Director of Compensation

• Job Type (exemption status): Exempt position - Please see related compensation & benefits details below
• Salary Range: 199,500.00-266,000.00
• Business Function: Compensation

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

The Director of Compensation leads the strategic design and operational execution of the company’s compensation programs. This role ensures that all compensation practices—including base pay, variable pay, equity, job architecture, and market analysis—are competitive, compliant, scalable, and aligned with the company’s strategic goals. The Director partners closely with senior HR leaders and business executives, advising on compensation strategies to attract, retain, and motivate top talent.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Partnership

• Develop and drive a holistic compensation strategy that supports business objectives and employee experience.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership and HR Business Partners on compensation philosophy, pay decisions, and organizational design.
• Provide executive-level consultation on compensation-related issues including workforce structure, retention risks, and leadership transitions.

Compensation Operations Ownership

• Lead the design and execution of compensation operations, including:
  • Job architecture and leveling frameworks
  • Annual compensation cycles (merit, bonus, equity)
  • Global market benchmarking and survey participation
  • Compensation tools and systems (e.g., HRIS, comp planning platforms)
• Ensure operational excellence, accuracy, and scalability in all compensation processes.

Governance, Compliance & Risk Mitigation

• Own compensation governance, including policies, process documentation, and approval workflows.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulations (FLSA, pay equity, transparency laws, etc.).
• Partner with Legal, HR, and Finance on audit support, reporting, and risk mitigation related to compensation practices.

Analytics & Insights

• In partnership with systems & analytics leader, oversee compensation analytics and reporting to inform decision-making across the organization.
• Monitor compensation trends and market intelligence; provide recommendations to maintain competitive positioning.
• Use data to identify pay equity issues, workforce cost trends, and reward optimization opportunities.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Finance, Business, or related field; Master’s or MBA preferred.
• CCP (Certified Compensation Professional) certification highly preferred.
• Progressive compensation experience, with experience in a leadership role.
• Experience managing compensation operations.
• Strong analytical, project management, and strategic thinking skills.
• Proficiency with compensation tools and platforms (e.g., Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, MarketPay).
• Excellent communication and influencing skills; proven ability to work with senior leadership.

Preferred:

• Experience supporting high-growth, matrixed, or global organizations.
• Ability to lead through ambiguity and build scalable processes in dynamic environments.

Additional Information

WD 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

WD 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.

WD 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 View email address on click.appcast.io 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 11/07/2026(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.
• Thesalaryrange 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 Yorkor 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 theSales 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 WDand 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 View email address on click.appcast.io .

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