Facility Director

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 Facility Director is responsible for the overall leadership, strategic direction, operational performance, reliability, and continuous improvement of site facilities, utilities, and infrastructure. This role ensures safe, reliable, compliant, cost-effective & sustainable facility operations that support manufacturing excellence, business continuity & future site growth.

The Facility Director leads the Facilities, Engineering & Maintenance (FEM) organization & provides strategic oversight of Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) partners, contractors & service providers. The role drives operational excellence through reliability engineering, asset management, sustainability initiatives, digital transformation & infrastructure investment planning.

Key Responsibilities

Site Facilities & Operations Leadership

• Provide overall leadership and direction for Facilities, Engineering, Maintenance, and Utilities operations.
• Ensure reliable operation of critical facility systems supporting manufacturing and business operations.
• Establish and maintain facility strategies, standards, procedures & performance metrics.
• Drive operational excellence, equipment reliability & continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead response and recovery efforts during utility interruptions, facility incidents, and emergencies.
• Ensure facility availability and operational readiness meet current and future business requirements.

Critical Utilities & Infrastructure

• Oversee the reliability, performance, and lifecycle management of critical facility systems, including:
• Electrical distribution systems, substations, transformers, generators, UPS & power quality systems.
• HVAC systems, chillers, cooling towers, AHUs, MAUs &  cleanroom environmental controls.
• Process utilities including CDA, nitrogen & vacuum
• RO/DI & Wastewater treatment and water reclaim systems.
• Building Management Systems (BMS), SCADA & facility monitoring systems.
• Fire protection, life-safety & emergency systems.
• Building infrastructure and facility support services.

Engineering & Capital Project Management

• Lead facility engineering, infrastructure planning, and capacity expansion initiatives.
• Develop and execute capital improvement and major repair projects.
• Establish long-term facility master plans and infrastructure roadmaps.
• Ensure projects are delivered safely, on time, within budget & according to required quality standards.
• Review and approve engineering designs, commissioning plans & operational handover requirements.
• Ensure adequate utility capacity, redundancy & resilience for future business growth.

Reliability, Maintenance & Asset Management

• Develop and implement asset management strategies for critical facility infrastructure.
• Drive preventive, predictive, condition-based & reliability-centered maintenance programs.
• Monitor equipment performance, reliability trends, lifecycle costs & maintenance effectiveness.
• Lead Root Cause Analysis (RCA), 8D investigations &  corrective action programs.
• Ensure appropriate resilience strategies, including N+1 redundancy for critical systems.

Safety, EHS & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure compliance with all applicable environmental, health, safety, building, electrical & statutory requirements.
• Promote a strong safety culture across employees, contractors & service providers.
• Ensure timely completion of inspections, permits, licenses, certifications & regulatory submissions.
• Lead risk assessments, Management of Change (MOC) & emergency preparedness programs.
• Support site business continuity and operational resilience initiatives.

Sustainability & Environmental Performance

• Lead initiatives related to energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, emissions management & resource optimization.
• Establish and achieve site sustainability targets aligned with corporate ESG goals.
• Drive renewable energy, water reclaim, carbon reduction & environmental improvement programs.
• Ensure environmental infrastructure operates reliably and meets regulatory requirements.
• Identify opportunities to reduce operating costs while improving environmental performance.
• Digital Transformation & Smart Facilities

IFM, Contractor & Vendor Management

• Provide strategic oversight of IFM partners and outsourced facility service providers.
• Establish governance structures, service-level agreements & performance metrics.
• Monitor contractor safety, quality, compliance, delivery & cost performance.
• Ensure adequate staffing, competency, and technical capability to support site operations.
• Drive service excellence, continuous improvement & cost optimization.
• Manage escalation and resolution of critical operational issues.

Financial & Budget Management

• Develop and manage annual OPEX, R&M & CapEx budgets.
• Ensure spending aligns with business priorities and approved financial plans.
• Drive cost optimization while maintaining safety, compliance & operational reliability.
• Conduct lifecycle cost analysis and business case development for facility investments.
• Support strategic investment decisions through robust financial evaluation and planning.

Leadership & Organizational Development

• Lead and develop a high-performing Facilities, Engineering & Maintenance organization.
• Establish clear goals, accountability & performance expectations.
• Develop leadership capability, technical competency & succession plans.
• Foster a culture of ownership, teamwork, innovation & continuous improvement.

Business Continuity & Risk Management

• Develop and maintain facility business continuity and disaster recovery strategies.
• Identify and mitigate critical facility risks.
• Ensure adequate redundancy, contingency measures, emergency response plans, and backup utility capabilities.
• Lead facility recovery efforts during major operational disruptions.
• Maintain an effective facility risk register and mitigation program.

Overall Accountability

The Facility Director is accountable for ensuring the site facilities and infrastructure remain safe, reliable, compliant, resilient, sustainable, digitally enabled & capable of supporting current operations and future business growth. The role is responsible for delivering world-class operational performance while optimizing cost, reliability, risk & environmental stewardship.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Facilities Management, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 15 years of relevant experience, including leadership responsibility within manufacturing, semiconductor, high-tech, or other critical facility environments.
• Proven experience managing large-scale facility operations, multidisciplinary engineering teams & critical utility infrastructure.
• Strong knowledge of electrical systems, HVAC, cleanrooms, process utilities, water/wastewater treatment & facility infrastructure.
• Demonstrated success leading facility reliability, asset management & continuous improvement programs.
• Experience managing large capital projects, operating budgets, contractors & service providers.
• Experience managing Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) partnerships is highly preferred.
• Strong understanding of EHS compliance, risk management, business continuity, and sustainability practices.
• Excellent leadership, stakeholder management, communication & decision-making skills.

Additional Information

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 jobs.accommodations@wdc.com 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.

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 compliance@wdc.com.