Manager, Sustaining Program Management

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.

Job Description

The Manager, Sustaining Program Management serves as the focal point for overall sustaining product health — driving execution across customer requirements, product cost, quality, and engineering KPIs. This role operates cross-functionally without direct reports, leading through influence, collaboration, and accountability to deliver against business and customer objectives.

Customer & Product Management

• Obtain customer-specific product requirements, assess and recommend engineering solutions, and drive timely execution to meet customer commitments
• Define and drive product recipe ramp and depletion strategy aligned to customer and WD business needs
• Support customer critical qual sample with 1st time right mindset, understand the customer qual objective, requirement, lesson learnt from previous qual/ programs. Able to support production with equivalent quality level as customer qualification sample

Cost Management

• Serve as the accountable focal point for overall sustaining product cost
• Collaborate with Finance to define optimized product cost strategy and drive execution

Engineering KPI & Roadmap Alignment

• Collaborate with KPI owners to align and rationalize roadmaps ensuring consistent product strategy and execution
• Monitor overall engineering KPI performance and support KPI owners to close gaps vs. plan

Quality Management

• Partner with the Quality team to define and prioritize product improvement strategies
• Monitor quality KPI performance and support functional teams to address gaps vs. plan
• In the event of quality or operational excursions, execute the SSO process and lead the core team through containment, disposition, root cause analysis, and corrective actions that meet optimized business objectives

Qualifications

REQUIRED:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering or related field
• Strong business acumen — P&L (profit & lost statement), supply chain, cost, and quality fundamentals
• Executive-level communication and cross-functional influence skills
• Experience in HDD, semiconductor, or storage industry preferred
• Previous experience as an Program Manager or Engineering related
• Fluent in English communication

PREFERRED:

• HDD Fundamental Knowledge
• HDD Process & Technology
• HDD Quality Management
• Operational Management

SKILLS:

• People Management & Development
• Strategic Planning
• Risk & Crisis Management
• Problem-Solving & Decision-Making
• Strong Interpersonal Skills — proactive, accountable, and dynamic