Director & Senior Legal Counsel

WD; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 207,000 - 275,000; Full time

Job summary

WD is seeking an experienced Director & Senior Legal Counsel to join its Global Commercial Legal team in Irvine. You will provide sophisticated legal guidance on commercial transactions, shape go-to-market strategies, and manage risk for the Worldwide Sales and Marketing Organization.

This role requires a true business partner with deep transactional expertise, independent judgment, and the ability to deliver practical, strategic legal solutions in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of transactional legal experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements.
• Active US State Bar license or in-house counsel eligibility in California.
• Strong knowledge of consumer protection, competition, and IP laws.
• Professional fluency in English, both written and verbal.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, negotiate, and finalize commercial sales agreements and related documents.
• Advise on go-to-market strategies from a legal perspective and mitigate risk.
• Oversee contract management processes and support process improvements.

Skills

Transactional law

Contract negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

English fluency

Education

Juris Doctorate

US Bar admission or CA In-House Counsel eligibility

Job description

• Job Type (exemption status): Exempt position - Please see related compensation & benefits details below
• Salary Range: 206,600.00-275,400.00
• Business Function: Legal
• Work Location: Irvine Office--LOC_WDT_USCA01

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

WD is seeking an experienced and commercially astute Director & Senior Legal Counsel to join its Global Commercial Legal team. In this high-impact role, you will serve as a trusted legal partner to WD's Worldwide Sales and Marketing Organization, providing sophisticated legal advice across a broad range of commercial transactions. You will play a central role in shaping go-to-market strategies, managing commercial risk, and supporting commercial operational excellence.

This position requires a lawyer who combines deep transactional expertise with strong business judgment, the ability to operate independently in a fast-paced environment, and a genuine commitment to delivering practical, strategic legal solutions.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Transactions & Contract Negotiation

• Draft, review, negotiate, and finalize a wide range of commercial sales and customer agreements, including master purchasing agreements, distribution agreements, nondisclosure agreements, statements of work, amendments, and related business documents.
• Partner closely with business stakeholders to evaluate transaction risks, develop practical risk mitigation strategies, and drive deals to close efficiently.

Go-to-Market & Strategic Support

• Advise on and support the development of go-to-market strategies from a legal perspective, including drafting enabling agreements and engaging cross-functionally to assess and address legal and business risks.
• Review and contribute to responses to customer RFPs and RFQs in collaboration with internal teams across sales, finance, and operations.

Contract Management & Process Improvement

• Support and enhance end-to-end contract management process, including the development and maintenance of strategic playbooks, standard templates, and contract lifecycle management (CLM) workflows related to sales transactions.
• Champion the use of technology and process innovation to improve efficiency and consistency across the global commercial legal function.
• Oversee and provide quality guidance to contract administrators and managers within the commercial organization as needed.

Special Projects

• Lead or contribute to special legal and business initiatives as assigned, demonstrating flexibility and a collaborative approach across the broader legal team.

Qualifications

Required

• Experience: 8 or more years of relevant transactional legal experience in a law firm, in-house legal department, or government legal setting, with a demonstrated track record of drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial and sales-related agreements.
• License: Current member in good standing of a U.S. State Bar, or Registered In-House Counsel in California (or eligible therefor); Juris Doctorate from an ABA-accredited law school or its equivalent.
• Subject Matter Knowledge: Working knowledge of U.S. consumer protection, competition, and intellectual property laws.
• Language: Professional fluency in English, both written and verbal.

Preferred

• Experience working in or with technology companies or the broader technology industry.
• Additional language proficiency is a plus.

Competencies & Success Factors

• Business Partnership:Ability to engage deeply with business objectives, translate legal risk into actionable strategy, and serve as a trusted advisor rather than a gatekeeper
• Transactional Excellence: Consistent delivery of high-quality, timely work product across a broad range of commercial matters
• Independent Judgment: Proven ability to operate autonomously, manage competing priorities, and exercise sound judgment with limited supervision
• Collaboration:Effective cross-functional partner who builds trust with internal stakeholders, teammates, and outside counsel; comfortable working across cultures and time zones
• Communication: Clear, concise, and respectful communicator — both one-on-one and in group settings
• Leadership & Mentorship: Willingness to guide and develop less experienced counsel and contract administrators; leads by example
• Detail & Rigor: Strong analytical skills and meticulous attention to detail in all work product
• Integrity: Unwavering commitment to WD's corporate values, ethics, and Code of Conduct
• Adaptability:Thrives in a demanding, high-volume environment while maintaining quality and positive relationships
• Growth Mindset: Self-motivated, resourceful, and enthusiastic about continuous learning and improvement

About WD's Legal Team

WD's Legal department operates as a strategic business partner across a global, fast-moving technology company. Our commercial legal team supports one of the world's leading data infrastructure businesses, working at the intersection of technology, commerce, and law. We value lawyers who are intellectually curious, business-minded, and committed to excellence.

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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 availablehere .

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 [e-mail] 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 09/8/2026 (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 this posting with a new anticipated application deadline.

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.
• Thesalaryrange 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 Yorkor 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 undereither WD’s Short Term Incentive Plan (“STI Plan”) or theSales Incentive Plan (“SIP”) which provides incentive awards based on Company and individual performance, depending