Senior Technical Program Manager – AI Automation & Change Management at Western Digital

Irvine, California, United States -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

22 Jun, 26

Salary

159000.0

Posted On

24 Mar, 26

Experience

10 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Technical Program Management, AI Automation, Change Management, Lean Delivery, Agile Delivery, Portfolio Leadership, Roadmap Ownership, Governance, Platform Modernization, API Integrations, ML Model Deployment, Stakeholder Engagement, Executive Reporting, E-commerce Systems, Cloud Architectures, SAFe

Industry

Computer Hardware Manufacturing

Description

Company Description At Western Digital, our vision is to power global innovation and push the boundaries of technology to make what you thought was once impossible, possible. At our core, Western Digital is a company of problem solvers. People achieve extraordinary things given the right technology. For decades, we’ve been doing just that—our technology helped people put a man on the moon and capture the first-ever picture of a black hole. We offer an expansive portfolio of technologies, HDDs, and platforms for business, creative professionals, and consumers alike under our Western Digital®, WD®, and WD_BLACK™. We are a key partner to some of the largest and highest-growth organizations in the world. From enabling systems to make cities safer and more connected, to powering the data centers behind many of the world’s biggest companies and hyperscale cloud providers, to meeting the massive and ever-growing data storage needs of the AI era, Western Digital is fueling a brighter, smarter future. Today’s exceptional challenges require your unique skills. Together, we can build the future of data storage. Job Description We are seeking an experienced Senior Technical Program Manager (Senior TPM) to lead high-impact, cross-functional programs across our web platforms, e‑commerce ecosystem, and AI automation initiatives, while driving organizational alignment through strong change management and continuous improvement practices. This senior role requires deep technical expertise, excellence in Lean and Agile delivery, and the ability to orchestrate complex initiatives across engineering, product, and business teams. You will own strategic program portfolios, influence technology direction, standardize delivery processes, and champion operational efficiency across the organization. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Strategic Program & Portfolio Leadership Own multi-quarter roadmaps for digital, web, and automation platforms, aligning strategy with business goals. Establish portfolio-level governance, operating mechanisms, and program measurement frameworks. Drive complex, cross-functional initiatives involving platform modernization, automation adoption, and experience optimization. Provide executive-level insights, risk assessments, and data-driven recommendations. Lean & Agile Delivery Leadership Champion Lean principles to streamline workflows, eliminate waste, improve cycle times, and enhance delivery predictability. Lead Agile ceremonies, facilitate cross-team alignment, and coach teams on Agile best practices. Implement scaled Agile frameworks (SAFe, Scrum of Scrums, Kanban, etc.) to ensure consistent program-level execution. Measure and improve flow efficiency, throughput, and team performance using Lean metrics. Technical Depth & Platform Expertise Partner with engineering leaders to define architecture, API integrations, system dependencies, and modernization strategies. Lead efforts around platform upgrades, migrations, optimization, security enhancements, and resiliency. Identify and remove technical blockers, anticipate risks, and support engineering excellence across teams. AI Automation & Digital Transformation Drive strategy and implementation for AI-based tools, intelligent workflows, bots, and automation capabilities. Align cross-functional teams around data requirements, ML model deployment, governance, and ethical considerations. Lead adoption and rollout programs for new AI-driven capabilities across business units. Change Management Leadership Build and execute change management strategies for large-scale technology rollouts and process transformations. Develop stakeholder communication plans, readiness assessments, and training enablement strategies. Ensure adoption success through monitoring KPIs, feedback loops, and continuous engagement. Cross-Functional Influence & Executive Alignment Serve as the senior connector across engineering, product, operations, marketing, and executive leadership. Drive decision-making through structured communication, clear data, and consistent alignment mechanisms. Navigate ambiguity with clarity, diplomacy, and strong leadership presence. Qualifications REQUIRED 7–10+ years of Technical Program Management or equivalent experience leading enterprise-scale initiatives. Deep experience with Lean and Agile methodologies and proven ability to apply them at scale. Strong understanding of web technologies, modern CMS platforms, e‑commerce systems, APIs, and cloud architectures. Experience leading AI/automation programs or working with ML, automation engineering, or workflow orchestration tools. Expertise in organizational change management frameworks (Prosci, ADKAR, ITIL, or similar). Exceptional communication, stakeholder engagement, executive reporting, and facilitation skills. Proven success driving complex, cross-team programs from strategy through execution. PREFERRED Experience with enterprise e‑commerce platforms (Adobe Commerce, Shopify Plus, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, BigCommerce). Industry certifications: SAFe, CSM, PMI-ACP, Lean Practitioner/Lean Six Sigma. Technical degree or relevant engineering background. Experience building program management frameworks, Lean operating models, or PMO practices. SKILLS Systems thinker with strong strategic orientation. Executive presence with the ability to influence leaders at all levels. Expert at bringing clarity to ambiguity and structuring complex problems. Advocates for continuous improvement, operational excellence, and data-driven decision-making. Additional Information Western Digital 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 available here. Western Digital 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. Western Digital 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 at [email protected] 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 06/23/2026 (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. The salary range 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 York or 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 under either WD’s Short Term Incentive Plan (“STI Plan”) or the Sales Incentive Plan (“SIP”) which provides incentive awards based on Company and individual performance, depending on your role and your performance. You may be eligible to participate in our annual Long-Term Incentive (LTI) program, which consists of restricted stock units (RSUs) or cash equivalents, pursuant to the terms of the LTI plan. Please note that not all roles are eligible to participate in the LTI program, and not all roles are eligible for equity under the LTI plan. RSU awards are also available to eligible new hires, subject to WD's Standard Terms and Conditions for Restricted Stock Unit Awards. We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid vacation time; paid sick leave; medical/dental/vision insurance; life, accident and disability insurance; tax-advantaged flexible spending and health savings accounts; employee assistance program; other voluntary benefit programs such as supplemental life and AD&D, legal plan, pet insurance, critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity; tuition reimbursement; transit; the Applause Program; employee stock purchase plan; and the WD Savings 401(k) Plan. Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law. Notice To Candidates: Please be aware that WD and its subsidiaries will never request payment as a condition for applying for a position or receiving an offer of employment. Should you encounter any such requests, please report it immediately to WD Ethics Helpline or email [email protected]. Job Type (exemption status): Exempt position - Please see related compensation & benefits details below Salary Range: 119,300.00-159,000.00 Business Function: Program Management Work Location: Irvine Office--LOC_WDT_USCA01 Location (Secondary): Irvine Office--LOC_WDT_USCA01

Responsibilities

This Senior Technical Program Manager will lead high-impact, cross-functional programs across web platforms, e-commerce, and AI automation initiatives, while driving organizational alignment through strong change management and continuous improvement practices. Responsibilities include owning strategic program portfolios, influencing technology direction, standardizing delivery processes, and championing operational efficiency.