People within IKEA value a culture of humbleness and open-mindedness. We don't have a rigid hierarchy system and encourage everyone to talk to anyone, and we don't have a dress code. We are characterized by enjoying long discussions and a relaxed, natural order with a great deal of personal responsibility. We want people proactive, engaged, internally motivated for results and eager to learn.

IKEA Purchasing Services (Czech Republic) spol. s r. o. is a purchasing organization which cooperates with furniture and home furnishing manufacturers located in Europe on producing furniture with perfect design and quality for many people, and which ensures distribution into retail stores IKEA worldwide. We are a team of about 150 co-workers of over 20 nationalities.

At IKEA, we see things a little differently. We onboard our suppliers as partners with whom we create long-term relationships. We want them to grow with us, become more efficient and achieve lower prices.

• You can have the confidence and freedom to do things your own way, including organizing your time. Your well-being is our priority.  A variety of rewarding work awaits you, which you will be able to combine alongside your hobbies or family.
• Use opportunities for learning and growth working with suppliers! You will be able to travel to look at various manufacturing companies, understand new and different technologies, people and cultures.
• Everybody is seen as a talent. In regular informal talks with your manager you can explore your development and carrier opportunities. We will support you on the way by internal and external trainings. We embrace making mistakes and learning from them.

You will work in a small, 3-member micro-team with a Business Developer who negotiates prices and take care of the overall commercial relation with the supplier and a Supply Planner who handles logistics. As part of the annual action plan, you will be responsible for the constant improvement of the quality of IKEA products as well as the production process and workflow through tools such as 5S, Lean, and machine capacity utilization. All with the aim of reducing production inefficiencies, in terms of sustainability and business ethics. You will also perform:

• Secure compliance to IKEA specification at suppliers all time
• Improving product quality, and secure quality assurance
• Act subject matter expert for production techniques, material grades
• Identify production efficiency opportunities and set plans with suppliers to run production improvement programs
• Developing relationships with suppliers – the micro-team regularly travels to the field in order to understand and solve issues firsthand, we see production from the ground up, help with the implementation of action plans, and cooperate in audit processes
• Data analytics – this will be a primary function and most of your office-hours
• Operation – set plans to start up new articles in production, solving product quality deviations

Luboš has been working at IKEA for 15 years, now as a Production Engineer. He says this about his work experience:

"When you mention IKEA, 90% of people think of a huge department store. They have no idea what's behind it. At IKEA Purchasing, we are like the lighting and sound engineers just like in the theatres. We are not in the forefront, but our important task in the background is to ensure the quality of products for IKEA customers. And we have perfect scenery, I mean the entire supply-chain landscape of a large, international company."

Please read what you need for the role:

• Preferred extended experience in steel manufacturing
• Proven experience from Quality & Compliance / Production environment, good knowledge of materials properties, production processes and technologies
• The ability to think out-of-the-box and critically in the constant search for ways to improve our products
• Analytical thinking, which you will use in analysing processes from the beginning of product implementation, to data evaluation and finding improvements, cost savings, better design or quality,
• Patience and good communication to help you find common ground with suppliers of different nationalities and to meet IKEA’s business demands
• The ability to manage time well, to balance between the factory floor and office work.

Please send us your application in English. Please note that we will be interviewing continuously, which means that we may close the application process earlier than stated if we find the right candidate.

If you have any questions regarding the recruitment process, please contact Lucie Drastilová P&C Generalist ([email protected]).  If you have any questions regarding the position, please contact Miroslav Malek, Business Development Manager Category Carbon Steel ([email protected]). We are looking forward to receiving your applications!