Vice President Talent, Development & Inclusion (TD&I)

At Western Digital, we are on a mission to unlock the potential of data so people, companies and organizations everywhere can create what’s next. To fulfill our vision, we are always on the lookout for potential team members who share our passion for solving problems to empower others.

When you join Western Digital, you join a legacy more than 50 years in the making. Across our Western Digital®, SanDisk®, SanDisk® Professional, WD® and WD_BLACK™ brands, we have brought some of the most storied advancements in memory and data storage technology to market—and our best, most innovative work is yet to come.

From energizing gaming platforms, to enabling systems to make cities safer and cars smarter and more connected, to powering the data centers behind many of the world’s biggest companies and public cloud, Western Digital is fueling a brighter, smarter future.

Here’s how you can help.

The Role

Reporting to Chief Human Resources Officer (Designate) for the HDD Business, the VP Talent, Development and Inclusion Officer will lead the design and implementation of innovative and transformational talent management, learning & development and inclusion strategies, programs and tools for the global, 40,000 person organization.

Core responsibilities will include:

Overall Function and Talent Specific Deliverables:

• Establish a high-performance Talent, Development and Inclusion function to meet Western Digital’s current and future business needs
• Partner closely with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the TD&I strategy enables us to effectively attract, develop, engage and retain talent, and drives alignment to the company’s mission, vision, and values
• Build and refine a talent management strategy, architecture and roadmap – including but not limited to a succession planning framework, talent development architecture, L&D curriculum, and workforce planning structure. Certain tools and frameworks will be deployed by the TD&I team and others will require you to partner with the HRBPs and Leader Support team for an effective delivery and client engagement.
• Optimize organizational performance by creating and implementing programs that strengthen the knowledge, skills and abilities of our team members. Provide the tools and resources to ensure that they are successful in their current roles, prepare them for their future roles and ensure that we are ready to meet the challenges of our evolving workforce
• Create development pathways that support internal mobility and succession planning. Ensure annual senior succession plans prepared for the Board of Directors
• Partner with Total Rewards team to drive organization-wide quarterly performance management process, including goal setting and team member feedback sessions
• Work closely with HR Business partners and other key stakeholders to co-design talent programs and processes that are clearly defined, understood, and adopted. Ensure appropriate HR (and business) education prior to the launch of new initiatives.

L&D Specific Deliverables:

• Implement learning programs using various modalities such as workshops, online courses, seminars, coaching and mentoring.
• Design and implement company-wide L&D programs as a comprehensive learning ecosystem, aligned with company goals and employee development needs. Partner with individuals from Operations and Engineering functions to understand the Tech Academy and the technical leadership framework, and ensure linkage to company-wide leadership learning models. Additionally, partner with leaders from the Operations/manufacturing teams to determine specific HR-related learning and development needs for the Direct Labor population, with effective cross-organizational delivery.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition team to design onboarding and cultural orientation programs that effectively communicate our values and heritage
• Establish measurable goals and KPIs to track the effectiveness and impact of the L&D programs
• Leverage capabilities of LMS, AI and other technologies to optimize program delivery

DE&I:

• Partner across HR and with senior leaders on an organization-wide DE&I strategy, with tailored objectives to truly drive a more inclusive workforce
• Embed DE&I principles and leading practices across all talent programs
• Lead efforts for employee resource groups, to ensure strong executive and employee involvement and associated impact
• Partner with TA and other functions to ensure DE&I objectives have meaningful focus and outcomes
• Manage outside vendors and consultants that support key initiatives

Candidate Profile

The following will be vital components of experience for the successful candidate:

• Independent critical thinker and contributory member of the HR Leadership Team
• High strategic orientation and business acumen; well-developed team building, coaching, and influencing skills
• In-depth understanding of, and experience with the skills and core competencies across talent & inclusion, including engagement, development, performance management, succession planning, and organizational design.
• Experience engaging, developing and motivating a talent management team to be high performing and a valuable partner to the rest of the HR function and the business.
• Skilled in design thinking and iterative ways of working
• Demonstrated success building enterprise-wide learning programs that drive cultural transformation
• Strong understanding of adult learning principles and emerging L&D technologies
• Excellent facilitation skills with ability to engage audiences from front-line to executive level
• Proven track-record of building and sustaining excellent relationships at multiple levels in the workplace and with various external constituencies.

• Masters degree preferred/Bachelors degree required in Human Resources or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience. 12+ years relevant experience, including demonstrated experience leading talent management function, preferably in global, highly distributed company.
• Experience with succession/talent management, change management, organization/leadership development, performance management
• Certified in organization development tools such as: personality indicators, 360 feedback tools, career assessments and coaching a plus
• Excellent strategic, consulting and process thinking abilities. Ability to simplify complex issues and take a pragmatic approach to organizational deliverables. Ability to architect and implement large change and operate easily between concept and operation.
• Experience leading teams and vendors in the program design and implementation of employee development, talent analytics, performance management, succession planning, and career development.
• Persuasive communicator with strong leadership presence, and interpersonal and team-building skills
• A track record of success in managing programs/processes to develop leaders
• Proven ability to form strategic partnerships with senior business leaders
• A demonstrated commitment to superior customer service and operational excellence
• Willingness to "roll up the sleeves" to get the job done
• Exhibits innovation and creativity in addressing future challenges
• Strong teamwork orientation and mentor who models high performance skills and outcomes
• Operate with integrity and have a track record of developing trust-based relationships
• Proven ability to utilize metrics necessary to assess the ROI, impact and effectiveness of leadership and organization development change initiatives
• Strong interpersonal skills, judgment, and a high ability to collaborate with and influence at all levels.
• Knowledge of labor laws, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion best practices.
• Strong leadership skills with proven experience developing diverse teams and individuals.

Western Digital 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: Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision (dol.gov)

Western Digital 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.

Western Digital 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 01/09/2025 (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 this posting with a new anticipated application deadline.

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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.
• You will be eligible to participate in Western Digital’s Short-Term Incentive (STI) Plan, 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 Western Digital’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 Western Digital 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.