Innovation & Strategic Partnership Leader | IKEA Retail Experience | Core Business Franchise

  • Full-time

Company Description

The world is changing and the IKEA business is changing with it. For IKEA though, one thing will always remain the same ─ our vision to create a better everyday life for the many people.

We will strengthen and develop competences in order to meet the needs and dreams of the many people around the world and to be accessible, wherever and whenever they wish to meet IKEA.

We are looking for people who have experience from diverse retail organizations and other parts of the value chain ─ from supply to product design, development to manufacturing and everything in between. We offer a unique opportunity to develop a holistic view of the IKEA business. When you grow, IKEA grows too. Do you want to contribute?

 About Inter IKEA Systems and Core Business Franchise

Inter IKEA Systems B.V. is the franchisor and the owner of the IKEA Concept, including the IKEA trademarks.

In Core Business Franchise we are responsible for the IKEA strategic framework and keeping it together through an IKEA Concept which is updated, relevant, implemented and followed-up together with all IKEA trademark users.

We enable IKEA people in the value chain by developing new ways of working supported by processes, methods, tools and services, and we also develop the business by leading:

  • The development of solutions that will ensure a unique and successful meeting with existing and new IKEA customers.

  • When and how IKEA expands, enabling one common way of working with high impact at a low cost

    We offer an open working environment where everyone feels comfortable to experiment, try new ways and dare to ask: “What if…?” And we offer possibilities for you to develop yourself and your career globally. Read more about us at franchisor.IKEA.com

 

Job Description

About the role

IKEA Retail Experience has the assignment to secure a successful, consistent, and relevant IKEA experience across all customer meeting points that are developed together with Core Business Range & Supply and all IKEA franchisees in order to create a common and unique IKEA way to engage our customers and offer them relevant services. It is an exciting time as IKEA transforms from a single channel to multichannel retailer.

Within IKEA Retail Experience, the Development & Franchise Offer area works with the common development and Franchise Offer processes, methodologies and follow-up of the customer meeting. We provide project, innovation, process and portfolio resources, and work closely with the business to enable the development of a successful, consistent, and relevant IKEA customer meeting.

In these exiting times, we are now looking for a candidate who wants to be a major contributor in defining an IKEA approach to strategic partnerships and leading the set-up of new partnership to create competitive advantage for IKEA.

The ideal candidate will have:

Recent senior IKEA experience from diverse international markets and global roles

Experience from leading and managing external global partnerships across countries with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders

Proven track record of interdependent leadership- leading business agendas across companies, managing stakeholders in a collaborative way and delivering results through others

As an Innovation and Strategic Partnership Leader, you will:

Identify suitable companies and partners across industries for exploiting and exploring challenges and opportunities and the ways of working with them to help us reach many more of the many and create new competitive advantage for IKEA

Initiate new carefully selected agreements with potential partners and be the primary contact with third parties. Lead the work to execute set roadmaps (test, implement and scale)

Build long term relationships, lead exploratory talks, negotiations and build consensus with internal and external executives 

Work closely with related assignments across IKEA. Act as a counterpart for IKEA stakeholders in proposing relevant partnerships based on circumstances and business needs and share best practices

Establish and nurture relationships with creative hubs, industry networks and academia to form successful partnerships and collaborations

Keep track of emerging trends, innovations, technologies and disruptive industry practices. Identifying how these can be deployed to build competitive advantage for IKEA

Make recommendations and proactively provide inputs to relevant stakeholders and portfolio owners to realise defined opportunities

In this role, you report directly to the Development and Franchise Offer Process Manager. That said, it’s critical to work with external partners, cross-functionally with other colleagues and stakeholders in CBF and other IKEA organisations. As we are in the process of changing the way we are organised in CBF, additional responsibilities may arise.

About you

You are passionate and curious about the assignment of Core Business Franchise and motivated by the role strategic partnerships can play in spurring innovation and drive growth for IKEA.

You’re a down-to-earth team player who is eager to take initiatives and achieve results with people. We also believe that you have a combination of the following knowledge, capabilities and motivation:

IKEA Strategic Framework, the IKEA business model and how we create unique business advantages

Knowledge of the retail industry and emerging practices and technologies and how IKEA can make use of these to build competitive advantage

Understanding of partnership management (tactical and strategic) including (Needs and implications, approach and capabilities, opportunities and strategy)

Solid industry and market knowledge. 

Knowledge about marketing and consumer behaviour.

Growth drivers, strategic, market, commercial, technology.

Due diligence.

Strong influencing and relationship building/management skills.

Ability to act in line with vision and strategy.

Strong inter-personal skills.

Stakeholder management.

Cultural sensitivity ability to work with different cultures.

Ability to plan and manage at strategic and operational levels. 

Excellent communication, consultation and analytical skills as well as business judgment.

Has an established industry network. 

Brave and able to navigate and build trust among senior stakeholders.

Motivated in delivering business results and targets.

Driven by making a difference and motived by big challenges.

Passionate about the IKEA Vision and Direction.

Challenge our existing ways of working by introducing new ways to solve future challenges in regards to how IKEA meets customers.


 

Additional Information

Does this sound like your next challenge? We welcome your application!

It is a full time position (40h/week). The position is currently located in Helsingborg but the position will be moved to Malmö latest by 1 January 2020. Travel will be be required.

Please send your application – CV and letter of motivation – in English by 14th December 2018. We really want to get to know you, so make sure you tell us why you want to work at Inter IKEA Systems and why you would be a good fit for this role. If you have questions about the role, please contact Fredrik Axen, if you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Mia Kullman, HR & Competence Leader for IKEA Retail Experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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