We are Purchasing Development! We purchase the materials and the production capacity needed to produce both home furnishing products and food. 

In Purchasing Development, our assignment goes hand in hand with the IKEA Business Idea, created 75 years ago, as we are responsible to produce the ‘wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them’. We produce and supply IKEA products and food with affordability, accessibility, sustainability and quality as our main priorities.

In the past year a project has been ran to set up an aligned approach for Responsible Sourcing of Raw Materials and recently three new raw material blocks have been established. The purpose of the Raw Material block for Secondary raw materials is to group all the post-industrial and post-consumer feedstock collected for recycled materials and to work towards securing responsible sourcing in waste collection, sorting and processing in a holistic way, prioritising, harnessing synergies across materials, securing raw materials for business continuity and growth.

At the moment an acceleration project is being formed to speed up the creation of responsibly sourced secondary raw material value chains, building recycling capabilities and capacities in key geographies with a strong connection to innovation and technology. We are on our way towards the 2030 goal of only using renewable or recycled materials in our products!

We are currently looking for four Project Leaders for securing responsible sourcing and building secondary raw material value chains for the following areas: Plastics, Textile, Metal and Glass. 

The purpose of a Project Leader for Secondary raw material value chains is to hold together material ambition and deliverables cross categories and geographies. In this role, we expect you to:

• Focus on value chain build-up & securing responsible sourcing of the secondary raw material – based on the roadmap in the applicable Material Direction.
• Consolidate the regional mapping & understanding of As-is picture for the secondary raw material value chains.
• Prioritize among selected materials and geographies based upon business opportunities​ and risks for next steps.
• Develop a geographical and materials-based setup for minimum requirements and traceability on selected raw materials.​
• Identify potentials to accelerate build-up of secondary raw material capacities in selected geographies.
• Test a few of the setups for capacity build-up, traceability, and requirements in pilot projects​ in collaboration with applicable regional sub-project groups.

More specifically, your daily tasks will include:

• Lead the secondary raw material value chain project for your material area. Setup applicable project meetings, secure content, decision-making and follow-up on progress.
• Secure that the framework for responsible sourcing is deployed for your area, and secure common processes cross geographies.
• Secure that business and sustainability risks are identified for your secondary raw material area and priorities are made accordingly.
• In close co-operation with the sub-projects in the Purchasing & Logistics areas, and categories select the partners for capacity build-up and test those set-ups in pilot projects.
• Develop a thorough understanding of the global waste sector, the main actors, and connected material processing for your area.

You will work closely together with the other project leaders for the waste material groups, with the Responsible Sourcing Leader for Secondary raw materials, the Material & Innovation area managers, and the sub-project leaders located in the Purchasing & Logistics areas. You will also partnering with existing certification programs, industry associations and other organizations applicable for your material area. Furthermore, you will have the opportunity to work together with numerous stakeholders throughout the organisation connected to your secondary raw material area: developing close collaboration with Business, Material & Innovation and Sustainability matrix.

Overall, togetherness, leadership and love for challenges are key for this role!

To succeed & shine in this role, we wish that you have:

• Proven successful project management and project leadership experience 
• Proven experience from stakeholder engagement
• Proven experience of driving successful change and realizing business benefits
• Knowledge of recycling industry from both sustainability and supply chain perspective is a benefit
• Knowledge from innovation, infrastructure development, legislation, advocacy is a benefit
• Have a University degree in business development, innovation &/or sustainability, or relevant working experience
• Broad understanding of relevant aspects of the business, organization and ways of working

Who are you as a person?
As a person you have futuristic outlook and ability to look beyond the obvious! You are ready to stretch boundaries and see your work through a problem-solving lens. You are curious and persistent and have the courage to explore and navigate the unknown. 

Additionally, you are capable to work internally & externally with complex topics and fully understand the total agenda. You have a passion for sustainability and business, and you are strongly interested in leading and implementing change!

Moreover, you possess excellent communication skills that allow you to build strong relationships with numerous stakeholders and you are fluent in written and spoken English.

Overall, you are an energetic, enthusiastic individual with a vision for a better future for the many People AND the Planet! 

This is a full-time 2-years assignment located in one of our Inter IKEA Purchasing & Logistic Areas (Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, China, Czech rep., Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Pakistan, Poland, Rumania, Russia, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, USA, Vietnam).

Would you like to be a part of this exciting assignment?

If you have any enquires about the recruitment process, please contact Zuzana Vackova, People & Culture Recruiter at [email protected]. For questions related to the role contact Annika Mulder at [email protected]. Since it is summer holiday time, we might be coming back to you with a delay.

We are looking forward to your application! Please submit both your CV and motivational letter in English by 22nd August 2021. Please note that due to summer vacation we will come back to you in August 2021.