Principal Technical Recruiter

Westerndigital; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Westerndigital is seeking a Principal Technical Recruiter to join our Global Talent Acquisition team in San Jose, CA. You will own end-to-end recruitment for product, software, data, IT, and strategy roles, shaping how we source, assess, and close top technical talent.

You will leverage market data, build proactive pipelines, and influence senior leaders to ensure speed, quality, and alignment with business priorities.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of full-cycle technical recruiting experience.
• Proven track record placing talent across product, software, hardware, IT, and corporate strategy.
• Experience influencing senior leaders with market data.

Responsibilities

• OWN the end-to-end recruitment lifecycle for mid to senior-level technical and strategic roles.
• Partner with hiring managers, HRBPs, and leaders to tailor hiring strategies.
• Maintain high candidate quality and employer branding.
• Manage requisitions with urgency, meeting time-to-fill and quality-of-hire targets.
• Lead data-backed updates and market insights to TA leadership.
• Champion TA transformation and program ownership.

Skills

Full-cycle recruiting

Stakeholder management

Data-driven recruiting

Senior leadership partnering

Talent pipeline development

Tools

LinkedIn Talent Insights

Lightcast

Radford/Mercer

Job description

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Principal Technical Recruiter to join our Global Talent Acquisition organization, reporting directly to the Director of Talent Acquisition - Product, IT & Strategy . This is a high-impact, full-cycle recruiting role designed for a seasoned talent professional who operates at the intersection of strategic advisor, delivery expert, and transformation leader.

As a Principal-level contributor, you will own the end-to-end recruitment experience for some of WD's most critical and complex technical disciplines-including Product Management, Software Engineering, Data & Analytics, IT Infrastructure, Corporate Strategy, and New Business Ventures. You will be expected to not only close requisitions, but to elevate how we recruit through data intelligence, stakeholder influence, and innovative program ownership.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

1. Full-Cycle Talent Delivery
   Own the complete recruitment lifecycle-from intake and sourcing strategy through offer negotiation and close-for mid to senior-level technical and strategic roles across Product, IT & Strategy.
   Partner deeply with hiring managers, HRBPs, and business leaders to develop tailored hiring strategies aligned to approved headcount plans and workforce priorities
   Maintain a high bar for candidate quality and experience, ensuring every interaction reflects WD's employer brand and values
   Proactively manage requisition loads with urgency and precision, consistently meeting or exceeding time-to-fill, offer acceptance, and quality-of-hire benchmarks
   Navigate ambiguous, fast-moving, and highly specialized talent markets with confidence and adaptability
2. Market Intelligence & Data-Driven Recruiting
   Serve as the subject matter expert on talent supply and demand dynamics for your assigned business units, including compensation benchmarking, competitor talent mapping, and skills availability analysis
   Leverage labor market data platforms (LinkedIn Talent Insights, Lightcast, Radford/Mercer) to deliver actionable intelligence to hiring managers and HR partners
   Use data to identify pipeline gaps, forecast hiring outcomes, and drive accountability across the funnel
   Present structured, data-backed hiring updates and market insights to business leaders and TA leadership on a regular cadence
3. Strategic Talent Advisor
   Function as a trusted advisor and thought partner to senior business stakeholders-including VPs and Directors-on hiring strategy, workforce planning, and talent market realities
   Challenge and influence hiring decisions through consultative dialogue, including calibrating role requirements, leveling discussions, and competitive positioning
   Partner with HRBPs and Total Rewards to build compelling, competitive offer packages that win in the current market
   Develop and champion proactive talent pipelines for critical capability areas, reducing dependency on reactive hiring cycles
   Represent TA in business planning conversations and contribute to longer-term workforce strategy initiatives
4. Program Management & TA Transformation
   Identify, design, and own recruitment programs and process improvement initiatives that elevate the effectiveness and scalability of the Global TA function
   Lead or co-lead projects such as: hiring manager enablement programs, structured interviewing frameworks, diversity sourcing strategies, candidate experience improvements, or new role intake process design
   Apply project management discipline to TA initiatives-defining scope, milestones, stakeholders, and success metrics-and drive cross-functional execution from ideation to adoption
   Serve as an internal champion for TA innovation, bringing external best practices inside and advocating for changes that improve speed, quality, and equity in hiring
   Document and socialize process improvements to ensure scalability and knowledge transfer across the TA team
5. Tools, Technology & AI Integration
   Demonstrate fluency across the modern recruiting technology stack, including ATS platforms, CRM tools, sourcing platforms, and productivity suites
   Actively incorporate AI-powered tools to daily recruiting workflows-including candidate sourcing and outreach personalization, resume screening, market research, job description drafting, and pipeline analytics
   Evaluate and pilot emerging TA technologies; provide structured feedback and recommendations to TA leadership on adoption and integration
   Mentor peers on effective and ethical use of AI and automation in recruiting workflows
   Stay current on developments in recruiting technology, generative AI, and people analytics as they apply to talent acquisition

This Role Is For You If...

You have 8+ years of full-cycle technical recruiting experience and a proven track record placing talent across product, material science, hardware, firmware, software, IT, or corporate strategy disciplines
You are energized by owning the room with senior leaders-presenting market data, pushing back on unrealistic expectations, and earning