Organization Architect Lead

• Full-time
• Job Type (exemption status): Exempt position - Please see related compensation & benefits details below
• Salary Range: 164,000.00-218,700.00
• Business Function: Organizational Development/Training
• Work Location: San Jose Great Oaks Headquarters--LOC_WDT_USCA23
• Location (Secondary): Irvine Office--LOC_WDT_USCA01

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 Organization Development team at WD owns the enterprise-wide frameworks that shape how the company is structured, how work gets done, and how the workforce evolves alongside the business. As an Organization Architect Lead, you will be the hands-on practitioner who takes those frameworks and makes them operational — translating org design principles and workforce planning methodology into tools, processes, and standards that HR business partners and people leaders can actually use. This is a high-visibility individual contributor role sitting directly below the Director of Organizational Development, and you'll carry real ownership over the work that helps WD navigate AI-driven workforce transformation at scale. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

Workforce Planning 

• Develop and maintain enterprise workforce planning models that identify current and future talent gaps, capability needs, and structural risks across critical functions 

• Partner with HR business partners and finance to align headcount plans with business strategy, growth projections, and organizational priorities 

• Build reporting and tracking mechanisms that give senior leaders and HRBPs clear visibility into workforce composition, readiness, and risk 

Organization Design 

• Support the design and execution of org design engagements — restructuring teams, clarifying accountabilities, and optimizing spans of control in partnership with senior HRBPs and business leaders 

• Develop and maintain standardized org design tools, templates, and decision frameworks that enable consistent, data-driven structural decisions across WD 

• Analyze organizational health indicators — including span of control, role clarity, and team structure — and translate findings into actionable recommendations 

AI Transformation 

• Operationalize standard practices for AI adoption within the OD function — including assessment frameworks, playbooks, and implementation guides that teams can apply consistently 

• Partner with HR leadership to assess workforce implications of AI-driven changes, including role evolution, capability gaps, and structural adjustments needed to support adoption 

• Document and codify AI-related org design learnings so that best practices scale across the enterprise rather than living in individual engagements 

Capability Building & Advisory 

• Facilitate training and coaching sessions that build org design and workforce planning capability in HR business partners and people leaders 

• Advise on high-priority organizational effectiveness challenges, bringing structured diagnosis and practical recommendations rather than abstract frameworks 

• Coordinate with Workforce Analytics to ensure workforce data informs design decisions and planning models 

Qualifications

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Organizational Psychology, Business Administration, or a related field 

• 5+ years of progressive experience in organizational design, workforce planning, or organizational development in a complex, matrixed environment 

• Demonstrated hands-on experience leading or executing org design projects — including spans of control analysis, role clarification, and team restructuring 

• Proven ability to build and operationalize frameworks, tools, and playbooks that others can apply consistently — not just advise on them 

• Strong analytical skills applied to workforce data: ability to interpret headcount, attrition, and capability data and translate it into structured recommendations 

Preferred Qualifications 

• MBA or PhD in Organizational Psychology, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Business, or a related field 

• Experience operationalizing AI tools or AI-driven change within an HR or OD function 

• Experience in strategic management consulting role 

• Familiarity with Organization Design methodologies/frameworks such as Galbraith Star Model, Data driven design tools (e.g. OrgVue), McKinsey 7SFramework or other consulting frameworks 

• Familiarity with workforce planning methodologies such as supply/demand modeling, scenario planning, or skills-based workforce design 

• Familiarity with change management methodologies/frameworks such as Prosci, ADKAR, Kotter, or agile change management 

• Experience working in the technology or semiconductor industry

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 10/5/26, 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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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].

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