Principal Data Analyst

WD; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 164,000 - 219,000; Full time

Job summary

Western Digital seeks a highly analytical Supply Chain Planning Principal Data Analyst to lead development, execution, and automation of complex business scenarios that support executive decision-making.

You will partner with Supply Chain Planning, Finance, Operations, Commercial, Product Management, and Executive Leadership to structure scenarios for LRPs, annual plans, and capital investment decisions, and to build data-driven dashboards to inform strategic choices.

Qualifications

• Translate ambiguous business questions into structured analytical models.
• Lead development of complex scenarios for LRPs and annual plans.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain Planning, Finance, Operations, and Exec leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of complex business scenarios supporting Western Digital's Long-Range Planning process.
• Translate ambiguous business questions into structured analytical models and actionable recommendations.
• Evaluate demand, supply, manufacturing, capital, inventory, sourcing, and product roadmap scenarios.
• Analyze risks, opportunities, constraints, and sensitivities across multiple business assumptions.
• Quantify the financial, operational, and customer impacts of strategic alternatives.
• Support executive-level business reviews, board materials, and strategic planning processes.
• Drive rapid-turnaround analyses for urgent executive requests and emerging business issues.
• Develop integrated models linking demand forecasts, manufacturing output, inventory, capital investments, product transitions, and financial outcomes.
• Partner with Supply Chain Planning teams to evaluate network and capacity optimization opportunities.
• Analyze manufacturing loading strategies, factory utilization, inventory positions, and supply-demand balances.
• Support capital planning processes through investment scenario evaluations and business case development.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and recommend data-driven solutions.
• Develop and own a strategic roadmap to automate scenario modeling, reporting, and decision-support processes.
• Lead requirements definition for data architecture, data governance, and reporting solutions.
• Implement scalable self-service dashboards and executive reporting tools.
• Reduce manual data collection, consolidation, and analysis activities through process automation.
• Champion best practices in data management, analytics, and model governance.
• Present complex analytical findings in concise, executive-level narratives.
• Create clear visualizations and dashboards to communicate key business insights.
• Influence cross-functional leaders through fact-based recommendations.
• Facilitate alignment among Supply Chain, Finance, Operations, Product Management, and Executive leadership teams.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on strategic planning decisions.
• Establish modeling methodologies, standards, and best practices.
• Mentor analysts and planning teams on advanced analytical techniques.
• Foster a culture of data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Drive adoption of enhanced analytical tools and processes across the organization.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Strategic mindset

Data analytics

Executive communication

Modeling / forecasting

Dashboards / reporting

Job description

• Job Type (exemption status): Exempt position - Please see related compensation & benefits details below
• Salary Range: 164,000.00-218,700.00
• Business Function: Data Analytics

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

Western Digital is seeking a highly analytical, strategic, and operationally focused Supply Chain Planning Principal Data Analyst to lead the development, execution, and automation of complex business scenarios that support executive decision-making across the company.

This role will serve as a key partner to Supply Chain Planning, Finance, Operations, Commercial, Product Management, and Executive Leadership teams, helping structure and evaluate critical business scenarios associated with Western Digital's Long-Range Plan (LRP), annual operating plans, capital investment strategies, manufacturing capacity decisions, customer demand shifts, product transitions, and other strategic initiatives.

The successful candidate will not only perform advanced scenario modeling and business analysis but will also define and execute a multi-year roadmap to automate data integration, dashboarding, and modeling capabilities through close partnership with IT, Data Engineering, and Digital Transformation teams.

This position will routinely support business reviews and strategic recommendations presented to the CEO, COO, CFO, and other executive leaders, requiring exceptional analytical rigor, executive communication skills, and business acumen.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of complex business scenarios supporting Western Digital's Long-Range Planning process.
• Translate ambiguous business questions into structured analytical models and actionable recommendations.
• Evaluate demand, supply, manufacturing, capital, inventory, sourcing, and product roadmap scenarios.
• Analyze risks, opportunities, constraints, and sensitivities across multiple business assumptions.
• Quantify the financial, operational, and customer impacts of strategic alternatives.
• Support executive-level business reviews, board materials, and strategic planning processes.
• Drive rapid-turnaround analyses for urgent executive requests and emerging business issues.

Supply Chain & Capital Analytics

• Develop integrated models linking demand forecasts, manufacturing output, inventory, capital investments, product transitions, and financial outcomes.
• Partner with Supply Chain Planning teams to evaluate network and capacity optimization opportunities.
• Analyze manufacturing loading strategies, factory utilization, inventory positions, and supply-demand balances.
• Support capital planning processes through investment scenario evaluations and business case development.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and recommend data-driven solutions.

Automation & Digital Transformation

• Develop and own a strategic roadmap to automate scenario modeling, reporting, and decision-support processes.
• Partner closely with IT, Data Engineering, Business Intelligence, and Digital Transformation teams to improve analytical capabilities.
• Lead requirements definition for data architecture, data governance, and reporting solutions.
• Implement scalable self-service dashboards and executive reporting tools.
• Reduce manual data collection, consolidation, and analysis activities through process automation.
• Champion best practices in data management, analytics, and model governance.

Executive Communication & Influence

• Present complex analytical findings in concise, executive-level narratives.
• Create clear visualizations and dashboards to communicate key business insights.
• Influence cross-functional leaders through fact-based recommendations.
• Facilitate alignment among Supply Chain, Finance, Operations, Product Management, and Executive leadership teams.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on strategic planning decisions.

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Establish modeling methodologies, standards, and best practices.
• Mentor analysts and planning teams on advanced analytical techniques.
• Foster a culture of data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Drive adoption of enhanced analytical tools and processes across the organization.