Director, Software Dev Engineering (Apps)

Company Description

At Western Digital, our vision is to power global innovation and push the boundaries of technology to make what you thought was once impossible, possible.

At our core, Western Digital is a company of problem solvers. People achieve extraordinary things given the right technology. For decades, we’ve been doing just that. Our technology helped people put a man on the moon.

We are a key partner to some of the largest and highest growth organizations in the world. From energizing the most competitive 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.

Binge-watch any shows, use social media or shop online lately? You’ll find Western Digital supporting the storage infrastructure behind many of these platforms. And, that flash memory card that captures and preserves your most precious moments? That’s us, too.

We offer an expansive portfolio of technologies, storage devices and platforms for business and consumers alike. Our data-centric solutions are comprised of the Western Digital®, G-Technology™, SanDisk® and WD® brands.

Today’s exceptional challenges require your unique skills. It’s You & Western Digital. Together, we’re the next BIG thing in data.

Job Description

Role Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced and visionary Director of Software Engineering to lead software development initiatives across HDD Operations AI enablement, manufacturing systems, and data-driven process optimization. The ideal candidate brings a strong background in factory automation, cloud-scale data platforms, embedded systems & firmware, along with proven leadership in managing cross-functional engineering teams. This role is pivotal in driving innovation, ensuring quality, and accelerating digital transformation within the HDD industry.

Key Responsibilities

• Leadership & Strategy
  • Define and execute the software engineering strategy across HDD product lines, manufacturing automation, and digital platforms/Digital Twins.
  • Build and lead high-performing engineering teams across embedded software, process automation, data engineering, and AI/ML applications overlaid on various legacy systems.
  • Collaborate with hardware, reliability, process engineering, and product teams to deliver integrated solutions.
• Product & Technology Development
  • Drive adoption of Digital Twin, predictive analytics, Gen-AI & TinyML in HDD design, testing, and manufacturing.
  • Guide architecture decisions for AI-driven manufacturing execution systems, automation frameworks, and factory optimization tools.
• Data & Infrastructure
  • Lead development of high-scale data pipelines for HDD telemetry, reliability monitoring, and yield optimization.
  • Oversee software platforms that integrate IoT, edge computing, and cloud services for end-to-end visibility.
  • Ensure system scalability, reliability, and cybersecurity compliance.
• People & Process Excellence
  • Mentor and grow engineering managers and technical leads, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and accountability.
  • Implement Agile/SAFe methodologies for efficient delivery and continuous improvement.
  • Manage budgets, resource allocation, and be involved in strategic vendor partnerships.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Master’s in computer science, Electrical Engineering, or related field
• 17+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 7 years in leadership roles.
• Proven expertise in software development and delivery at enterprise scale.
• Strong background in manufacturing automation, data engineering, or cloud-based platforms.
• Demonstrated success in building and leading cross-functional, geographically distributed teams.

Preferred Technical Stack & Tools

Data & Analytics

• Data Pipelines: Python, Spark, Kafka, Flink
• Databases: SQL (PostgreSQL, MySQL), NoSQL (MongoDB, Cassandra), Time-series DBs (InfluxDB), Oracle
• Cloud Platforms: AWS, Azure, GCP
• AI/ML: TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn, TinyML for embedded predictive modeling
• LLM: AWS Bedrock, oLLama, Anthropic Claude
• Search engines: Apache Lucene, Apache SOLR, ElasticS