Director, Ecosystem Product Management

Western Digital, a global leader in storage technology, is seeking a highly skilled Director, Ecosystem Product Management to drive innovation and maintain leadership in the consumer flash storage market. In this pivotal role, you will lead the overall strategy and execution for integrating Western Digital’s Consumer Flash Storage products—such as microSD Express, SD, USB drives, and portable SSDs—into the broader technology ecosystem, ensuring seamless compatibility and adoption across key markets, including imaging, gaming, mobile, and compute.

You will coordinate cross-functional efforts with engineering, marketing, product management, sales, business development, and customer support teams to align product offerings with ecosystem requirements, monitor industry trends, and identify opportunities to expand Western Digital’s presence in the consumer market. The ideal candidate will excel at building trust-based relationships, possess a strategic mindset, and thrive in a collaborative environment that requires cross-functional leadership and innovative problem-solving.

Additionally, you will act as a strategic business partner to the VP of Product Management, Partnerships, Ecosystem, and ID Design, driving operational excellence, strategic alignment, and organizational success to advance Western Digital’s technology adoption and ecosystem integration, ensuring long-term market leadership and growth.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Ecosystem Strategy 

• Define and execute a comprehensive strategy for integrating Western Digital’s products into the broader ecosystem, ensuring compatibility and alignment with industry standards and partner technologies. 
• Drive product innovation and adoption by identifying new opportunities within the ecosystem and aligning them with long-term business goals. 

Product Integration 

• Manage the lifecycle of flash storage products to ensure they are optimized for integration into partner platforms, devices, and applications.
• Coordinate SanDisk product compatibility testing and acceptance with host ecosystem partners to ensure seamless integration, performance optimization, and readiness for market adoption.
• Collaborate with internal compatibility labs to analyze use cases, ensure product performance, and support the qualification of new products and platforms.

Collaboration and Advocacy 

• Work with product management, engineering, and marketing teams across business units to align product offerings with ecosystem requirements and technology roadmaps. 
• Advocate for Western Digital’s technologies to host device companies, demonstrating their value and fostering trust-based relationships. 

Cross-Functional Leadership 

• Coordinate efforts across engineering, product management, marketing, sales, and business development to align product strategies with ecosystem goals. 
• Lead cross-functional teams to ensure smooth execution of product launches, ecosystem alignment, and go-to-market strategies. 

Technology Adoption 

• Drive adoption of Western Digital’s technologies by building ecosystem support for new products, such as microSD Express and SD. 
• Identify and address ecosystem needs, ensuring Western Digital’s products are widely supported by partner platforms and host devices. 

Team Leadership and Strategic Alignment 

• Lead and mentor the Ecosystem Product Management team, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and collaboration. 
• Act as a key advisor to the VP, providing strategic insights and operational support to align ecosystem initiatives with product and organizational goals.

Performance Management 

• Establish KPIs and performance metrics to evaluate the success of ecosystem initiatives and product integration. 
• Provide executive-level reports and insights on ecosystem and product alignment, identifying areas for improvement and growth opportunities.

REQUIRED:

• 10+ years of experience in product management, ecosystem development, or technology adoption within the consumer electronics or technology industry. 
• Proven track record of driving the integration of products into broader ecosystems and influencing technology adoption. 

SKILLS:

• In-depth understanding of flash storage technologies, including microSD Express, SD, and USB, and their applications in consumer electronics. 
• Strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to align diverse teams toward common goals. 
• Expertise in product lifecycle management and ecosystem integration strategies. 

Additional Requirements 

• Familiarity with industry standards, host device compatibility, and product testing processes. 
• Willingness to travel as needed to meet with partners and internal teams. 
• Alignment with Western Digital’s core values and mission. 

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 02/26/2025 (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.

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