Supply Chain and Operations teams to ensure uninterrupted business continuity.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate closely with Engineering, Product Development, Operations, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance, and Legal teams.
• Influence product design decisions through Design-to-Cost, supplier innovation, and technology roadmaps.
• Drive alignment between sourcing strategies and manufacturing requirements.

Organization & Talent Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing global sourcing organization.
• Create succession plans and leadership development pipelines.
• Establish clear goals, accountability, and performance expectations.
• Foster a culture of execution, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Leadership Expectations

The Director is expected to:

• Translate enterprise strategy into actionable business priorities.
• Lead change and transformation initiatives across the organization.
• Influence executive-level stakeholders and drive enterprise-wide decisions.
• Demonstrate strong executive presence internally and externally.
• Balance strategic vision with operational execution.
• Promote an enterprise-first mindset and cross-functional collaboration.
• Foster innovation and challenge existing business models to improve results.

Skills & Competencies

Strategic Leadership

• Strategic sourcing and category management expertise
• Enterprise thinking and long-term planning
• Change leadership and organizational transformation
• Executive decision-making and business judgment

Commercial Excellence

• Executive-level negotiation and contracting
• Cost modeling and financial analysis
• Market intelligence and industry expertise
• Total cost of ownership optimization

Supplier Management

• Executive relationship management
• Supplier performance management
• Supplier innovation and technology partnerships
• Risk assessment and mitigation

Leadership Effectiveness

• Talent development and coaching
• Organizational design and resource optimization
• Cross-functional influence without authority
• Executive communication and storytelling

Business Acumen

• Strong financial and operational understanding
• Strategic investment and ROI evaluation
• Data-driven decision making
• Governance and compliance management

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Business, Operations, or a related field.
• 12+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, commodity management, supply chain, or supplier management.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing and developing teams.
• Proven experience negotiating complex commercial agreements with global suppliers.
• Demonstrated success delivering cost savings, risk mitigation strategies, and business transformation initiatives.
• Strong executive communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Business level Japanese and English skill

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or advanced degree.
• CPSM, CIPS, CPM, or equivalent procurement certification.
• Experience within data storage, semiconductor, electronics, or advanced manufacturing industries.
• Deep understanding of precision component supply chains, advanced manufacturing processes, or technology-driven procurement categories.
• Global sourcing experience across Asia, Europe, and North America.
• Experience leading large-scale transformation or cost optimization programs.

Key Leadership Competencies

Successful candidates will demonstrate:

• Strategic thinking and long-term vision
• Executive presence and influence
• Strong commercial and financial acumen
• Advanced negotiation skills
• Data-driven decision making
• Change leadership and organizational transformation
• Talent development and coaching
• Cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management
• Risk management and business resiliency planning
• Enterprise-first mindset focused on delivering business outcomes

Additional Information

#LI-UJ1

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 protected] 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.

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 protected].