Principal Technical Recruiter

The posting

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 Opportunity

We are seeking a Principal Technical Recruiter to join our Global Talent Acquisition organization, reporting directly to the Director of Talent Acquisition — Product, IT & Strategy. This is a high-impact, full-cycle recruiting role designed for a seasoned talent professional who operates at the intersection of strategic advisor, delivery expert, and transformation leader.

As a Principal-level contributor, you will own the end-to-end recruitment experience for some of WD's most critical and complex technical disciplines—including Product Management, Software Engineering, Data & Analytics, IT Infrastructure, Corporate Strategy, and New Business Ventures. You will be expected to not only close requisitions, but to elevate how we recruit through data intelligence, stakeholder influence, and innovative program ownership.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

1. Full-Cycle Talent Delivery

• Own the complete recruitment lifecycle—from intake and sourcing strategy through offer negotiation and close—for mid to senior-level technical and strategic roles across Product, IT & Strategy.
• Partner deeply with hiring managers, HRBPs, and business leaders to develop tailored hiring strategies aligned to approved headcount plans and workforce priorities
• Maintain a high bar for candidate quality and experience, ensuring every interaction reflects WD's employer brand and values
• Proactively manage requisition loads with urgency and precision, consistently meeting or exceeding time-to-fill, offer acceptance, and quality-of-hire benchmarks
• Navigate ambiguous, fast-moving, and highly specialized talent markets with confidence and adaptability

2. Market Intelligence & Data-Driven Recruiting

• Serve as the subject matter expert on talent supply and demand dynamics for your assigned business units, including compensation benchmarking, competitor talent mapping, and skills availability analysis
• Leverage labor market data platforms (LinkedIn Talent Insights, Lightcast, Radford/Mercer) to deliver actionable intelligence to hiring managers and HR partners
• Use data to identify pipeline gaps, forecast hiring outcomes, and drive accountability across the funnel
• Present structured, data-backed hiring updates and market insights to business leaders and TA leadership on a regular cadence

3. Strategic Talent Advisor

• Function as a trusted advisor and thought partner to senior business stakeholders—including VPs and Directors—on hiring strategy, workforce planning, and talent market realities
• Challenge and influence hiring decisions through consultative dialogue, including calibrating role requirements, leveling discussions, and competitive positioning
• Partner with HRBPs and Total Rewards to build compelling, competitive offer packages that win in the current market
• Develop and champion proactive talent pipelines for critical capability areas, reducing dependency on reactive hiring cycles
• Represent TA in business planning conversations and contribute to longer-term workforce strategy initiatives

4. Program Management & TA Transformation

• Identify, design, and own recruitment programs and process improvement initiatives that elevate the effectiveness and scalability of the Global TA function
• Lead or co-lead projects such as: hiring manager enablement programs, structured interviewing frameworks, diversity sourcing strategies, candidate experience improvements, or new role intake process design
• Apply project management discipline to TA initiatives—defining scope, milestones, stakeholders, and success metrics—and drive cross-functional execution from ideation to adoption
• Serve as an internal champion for TA innovation, bringing external best practices inside and advocating for changes that improve speed, quality, and equity in hiring
• Document and socialize process improvements to ensure scalability and knowledge transfer across the TA team

5. Tools, Technology & AI Integration

• Demonstrate fluency across the modern recruiting technology stack, including ATS platforms, CRM tools, sourcing platforms, and productivity suites
• Actively incorporate AI-powered tools into daily recruiting workflows—including candidate sourcing and outreach personalization, resume screening, market research, job description drafting, and pipeline analytics
• Evaluate and pilot emerging TA technologies; provide structured feedback and recommendations to TA leadership on adoption and integration
• Mentor peers on effective and ethical use of AI and automation in recruiting workflows
• Stay current on developments in recruiting technology, generative AI, and people analytics as they apply to talent acquisition

Qualifications

This Role Is For You If...

• You have 8+ years of full-cycle technical recruiting experience and a proven track record placing talent across product, material science, hardware, firmware, software, IT, or corporate strategy disciplines
• You are energized by owning the room with senior leaders—presenting market data, pushing back on unrealistic expectations, and earning a seat at the strategic table
• You see data as your first language—you're not guessing on compensation, pipeline health, or market availability; you're pulling the numbers and telling the story
• You've gone beyond your requisition list to build programs, fix broken processes, or launch initiatives that made your TA team better
• You live in the tools—Workday, LinkedIn Recruiter, sourcing platforms, and AI-assisted workflows are part of your daily rhythm, not occasional experiments
• You thrive in complex, matrixed, global environments where ambiguity is the norm and self-direction is required
• You bring a consultative mindset to every search—understanding the business context behind every hire, not just the job description in front of you

You're Probably Not a Fit If...

• You'd rather take orders than give counsel—this role requires you to challenge, advise, and influence, not just execute what you're told
• You treat data as someone else's job—if you can't build a pipeline report, benchmark a comp package, or speak to talent market dynamics, this isn't the right seat for you
• You've spent your career working reqs and nothing else—we need someone who sees program ownership and process transformation as core to the role, not a distraction from it
• You're still figuring out what AI tools exist, let alone how to use them—this team moves fast and expects fluency, not curiosity from scratch
• You need a fully defined playbook to operate effectively—ambiguity, shifting priorities, and white-space problem solving are features here, not bugs
• You get uncomfortable pushing back on a VP or a hiring manager—if you default to agreement to avoid conflict, the strategic impact of this role won't be realized
• You think candidate experience ends at the offer—we care deeply about the full arc of every interaction, from first outreach to close, and so should you

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience recruiting within the semiconductor, data storage, hardware, or enterprise technology sectors
• Prior agency or executive search background combined with in-house corporate experience
• Exposure to workforce planning, organizational design, or HR business partnering conversations
• Proficiency with platforms such as LinkedIn Recruiter, Beamery, SeekOut, Gem, Tableau, or Power BI

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 [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 1/5/27, 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.

#LI-BR1

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].