Succession specialist (Talent Management Expert)

Job Description

We help the world run better
At SAP, we keep it simple: you bring your best to us, and we'll bring out the best in you. We're builders touching over 20 industries and 80% of global commerce, and we need your unique talents to help shape what's next. The work is challenging – but it matters. You'll find a place where you can be yourself, prioritize your wellbeing, and truly belong. What's in it for you? Constant learning, skill growth, great benefits, and a team that wants you to grow and succeed.

What you’ll build

The Succession Specialist supports the design, evolution, and strategic execution of SAP’s enterprise-wide succession management practices, ensuring strong, diverse, and future-ready leadership pipelines.

This role translates business priorities into forward-looking succession strategies, integrating data, assessment insights, and development pathways to enable high-quality talent decisions and long-term organizational readiness.

Key Responsibilities (include but are not limited to):

• Define and continuously evolve succession management strategies, frameworks, and governance aligned with business priorities.
• Lead enterprise-wide succession planning processes, ensuring consistency, scalability, and strategic impact.
• Partner with senior P&C and business leaders to shape succession strategies and drive adoption across regions and board areas.
• Integrate assessment insights, talent segmentation, and pipeline analytics into succession decision-making.
• Provide expert guidance on leadership readiness, mobility, and pipeline risks, informing executive-level decisions.
• Drive continuous improvement of succession practices, tools, and processes based on data and stakeholder feedback.
• Ensure alignment between succession, leadership development, and talent acceleration initiatives.

What you bring:

Core Capabilities / Expertise

• Succession Planning Strategy Execution: Deep expertise in designing and evolving enterprise-level succession practices.
• Talent Segmentation & Leadership Potential Models: Applies data-driven approaches to assess readiness and potential.
• Data Analysis & Insights: Interprets pipeline data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Stakeholder Management: Acts as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders and business leaders.
• Pipeline Risk Assessment: Identifies and mitigates risks in leadership pipelines across populations.

Success in Role Looks Like:

• Succession management is a consistent, strategic, and integrated process across SAP.
• Leadership pipelines are transparent, diverse, and aligned with future business needs.
• Senior stakeholders rely on succession insights to inform critical talent decisions.
• Pipeline risks are proactively identified and addressed through targeted actions.
• Succession practices are recognized as a strategic enabler of business transformation, not just a process.

This position is based at the SAP UK HQ in Feltham (Hybrid)

Bring out your best
SAP innovations help more than four hundred thousand customers worldwide work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively. Originally known for leadership in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, SAP has evolved to become a market leader in end-to-end business application software and related services for database, analytics, intelligent technologies, and experience management. As a cloud company with two hundred million users and more than one hundred thousand employees worldwide, we are purpose-driven and future-focused, with a highly collaborative team ethic and commitment to personal development. Whether connecting global industries, people, or platforms, we help ensure every challenge gets the solution it deserves. At SAP, you can bring out your best.

We win with inclusion
SAP’s culture of inclusion, focus on health and well-being, and flexible working models help ensure that everyone – regardless of background – feels included and can run at their best. At SAP, we believe we are made stronger by the unique capabilities and qualities that each person brings to our company, and we invest in our employees to inspire confidence and help everyone realize their full potential. We ultimately believe in unleashing all talent and creating a better world.

SAP is committed to the values of Equal Employment Opportunity and provides accessibility accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment with SAP and are in need of accommodation or special assistance to navigate our website or to complete your application, please send an e-mail with your request to Recruiting Operations Team: Careers@sap.com.

For SAP employees: Only permanent roles are eligible for the SAP Employee Referral Program, according to the eligibility rules set in the SAP Referral Policy. Specific conditions may apply for roles in Vocational Training.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their age, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, et al), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, or disability, in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local legal requirements.

Successful candidates might be required to undergo a background verification with an external vendor.

AI Usage in the Recruitment Process

For information on the responsible use of AI in our recruitment process, please refer to our Guidelines for Ethical Usage of AI in the Recruiting Process.

Please note that any violation of these guidelines may result in disqualification from the hiring process.

Requisition ID: 449103 | Work Area: Human Resources | Expected Travel: 0 - 10% | Career Status: Professional | Employment Type: Regular Full Time | Additional Locations: #LI-Hybrid