Managing VC Director @ Western Digital in San Jose, CA

Job Description

As a key leader within Western Digital’s Corporate Development & Strategic Planning organization, the Managing Director of Corporate Venture Capital will shape and execute the company’s venture strategy in alignment with its long-term innovation roadmap. This high-impact role serves as a strategic interface between external innovation and internal priorities, driving investments that accelerate growth and technological leadership in core and adjacent markets.

This role requires deep venture capital expertise, fluency in technology trends—particularly in compute, storage, infrastructure, and networking—and the ability to translate innovation into business value. The ideal candidate will lead end-to-end investment processes, including detailed financial modeling and deal structuring, while also cultivating strong ties with the global startup ecosystem and key internal stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the execution of Western Digital’s corporate venture strategy, aligned with enterprise innovation goals and long-term business priorities.
• Collaborate with Corporate Development, Strategic Planning, and Technology teams to define thematic focus areas and develop targeted investment theses.
• Track and analyze emerging trends across compute, storage, infrastructure, and networking to guide investment decisions.

Venture Investment & Execution

• Source and assess high-potential startups in strategic domains through deep engagement with founders, VCs, and internal experts.
• Lead investment diligence, including product/tech validation, competitive analysis, market sizing, and financial modeling.
• Build detailed venture deal models including cap table analysis, dilution scenarios, exit outcomes, and scenario planning.
• Lead and orchestrate a complete deal round for select targets.
• Drive deal execution—term sheet development, negotiation, and close—in collaboration with legal, finance, and tax teams.
• Identify and support proof-of-concept pilots, go-to-market opportunities, and technology integrations with portfolio companies.

Portfolio Strategy & Management

• Manage a portfolio of strategic investments, monitoring performance and facilitating strategic engagement between portfolio companies and business units.
• Evaluate and report on financial and strategic outcomes, portfolio impact, and alignment with corporate priorities.
• Provide board-level guidance or observer oversight to ensure portfolio companies are well-positioned for growth.

Ecosystem & Stakeholder Engagement

• Maintain strong relationships with leading venture capital firms, accelerators, entrepreneurs, and corporate innovation networks.
• Represent Western Digital at industry conferences, venture summits, and ecosystem forums to identify opportunities and enhance visibility.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and internal evangelist for venture-driven innovation across R&D, product, and go-to-market teams.

Organizational Leadership

• Champion a culture of innovation, investment excellence, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Establish and continuously improve frameworks, tools, and governance processes for CVC operations.
• Provide strategic guidance to senior leadership on market disruptions, competitive threats, and whitespace opportunities.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced technical degree (e.g., CS, EE) strongly preferred.
• 12+ years of experience in venture capital, corporate VC, private equity, investment banking, corporate development.
• Proven track record in sourcing, structuring, and managing early- and growth-stage technology investments.
• Experience working in or with startups and emerging technologies in compute, storage, infrastructure, or networking sectors.

Skills & Capabilities

• Deep understanding of venture capital financial models, cap table dynamics, and dilution mechanics across financing rounds.
• Strong command of investment evaluation frameworks, exit analysis, and scenario modeling.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to synthesize technical trends and translate them into business value and investment rationale.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence across a matrixed, global organization.
• Highly organized and able to prioritize multiple initiatives in a fast-paced, execution-oriented environment.

Equal Employment Opportunity

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.

Inclusion & Accessibility

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 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.