Freelance Data Analyst R Programming Jobs in Santa Clara, CA

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.

Western Digital is seeking a highly analytical, strategic, and operationally focused Supply Chain Planning Principal Data Analyst to lead the development, execution, and automation of complex business scenarios that support executive decision-making across the company.

This role will serve as a key partner to Supply Chain Planning, Finance, Operations, Commercial, Product Management, and Executive Leadership teams, helping structure and evaluate critical business scenarios associated with Western Digital's Long-Range Plan (LRP), annual operating plans, capital investment strategies, manufacturing capacity decisions, customer demand shifts, product transitions, and other strategic initiatives.

The successful candidate will not only perform advanced scenario modeling and business analysis but will also define and execute a multi-year roadmap to automate data integration, dashboarding, and modeling capabilities through close partnership with IT, Data Engineering, and Digital Transformation teams.

This position will routinely support business reviews and strategic recommendations presented to the CEO, COO, CFO, and other executive leaders, requiring exceptional analytical rigor, executive communication skills, and business acumen.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Scenario Modeling & Executive Decision Support

• Lead the development and execution of complex business scenarios supporting Western Digital's Long-Range Planning process.
• Translate ambiguous business questions into structured analytical models and actionable recommendations.
• Evaluate demand, supply, manufacturing, capital, inventory, sourcing, and product roadmap scenarios.
• Analyze risks, opportunities, constraints, and sensitivities across multiple business assumptions.
• Quantify the financial, operational, and customer impacts of strategic alternatives.
• Support executive-level business reviews, board materials, and strategic planning processes.
• Drive rapid-turnaround analyses for urgent executive requests and emerging business issues.

Supply Chain & Capital Analytics

• Develop integrated models linking demand forecasts, manufacturing output, inventory, capital investments, product transitions, and financial outcomes.
• Partner with Supply Chain Planning teams to evaluate network and capacity optimization opportunities.
• Analyze manufacturing loading strategies, factory utilization, inventory positions, and supply-demand balances.
• Support capital planning processes through investment scenario evaluations and business case development.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and recommend data-driven solutions.

Automation & Digital Transformation

• Develop and own a strategic roadmap to automate scenario modeling, reporting, and decision-support processes.
• Partner closely with IT, Data Engineering, Business Intelligence, and Digital Transformation teams to improve analytical capabilities.
• Lead requirements definition for data architecture, data governance, and reporting solutions.
• Implement scalable self-service dashboards and executive reporting tools.
• Reduce manual data collection, consolidation, and analysis activities through process automation.
• Champion best practices in data management, analytics, and model governance.

Executive Communication & Influence

• Present complex analytical findings in concise, executive-level narratives.
• Create clear visualizations and dashboards to communicate key business insights.
• Influence cross-functional leaders through fact-based recommendations.
• Facilitate alignment among Supply Chain, Finance, Operations, Product Management, and Executive leadership teams.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on strategic planning decisions.

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Establish modeling methodologies, standards, and best practices.
• Mentor analysts and planning teams on advanced analytical techniques.
• Foster a culture of data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Drive adoption of enhanced analytical tools and processes across the organization.

Required Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations Research, Business Analytics, Data Science, Economics, Statistics, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in analytics, supply chain planning, operations strategy, finance, consulting, or business intelligence roles.
• 3+ years of experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong experience supporting executive-level decision-making through advanced analytics.
• Experience developing scenario models for strategic planning, capital investment, operations, or supply chain optimization.

Preferred Experience

• Experience within semiconductor, storage, technology hardware, electronics manufacturing, or related industries.
• Experience supporting Long Range Planning (LRP), Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), Integrated Business Planning (IBP), or strategic planning processes.
• Experience in manufacturing and supply chain environments with internal production operations.
• MBA or advanced degree in Operations Research, Engineering, Analytics, or Business preferred.

Technical Skills

Advanced Analytics

• Expert-level Excel modeling capabilities.
• Strong statistical analysis and forecasting expertise.
• Advanced scenario planning and sensitivity analysis.
• Financial and operational modeling experience.

Data & Analytics Tools

• SQL
• Python
• Power BI
• Tableau
• Alteryx (preferred)
• Snowflake (preferred)
• Databricks (preferred)

Additional Capabilities

• Data visualization and executive storytelling.
• Business intelligence platform development.
• Data architecture and analytical workflow design.
• Process automation and digital transformation experience.

Key Competencies

• Strategic Thinking
• Executive Presence
• Analytical Problem Solving
• Business Acumen
• Cross-Functional Leadership
• Structured Communication
• Decision-Making Under Ambiguity
• Continuous Improvement Mindset
• Influencing Without Authority
• Customer and Business Outcome Focus

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 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.

Based on our experience, we anticipate that the application deadline will be 11/06/2026 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 compliance@wdc.com.