Senior Director, Corporate Development

Key Responsibilities M&A Lifecycle Ownership Own the full M&A lifecycle end-to-end: target identification, due diligence, valuation, structuring, negotiation, and close across both the core HDD business and new ventures spanning a wide spectrum of deep tech opportunities including but not limited to photonics, magnetics, and nano-fabrication. Lead complex transaction execution including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, spin outs/ins, creative capital structures, divestitures, and vertical integration aligned to Western Digital's strategic priorities. Develop rigorous valuation frameworks, financial models, and deal structures. Deal Pipeline and Portfolio Optimization  Build and maintain a proprietary deal pipeline across data storage, AI/cloud adjacencies, and deep-tech by engaging with bankers, investors, startups, and operators to source high-quality opportunities aligned with Western Digital's strategic direction. Optimize the corporate portfolio through appropriate acquisitions, divestitures, and strategic partnerships and evaluate build-vs-buy-vs-partner decisions for new capability development, technology acquisition, vertical integration, and market entry. Corporate Venture & Strategic Investments Support corporate venture investment strategy by building relationships with VCs, accelerators, and ecosystem partners to source and invest in high-potential technology companies and startups that are aligned with WD’s strategic priorities. Assess emerging technologies and business models in storage, data infrastructure, AI, and deep-tech related to New Ventures for potential minority investment or strategic partnership. Executive Communication Deliver investment recommendations and executive briefings to the Executive Leadership Team (C-suite) and Board of Directors to translate complex deal opportunities into clear, actionable investment priorities. Synthesize market intelligence, competitive analysis, and financial modeling into compelling investment theses and strategic recommendations. Cross-Functional Collaboration Partner with key stakeholders across the business (Engineering, Product, Finance, Commercial, Legal, HR) to coordinate on key deal activities and integration planning with long-range strategic plans and integration planning. Minimum 8–10+ years in M&A, investment banking, private equity, corporate development, venture capital, or corporate ventures.  Industry experience in a highly technical field required e.g., storage, semiconductor, infrastructure, aerospace/defense, biopharma, telecom, etc. Proven M&A execution and deal track record with full-cycle transaction ownership, including deep experience with financial modeling, due diligence, negotiation, and post-merger activity. Exceptional financial modeling capability with the ability to independently build sophisticated valuation and deal models from scratch. Strong strategic thinking with the ability to think through and execute creative deal structures and economics to onboard new partners and acquisition targets and align on value creation. Proven cross-functional deal management experience across Legal, Finance, Product, Engineering, and business unit stakeholders. Track record of   building and leveraging relationships across bankers, investors, advisors, operators, and internal stakeholders. Experienced in presenting to and influencing C-suite and Board-level executives . Preferred Qualifications AI-adjacent experience (data, storage, software, memory subsystems) and/or prior experience working with or for hyperscale cloud providers, semiconductor companies, or large OEMs. Direct venture investing experience in deep-tech with a track record of sourcing, structuring, and managing minority investments. Active external network (bankers, VCs, advisors) to support independent deal flow. Experience with cross-border M&A and international transaction structuring. Familiarity with various corporate venture capital models and strategic investment portfolio management. Education Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related technical field. MBA from top-tier business school preferred. Location San Jose, California (must be willing to relocate). Flexibility for remote work within established company policies. 15-25% travel including domestic and international travel to meet with targets, advisors, investors, partners, and industry events. What Makes This Role Unique This is a critical strategic leadership position responsible for driving Western Digital's inorganic growth agenda through M&A, joint ventures, divestitures, and venture investments. The role owns the full deal lifecycle end-to-end and directly shapes the company's portfolio evolution, strengthening the cord HDD business while expanding into new areas for growth. The Senior Director will engage directly with senior leadership on multi-hundred-million to multi-billion dollar transactions, requiring exceptional deal execution capability, financial rigor, and the ability to shape C-suite decisions that define Western Digital's future. Western Digital is entering a new chapter. Following our spin-off of SanDisk, we are stepping into our future as an independent deep-tech company, one built on decades of engineering breakthroughs and pointed squarely at the biggest technological frontiers of our time. We are a company of physicists, materials scientists, AI researchers, and engineers. We work at the frontier of magnetics, photonics, nanofabrication, and machine learning - disciplines most people never encounter, solving problems most people don't know exist. Our teams hold one of the largest intellectual property banks in Silicon Valley, and our labs are staffed with hundreds of PhDs who've spent their careers pushing what's physically possible. Most folks know us as a data storage company, powering data centers, hyperscale clouds, and AI systems that define the modern economy. HDD is the backbone of the AI economy and