Turning Internal Mobility Into a Durable Capability with Angie Peterson, Coursera

Clarity is the foundation of any effective internal mobility program.

Angie Peterson, Talent Operations & Programs Manager at Coursera, joins Shannon to break down how her team turned employee feedback into a durable system for internal career growth. After survey data showed employees didn’t understand how to move internally, Angie partnered with L&D to diagnose the real blockers, conduct listening circles, and reframe internal mobility as a company-wide operating model.

She walks through how Coursera moved from one-off efforts to a shared language, accessible tools, and a structure that centers employee agency. Because of this, a scalable system was made that gives people confidence to navigate their careers, and gives the business better retention and planning.

Key takeaways:

• Clarity changes behavior: Most internal mobility issues are due to confusion, not lack of opportunity.
• Start with shared language: Defining terms company-wide is a low-lift, high-impact first step.
• Use what you have: Coursera kept 70% of its existing materials but packaged them better.
• Make internal hiring feel human: Candidate experience doesn’t end after someone joins the company, it only starts there.

Timestamps: 

(00:00) Introduction

(00:43) Meet Angie Peterson

(02:13) Why internal mobility is often underutilized

(03:53) What Coursera learned from its employee engagement survey

(06:52) How listening circles revealed the real blockers

(10:28) Why internal mobility is an operating model, not a perk

(13:42) What Coursera kept, repackaged, and rebuilt from their existing program

(15:18) Launching the internal mobility hub and resources

(17:50) The unexpected value of a career chatbot

(19:58) Addressing mentorship without building a full program

(21:16) How Coursera enabled hiring managers and recruiters

(24:28) Measuring early signals of program impact

(28:01) Making internal mobility a durable business system

(30:13) Where to connect with Angie