Learning and Development Manager

Company Description

At WD, our vision is to power global innovation and push the boundaries of technology to make what you thought was once impossible, possible.

At our core, WD is a company of problem solvers. People achieve extraordinary things given the right technology. For decades, we’ve been doing just that—our technology helped people put a man on the moon and capture the first-ever picture of a black hole.

We offer an expansive portfolio of technologies, HDDs, and platforms for business, creative professionals, and consumers alike under our Western Digital®, WD®, and WD_BLACK™.

We are a key partner to some of the largest and highest-growth organizations in the world. From enabling systems to make cities safer and more connected, to powering the data centers behind many of the world’s biggest companies and hyperscale cloud providers, to meeting the massive and ever-growing data storage needs of the AI era, WD is fueling a brighter, smarter future.

Today’s exceptional challenges require your unique skills. Together, we can build the future of data storage.

Job Description Role Overview

The Talent, Development and Inclusion team at Western Digital is responsible for building the organizational capabilities that keep the company competitive — and right now, that means ensuring every employee has the skills needed to grow their career. The Learning and Development Manager – Japan will own the end-to-end learning assessment and delivery for WD's Japan workforce, translating global priorities into practical, locally resonant programs that build real capability at every level of the organization. This role works closely with Japan business leaders and the global Talent, Development and Inclusion team to identify where the gaps are, design solutions that close them, and measure whether the learning is effective in building and using both professional and technical skills.

This role will report to the Director, Talent Development and Inclusion, Asia-Pacific Region and is an incredible opportunity to be part of a global team and partnering on global programs while also having accountability for learning and development for all teams in Japan.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Partner with Japan business unit leaders to align the local learning needs with WD's global priorities and organizational transformation objectives
• Work closely with HR business partner, HR experience partner and Operation partner to address challenges in Japan, ensuring programs are relevant to the Japan business context.
• Advise senior Japan stakeholders on training needed for workforce readiness, translating capability into practical learning recommendations that connect directly to business performance and competitive positioning.
• Analyze Japan-specific capability gaps knowledge, skills and behaviors; develop a multi-year learning roadmap that supports both immediate needs and long-term business objectives.
• Design and deliver blended learning solutions — including in-person workshops, virtual instructor-led sessions, and self-directed digital content across Japan employee populations at all levels.
• Facilitate learning experiences in both Japanese and English, adapting global curriculum to reflect Japan workplace norms, communication styles, and learner expectations.
• Measure learning effectiveness through defined metrics — completion rates, behavioral indicators and manager-reported capability change — and monitor progress in partnership with Japan HR team.
• Coordinate with the global Talent Development and Inclusion team to localize enterprise learning frameworks, contributing Japan market insight to global program design while maintaining consistency with WD's global learning standards.
• Identify and manage external learning vendors or content partners where in-house capacity requires supplementation, owning the quality and relevance of any third-party learning content deployed in Japan.

Qualifications Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Education, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
• 5–10 years of experience in Learning and Development, Talent Development, or a closely related HR function, with at least 3 years focused on program design and stakeholder advisory work
• Demonstrated experience designing and delivering learning programs that address capability gaps at scale
• Native or near-native Japanese language proficiency; business-level English proficiency sufficient for global collaboration and cross-functional communication with WD's global teams
• Proven ability to build trusted working relationships with senior business leaders and translate business priorities into learning solutions

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing learning programs for technology adoption or digital transformation initiatives
• Exposure to instructional design methodologies (e.g., ADDIE, design thinking for learning) and adult learning principles applied to technical subject matter
• Experience working in a global matrixed organization and coordinating with geographically distributed HR or L\&D teams
• Coaching or facilitation certification relevant to adult learning
• Experience in a mid-to-large multinational technology or manufacturing company

Skills

• Ability to assess organizational capability gaps and translate findings into structured, prioritized learning roadmaps — not generic training calendars
• Skill in adapting global learning content to Japan cultural and workplace norms without losing the intent or quality of the original design
• Ability to communicate learning to technical and non-technical learners across seniority levels, in both Japanese and English
• Comfort operating with ambiguity in an evolving program space — learning and development in Japan is a new role and this will require building infrastructure, not inheriting it

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 7/6/26, 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.

#LI-BR1

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.

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].