Chief of Staff, IT Business Systems & Digital Employee Experience at Western Digital in Remote, TEXAS, United States

Job description

• WD is seeking a Chief of Staff to serve as a strategic partner and operational advisor jointly supporting the VP of Business Applications and the VP of Digital Employee Experience. This role sits at the intersection of two complementary IT organizations, connecting strategy to execution across both portfolios and ensuring the combined leadership team operates with shared clarity, alignment, and accountability.
• The Chief of Staff works alongside both VP leaders to drive organizational priorities forward, maintain operational rhythm, and represent IT interests across cross-functional forums. Given the dual scope of this role, the ability to hold context across multiple domains, balance competing priorities thoughtfully, and build trust with two distinct leadership teams is essential. This is a high-visibility, high-trust role that requires sound judgment, executive presence, strong communication instincts, and the ability to operate effectively across a complex, matrixed global technology organization.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Enablement & Organizational Leadership
• Partner with both the VP of Business Applications and the VP of Digital Employee Experience to develop, refine, and communicate IT strategic priorities across their respective organizations and to shared stakeholders
• Translate strategy across both IT portfolios into actionable roadmaps, plans, and organizational commitments
• Serve as a thought partner to both VP leaders on organizational decisions, planning trade-offs, and priority setting
• Help identify opportunities for alignment, synergy, and shared execution across the Business Applications and Digital Employee Experience organizations
• Represent both VP leadership interests in cross-functional forums, planning sessions, and executive reviews as appropriate
• Help shape and steward the IT organizational narrative across both domains, ensuring consistent messaging for internal and external audiences
• Operational Execution & Cadence
• Own the operating cadence across both IT organizations, including leadership team rhythms, QBRs, strategic planning cycles, and technology reviews
• Drive accountability across both leadership teams for key commitments, deliverables, and milestones
• Proactively identify and resolve operational blockers, escalating or connecting stakeholders where needed
• Maintain visibility into initiative portfolios across both organizations, surfacing risks, dependencies, and progress for leadership review
• Identify and improve operational processes that span or connect the two IT organizations to increase overall efficiency and effectiveness
• Decision Support & Executive Communications
• Synthesize complex information from across both IT organizations and the broader business to inform leadership decisions and recommendations
• Lead development of executive presentations, strategic briefings, and business updates on behalf of both VP leaders
• Translate technical and operational content into clear, compelling narratives for business and executive audiences
• Prepare both VP leaders for high-stakes meetings, technology reviews, and partner forums
• Manage strategic communications flowing from both IT organizations to internal teams and business partners
• Financial & Resource Planning Partnership
• Partner with Finance to ensure budget planning, forecasting, and expense management processes across both IT organizations are well-coordinated and accurately represented to leadership
• Maintain leadership-level visibility into headcount, resource allocation, and workforce planning across both portfolios in partnership with HR
• Support both VP leaders in making informed resource prioritization decisions aligned with organizational strategy and demand
• Track and flag material variances in budget or resource plans across either organization with appropriate context and recommended actions
• Performance Visibility & Insights
• Oversee tracking and reporting of key performance indicators spanning both the Business Applications and Digital Employee Experience portfolios
• Ensure both VP leaders have timely, accurate, and actionable visibility into organizational performance through consolidated dashboards and scorecards
• Identify performance trends, risks, and opportunities across both organizations and bring them forward with context and perspective
• Drive consistent, high-quality reporting practices across both IT organizations
• Cross-Functional Coordination & Stakeholder Alignment
• Serve as a primary coordination point bridging Business Applications, Digital Employee Experience, and other IT domains including Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, and Enterprise Architecture
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with key business partner organizations including Finance, HR, Supply Chain, and Operations
• Facilitate alignment across shared IT priorities, service commitments, and technology roadmaps that span both VP organizations
• Help navigate organizational complexity and resolve cross-functional friction points on behalf of both VP leaders
• Organizational Health & Culture
• Contribute to a healthy, high-performing culture across both IT organizations by modeling clarity, accountability, and inclusion in day-to-day operations
• Support both VP leaders in communication efforts that keep their respective organizations informed, engaged, and connected to strategy
• Help identify and address organizational gaps, team dynamics, and structural issues that may affect effectiveness across either portfolio
• Champion continuous improvement across IT ways of working, team collaboration, and shared organizational practices
• Special Projects & Strategic Initiatives
• Lead or co-lead high-priority special projects on behalf of either or both VP leaders
• Support transformation and modernization initiatives across both IT portfolios through research, analysis, coordination, and stakeholder engagement
• Take end-to-end ownership of defined strategic workstreams from scoping through delivery
• Provide analytical and strategic support for emerging priorities and leadership agenda items across both organizations
• Scope & Impact
• Operates as a direct extension of two IT VP leaders across strategic and operational matters spanning Business Applications and Digital Employee Experience
• Regular engagement with VP and C-suite-level stakeholders across IT and the broader business
• Cross-functional reach spanning multiple IT domains and major business partner organizations
• Meaningful influence over how two distinct but complementary IT organizations operate, communicate, and deliver on shared and individual commitments across the enterprise

Requirements

• Required
• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Business, Computer Science, Finance, or a related field
• 8 or more years of progressive experience in IT strategy, IT operations, business operations, chief of staff, or senior program leadership roles
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively at the VP or executive level in a complex, matrixed organization
• Proven ability to manage and balance competing priorities across multiple stakeholders and organizational contexts simultaneously
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with a track record of executive-level storytelling and presentation development
• Strong analytical capability with experience synthesizing data into strategic recommendations
• Sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to handle sensitive organizational information with care
• Proven ability to manage multiple competing priorities with composure and clarity in a fast-paced environment
• Experience in a formal Chief of Staff, Senior Director of Strategy, or equivalent advisory role within an enterprise IT organization
• Background in technology, manufacturing, semiconductor, or related industries
• Familiarity with IT financial management, portfolio planning, and vendor management practices
• Experience supporting multiple VP or C-suite leaders concurrently within a global organization
• Exposure to IT strategic planning, digital transformation, and organizational change management
• Knowledge of ITIL, Agile, or related IT service and delivery frameworks
• MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred

Skills

Required

• Strategic planning
• Operational execution
• Executive communication
• Stakeholder management
• Analytical skills
• Financial planning
• Resource management
• Performance tracking
• Cross-functional coordination
• Organizational leadership

Preferred

• ITIL
• Agile
• IT financial management
• Portfolio planning
• Vendor management
• Digital transformation
• Change management

Benefits

• 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.