Talent Program Specialist Corporate Succession at Wawa, Inc. · Wawa

Job Description

Job Title: Talent Program Specialist - Corporate Succession

Location: Corporate

Department: People Team

Job Summary : The Specialist for Corporate Succession is responsible for driving excellence by leading the development of new strategies, methodologies, tools and measurements to grow Wawa’s leadership bench. They lead the strategic design of corporate succession planning, readiness assessments, and talent reviews, providing data and insights on bench strength and future risk. This role accelerates high‑potential talent through targeted development, movement strategies, and partnership with Leadership Development. By integrating success profiles, skills, and pipeline processes, they shorten time‑to‑ready and ensure Wawa has the talent needed for future growth. Partner and collaborate with organization’s senior leaders, People Team Partners, Talent Acquisition and Leadership Development to growing our leadership talent pipeline.

Principal Duties:

• Fully manage the strategic design, implementation, governance, and execution of Wawa’s Corporate succession planning processes, including success profiles, criteria, readiness assessments, slating, and executive-level talent reviews.
• Design, implement, and optimize the 360-feedback program, including form design, guidance for leaders and associates, vendor/process oversight, and integration into development and coaching plans.
• Own the enterprise career pathing framework, establishing role families, progression pathways, readiness standards, and transparent advancement criteria that support long-term mobility and capability building.
• Fully design and govern internal mobility strategies, including movement guidelines, readiness thresholds, talent marketplace processes, and gig/rotation models that strengthen enterprise bench and improve time‑to‑ready.
• Develop and implement strategic talent acceleration programs, partnering with Leadership Development and business leaders to identify participants, define success measures, and evaluate program impact.
• Maintain and evolve success profiles for critical Corporate roles, ensuring alignment with future capability needs, leadership expectations, and succession decisions.
• Synthesize talent, readiness, and mobility data into actionable insights that illuminate bench strength, risks, time‑to‑ready gaps, and development priorities for executive audiences.
• Integrate competency, skills, and assessment insights into mobility pathways, career development plans, and succession recommendations.
• Benchmark external best practices in succession, mobility, and leadership pipeline management, incorporating research and feedback to continuously strengthen enterprise capability.
• Collaborate with PTBPs, COEs, and functional leaders to align succession and mobility decisions to organizational strategy, workforce planning needs, and growth priorities.
• Oversee the execution of talent movement, readiness assessments, and career pathing workflows, ensuring smooth operations and high-quality candidate experiences through a matrixed Talent Coordinator.

Essential Functions:

• Ability to work independently and lead collaborative efforts across multiple teams.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills, including the ability to present complex information clearly to diverse audiences.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills to influence outcomes.
• Advanced organizational and planning skills to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data, identify trends, and recommend actionable improvements.
• Proven ability to solve complex issues with minimal guidance and drive process enhancements.
• High degree of professionalism, confidentiality, and sound judgment in sensitive situations.
• Ability to prioritize strategically while maintaining accuracy and quality.
• Strong Associate advocacy combined with a business-focused mindset to balance employee experience and organizational goals.

Basic Qualifications:

• Minimum of 10+ years of experience in HR or Talent Management, including program execution and process improvement
• Demonstrated ability to lead enhancements to tools, methodologies, and workflows
• Strong analytical skills with experience interpreting talent data and metrics
• Proven ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders
• Project management experience with ability to manage complex initiatives
• Proficiency with HRIS systems (Workday preferred) and advanced Microsoft Excel skills
• Strong communication and presentation skills

Wawa will provide reasonable accommodation to complete an application upon request, consistent with applicable law. If you require an accommodation, please contact our Associate Service Center at asc@wawa.com.

Wawa, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Wawa maintains a work environment in which Associates are treated fairly and with respect and in which discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated. In accordance with federal, state and local laws, we recruit, hire, promote and evaluate all applicants and Associates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, ancestry, familial status, marital status, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity or expression, citizenship status, disability, veteran or military status, genetic information, domestic or sexual violence victim status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Unlawful discrimination will not be a factor in any employment decision.