Senior Principal Supply Chain Engineer - HDD

Job Description The Supply Chain Innovation Manager partners closely with industry ecosystem, strategic suppliers, and internal cross‑functional teams to enable new technologies, reduce total cost of ownership (TCO), and strengthen supplier manufacturing capability, capacity, quality, sustainability, and resilience. This role sits at the intersection of supply chain, engineering, and operations, driving innovation across the supplier ecosystem to support long-term business growth and competitiveness. The ideal candidate combines strong technical acumen with supplier-facing leadership, using data, structured problem-solving, and collaboration to translate emerging technologies into scalable, cost-effective, and resilient supply chain solutions. Key Responsibilities Supplier Technology Enablement & Innovation • Partner with suppliers to evaluate, pilot, and scale new technologies, processes, and materials that improve cost, performance, quality, and time-to-market • Serve as a technical interface between suppliers and internal engineering, manufacturing, quality, and procurement teams • Identify and drive supplier-led innovation opportunities aligned with product and supply chain roadmaps • Lead initiatives to reduce total cost of ownership through design-for-manufacturability, process optimization, automation, yield improvement, and lifecycle cost analysis • Evaluate trade-offs across cost, quality, risk, sustainability, and scalability to inform sourcing and technology decisions • Support should-cost modeling and fact-based negotiations through deep technical and process understanding • Assess and improve supplier capacity, scalability, and technical readiness to support current and future business demand • Drive initiatives to improve supplier operational maturity, including process capability, equipment readiness, workforce skills, and digitalization • Partner with supply chain and operations teams to strengthen supplier resilience, including dual sourcing, risk mitigation, and recovery planning • Collaborate with suppliers and internal quality teams to improve process capability, reduce variability, and prevent escapes • Lead root cause analysis and corrective action for systemic supplier issues • Promote continuous improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma, SPC) across the supplier base • Support supplier sustainability initiatives related to environmental impact, energy efficiency, waste reduction, and responsible sourcing • Work closely with engineering, manufacturing, quality, procurement, finance, and program management teams to align priorities and execution • Communicate complex technical and supply chain topics clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders • Influence to drive alignment and results across organizational boundaries Qualifications Required Qualifications • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Mechanical, Material Science, Electronics, Physics, Chemical, Supply Chain, Operations, or a related technical field • Extensive experience in supply chain engineering, manufacturing engineering, supplier development, or related roles • Experience working directly with suppliers on technical, operational, or cost-reduction initiatives • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven mindset • Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed Preferred Qualifications • Master’s degree in in Engineering, Mechanical, Material Science, Electronics, Physics, Chemical, Supply Chain, Operations, or a related technical field, and MBA. • Experience introducing new manufacturing technologies or processes into production • Background in cost modeling, should-cost analysis, or value engineering Company Description WD is building the infrastructure behind the AI-driven data economy. As AI scales, so does data. Every interaction, every model, every system generates data that must be stored, managed, and made accessible over time. That’s where we come in. We combine deep engineering expertise with global-scale manufacturing to deliver the storage systems that make AI possible, powering hyperscale data centers, cloud platforms, and enterprise infrastructure worldwide. This isn’t theoretical work. It’s real systems, at real scale, people solving some of the hardest challenges in technology today. We’re looking for people who want to build, solve, and operate at that level. Join us and let’s shape the future of data. Additional Information 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