Senior Program Manager - Topology, Whole Foods Market E-Commerce Innovation Team

Amazon • Austin, TX

1d • Onsite

About The Position

We're seeking an exceptional Sr. Program Manager to lead the strategic topology planning for all new e-commerce initiatives at Whole Foods Market. This highly autonomous individual contributor role focuses on answering critical questions: Where do programs go? How do we prepare stores to operate them? How do we incorporate these big bets into 10+ year store real estate and design planning? This role requires a unique blend of strategic thinking, analytical rigor, and cross-functional influence. You'll be fully empowered to make topology decisions independently while building frameworks and mental models at the s-team level that enable you to work across a broad group of stakeholders. You'll lead working groups for the topology portion of all key initiatives, partnering closely with SSD Topology, Amazon Fresh Topology, store design, real estate, and construction teams. You'll be working at the intersection of multiple senior leadership organizations and teams within World Wide Grocery Stores (WWGS), navigating a fast-paced, highly ambiguous environment where robust processes must remain flexible enough to adapt to changing business needs and customer signals. The challenge of this role is balancing long-term strategic planning (10+ year horizons) with near-term execution needs, while managing dependencies between real estate timelines and program readiness.

Requirements

• 6+ years of program or project management experience
• Experience using data and metrics to determine and drive improvements
• Experience owning program strategy, end to end delivery, and communicating results to senior leadership
• Experience in program or project management including the delivery of cross-functional projects
• Experience leading cross-functional teams to establish strong partnerships with demonstrable results
• Experience communicating effectively with senior leadership
• Experience with roadmap strategy and definition
• Experience in online retail, e-commerce, or digital product environments
• Strong analytical skills with experience monitoring, measuring, and improving KPIs
• Advanced proficiency in SQL, Excel, and data manipulation for deriving insights from complex datasets
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience

Nice To Haves

• MBA, or Advanced degree
• Experience in one or more of the following areas: construction or engineering project management, real estate development, or architecture/design
• Background in grocery retail or food industry
• Store operations or retail design background
• Experience with long-term strategic planning (5–10+ year horizons)
• Capacity modeling or site assessment experience
• Technical proficiency across program management tools and methodologies
• Financial literacy with experience managing budgets and business cases
• Experience working across multiple time zones and global organizations
• Demonstrated success in fast-paced, ambiguous environments requiring adaptive processes

Responsibilities

• Topology Strategy Development: Define and execute the strategy for where e-commerce programs get deployed across the Whole Foods Market store network. Determine optimal program placement based on market dynamics, customer demand, operational feasibility, and long-term strategic goals.
• Store Readiness & Operational Preparation: Develop comprehensive frameworks for preparing stores to operate new e-commerce programs. Assess site requirements, capacity constraints, operational readiness, and infrastructure needs to ensure successful program launches.
• Long-Term Real Estate & Design Planning: Incorporate e-commerce program requirements into 10+ year store real estate and design planning. Partner with real estate and construction teams to ensure future store formats and locations support evolving e-commerce capabilities.
• Cross-Functional Working Group Leadership: Lead working groups for the topology portion of all key initiatives, including Grocery on Amazon Core, Grocery Pickup, automation, assortment selection, site merchandising, pricing and promotions, under the roof programs, and inbound supply chain needs. Facilitate decision-making and drive alignment across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Deep Analytical Execution: Conduct rigorous analysis of topology execution in partnership with SSD Topology and Amazon Fresh Topology teams. Support the same level of analysis with store design, real estate, and construction teams. Leverage SQL, Excel, and data manipulation skills to derive insights from complex datasets.
• Framework & Mental Model Creation: Build scalable frameworks and mental models at the senior leadership level that enable independent decision-making across a broad group stakeholders. Create tools and mechanisms that simplify complex topology decisions.
• Stakeholder Management: Navigate complex stakeholder relationships across multiple senior leadership organizations and teams within WWGS, as well as with SSD Topology, Amazon Fresh Topology, store design, real estate, and construction teams. Build trust and alignment with senior leaders while managing competing priorities and organizational dynamics.
• KPI Ownership & Performance Management: Drive key performance indicators related to topology execution, store readiness, program deployment success, and operational preparedness. Monitor, measure, and continuously improve KPIs through data-driven insights.
• Strategic Roadmap Planning: Develop and execute comprehensive topology roadmaps that support all e-commerce initiatives. Balance long-term planning (10+ years) with near-term execution needs, managing dependencies between real estate timelines and program readiness.
• Process Optimization: Identify opportunities for process improvements and operational efficiencies in topology planning and execution. Implement scalable solutions that enhance decision-making speed and quality.
• Executive Communication: Communicate clearly and persuasively both verbally and in writing. Present skillfully to s-team audiences with strong executive presence, translating complex topology analysis into strategic insights and recommendations. Secure leadership approval on broad strategy while maintaining autonomy on tactical decisions.

Benefits

• health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage)
• 401(k) matching
• paid time off
• parental leave

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior