Development manager jobs in Ames, IA - 154 jobs

** **Our Vision and Mission** At Western Digital our vision is to unleash the power and value of data. For decades, we have been at the forefront of storage innovation, which fuels our mission to be the market leader in data storage, delivering solutions for now and the future. We are committed to providing scalable, sustainable technology for the world's hyperscalers, enterprises, and cloud providers, and building cutting-edge innovation designed to drive the next generation of AI-driven data workloads. All that we do is powered by our people, who are united in a common purpose of creating meaningful solutions that move the world forward. **Our Values** + **Customers.** Enabling all customers to succeed. + **Results.** Making progress and achieving goals. + **Connection.** Collaborating as one supportive team. + **Excellence.** Doing our best and doing what's right. + **Innovation.** Inventing in big and small ways. Be part of a team that's defining the future of data storage and AI infrastructure. At WD, your work directly impacts how the world stores, manages, and uses data. We're looking for innovative problem-solvers who thrive in collaborative environments and want to make a difference. Ready to join us? **Job Description** **About the Role** As a Director-level individual contributor, you'll partner with customers, business allies, and internal teams (Business Units, Regional Sales, Marketing) to achieve strategic objectives and drive the diversification of our customer base for the Storage Platforms Business Unit (********************************************************************** . + **Identify and nurture new business opportunities and customers** , driving revenue growth and differentiating our business unit in the Cloud Provider, AI Infrastructure, High Performance Computing, FinTech, Regional OEM, and Systems Integrator segments. + **Implement effective enterprise sales strategies and methodologies** to expand our customer base, strengthen and expand existing customer relationships, and empower our sales team to deliver our financial forecast through training, scalable methodologies, and leading from the front. + **Develop and maintain a deep understanding of market trends, competitive landscapes, and customer needs** to inform strategic decisions and drive product adoption. + **Collaborate closely and cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Engineering, Customer Support** to ensure alignment and successful execution of new customer acquisition and design wins. + **Establish strong relationships with key decision-makers and influencers** within target customer accounts and OCCL technology partners (******************************** to drive adoption of our storage networking infrastructure and platforms. + **Represent the company at industry events and conferences** , presenting our innovative solutions, securing meetings with named accounts, and expanding our visibility in key market segments. + **Drive the adoption of next-generation storage solutions** by educating customers on the benefits and technical advantages of disaggregated storage, including roadmap innovations, for emerging use cases such as AI Machine Learning, Object Storage, NVMe over Fabrics data infrastructure, Parallel File Systems, High Performance Computing, etc. + **Contribute to the development of marketing and sales enablement materials** , ensuring alignment with customer requirements and competitive positioning. + **Leverage data-driven insights** to refine sales strategies, prioritize high-potential target accounts, and prospect for new opportunities. + **Track and report on pipeline and design win growth metrics** , providing regular updates on progress and recommendations to the leadership team. + **35% Travel required** primarily within the Americas region to meet with our customers, support major industry conferences, and business reviews in our Colorado Springs, CO division headquarters. Join us to be part of a team that is redefining data storage and enabling our customers to unlock the full potential of their data. **Qualifications** + **Extensive Industry Experience:** A minimum of 10 years of proven success in business development and sales driving growth through new customer acquisition in **data storage, storage networking** , or related fields, working with **Cloud Providers** , **High Performance Computing** institutions, **AI Data Infrastructure** companies, **FinTech** , Storage **ODMs and OEMs,** and **Systems Integrators.** + **Technical Expertise:** Strong technical skills to develop tailored proposals and deliver innovative solutions that meet client requirements. + **Organizational Excellence:** Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to set priorities, manage multiple tasks, and consistently meet pipeline and new customer acquisition growth goals. + **Communication Proficiency:** Outstanding verbal, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts in a clear, concise, and engaging manner. Strong presentation and public speaking skills are a must. + **Adaptability and Collaboration:** A collaborative mindset and an organized approach to excel in dynamic, high-pressure environments with shifting priorities. + **Storage Networking Knowledge:** Familiarity with **storage networking topologies** is a plus. + **Cross-Functional Leadership:** Demonstrated ability to work effectively across teams to align goals and drive mutual success. **Education** + Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or a similar area preferred; an MBA would be a plus **Preferred Experience** + **Industry Expertise:** Previous experience working for Storage ODMs and OEMs specializing in **data storage, storage networking** , or related fields. + **Technical Knowledge:** Familiarity with **storage networking topologies** is highly preferred. NVMe over Fabrics would be a plus. + **Customer Engagement:** Demonstrated experience engaging directly with key customer segments, including: + **Cloud Providers** + **High-Performance Computing (HPC) institutions** + **AI Data Infrastructure companies** + **FinTech companies** + **Storage ODMs/OEMs** + **Systems Integrators** **Additional Information** Western Digital 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 (*********************************************************************************************** . Western Digital 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. Western Digital 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 **4/20/2026** (3 months from posting), 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 **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** Western Digital'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 Western Digital'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 Western Digital 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 Western Digital 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 Western Digital Ethics Helpline (******************************************************************** or email ****************** .