Product Operations Program Manager

Job Description

Overview

Western Digital is seeking a highly strategic and execution-focused Program Manager to support the Product organization, reporting to the Chief of Staff. This role is designed for a strong operator who thrives in fast-paced, complex environments and brings rigor, clarity, and discipline to how the business runs.

You will own and evolve the Product operating cadence, drive executive-level decision support, and ensure alignment across Product, Engineering, Finance, Operations, and HR. This is not a reporting role—it is an inspection and execution role that directly influences business outcomes and leadership effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities

Own and Run the Product Operating Cadence

• Own end-to-end execution of core operating mechanisms, including Weekly Business Reviews (WBR), Monthly Business Reviews (MBR), Quarterly Business Outlooks (QBO), and Product staff meetings
• Ensure consistent, high-quality inputs, structured outputs, and disciplined follow-through across all forums
• Enforce mechanism standards (inputs, outputs, decision records, action tracking) and continuously improve operating rigor and effectiveness

Executive-Level Synthesis & Decision Support

• Synthesize complex, cross-functional inputs into concise, decision-ready materials (scorecards, one-pagers, dashboards) for senior leadership
• Surface tradeoffs, risks, and misalignment early; frame decisions with clear options and recommendations rather than status reporting

Inspection, Not Reporting

• Drive an inspection mindset across all operating reviews—focusing on metrics, drivers, deltas, and path-to-green
• Hold leaders accountable for clear ownership, measurable outcomes, and timely closure of commitments

Cross-Functional Program Leadership

• Partner with Product, Engineering, Finance, Operations, and HR to ensure alignment across roadmaps, headcount, and financial plans
• Act as a trusted operator who challenges assumptions, drives clarity, and resolves dependencies without over-reliance on executive escalation

Action & Decision Hygiene

• Maintain rigorous action tracking across all forums, including aging, escalation, and closure
• Ensure decisions and commitments are clearly documented and carried forward across cadences
• Drive continuity from QBO → MBR → WBR to ensure execution aligns with strategic commitments

Business and Financial Acumen

• Analyze operating metrics, targets, trends, and variances; connect execution performance to roadmap, headcount, and financial outcomes
• Operate effectively in ambiguity, balancing incomplete data with the need for timely decisions

Exceptional Written and Verbal Communication

• Produce clear, concise executive-level materials suitable for VP/SVP audiences and global teams
• Maintain strong meeting hygiene and consistently represent the operating model across stakeholders

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in program management, business operations, product operations, or a Chief of Staff–adjacent role
• Proven ability to manage complex, cross-functional programs at scale
• Strong analytical skills with experience working with business and financial metrics
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level presentations

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting Product or Engineering organizations in a technology company
• Demonstrated success building or scaling operating cadences (WBR, MBR, QBR/QBO)
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence without authority
• Experience working in global, matrixed organizations

Optional “Signal” Qualifications

• Prior experience in Product Operations, Business Operations, or Chief of Staff–adjacent roles supporting senior executives
• Demonstrated success evolving operating mechanisms as organizations scale in size and complexity

Why This Role

This role sits at the center of how the Product organization operates. You will directly impact how decisions are made, how priorities are executed, and how leaders stay aligned and accountable. It’s a high-visibility position with meaningful influence across the business.

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 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 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.

Based on our experience, we anticipate that the application deadline will be 08-7-2026 (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

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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 protected].