Senior Principal Supply Chain Engineer — HDD Innovation

Western Digital Corp.; Topeka (KS); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Western Digital Corp. seeks a Supply Chain Innovation Manager to partner with industry ecosystems and strategic suppliers, driving new technologies and cost‑effective, resilient supply chain solutions across engineering, manufacturing, and operations.

The role emphasizes data‑driven problem solving and cross‑functional leadership to advance long‑term growth. The ideal candidate will combine technical acumen with supplier‑facing leadership, translating emerging tech into scalable implementations

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Mechanical, Material Science, Electronics, Physics, Chemical, Supply Chain, Operations, or a related technical field.
• Extensive experience in supply chain engineering, manufacturing engineering, supplier development, or related roles.
• Experience working directly with suppliers on technical, operational, or cost‑reduction initiatives.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with a data‑driven mindset.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed.

Responsibilities

• Partner with suppliers to evaluate, pilot, and scale new technologies, processes, and materials that improve cost, performance, quality, and time-to-market.
• Serve as a technical interface between suppliers and internal engineering, manufacturing, quality, and procurement teams.
• Identify and drive supplier-led innovation opportunities aligned with product and supply chain roadmaps.
• Lead initiatives to reduce total cost of ownership through design-for-manufacturability, process optimization, automation, yield improvement, and lifecycle cost analysis.
• Evaluate trade-offs across cost, quality, risk, sustainability, and scalability to inform sourcing and technology decisions.
• Support should-cost modeling and fact-based negotiations through deep technical and process understanding.
• Assess and improve supplier capacity, scalability, and technical readiness to support current and future business demand.
• Drive initiatives to improve supplier operational maturity, including process capability, equipment readiness, workforce skills, and digitalization.
• Partner with supply chain and operations teams to strengthen supplier resilience, including dual sourcing, risk mitigation, and recovery planning.
• Collaborate with suppliers and internal quality teams to improve process capability, reduce variability, and prevent escapes.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action for systemic supplier issues.
• Promote continuous improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma, SPC) across the supplier base.
• Support supplier sustainability initiatives related to environmental impact, energy efficiency, waste reduction, and responsible sourcing.
• Work closely with engineering, manufacturing, quality, procurement, finance, and program management teams to align priorities and execution.
• Communicate complex technical and supply chain topics clearly to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Influence to drive alignment and results across organizational boundaries.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Data-driven mindset

Problem-solving

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/technical field

Master’s degree (preferred) in Engineering/related field

Job description

Western Digital Corp. seeks a Supply Chain Innovation Manager to partner with industry ecosystems and strategic suppliers, driving new technologies and cost‑effective, resilient supply chain solutions across engineering, manufacturing, and operations.

The role emphasizes data‑driven problem solving and cross‑functional leadership to advance long‑term growth. The ideal candidate will combine technical acumen with supplier‑facing leadership, translating emerging tech into scalable implementations