One brand, many companies, and many, many people – that’s us in a nutshell. Spread all over the world, we have a passion for home furnishing and an inspiring shared vision: to create a better everyday life for the many people. This, together with our straightforward business idea, shared values, and a culture based on the spirit of togetherness, guides us in everything we do.

To offer a 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. To meet the needs of our customers we have a unique business model and value chain. It includes product development, design, supply, manufacture and sales. And of course, it starts and ends with our customers.

As Purchasing Development, we purchase the materials and the production capacity to produce both home furnishing products and food. We have more than 1,200 co-workers global wide and operates in 27 locations.

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 affordable sustainability.

A few perks of being one of us:

• We believe in you! You get the privilege and the responsibility to lead a diverse team and world-class suppliers, while finding innovative ways to drive the business for IKEA.
• We trust you! You have the confidence and freedom to lead your team and organize 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.
• We grow with you! In regular informal talks with your manager, you can explore your development and carrier opportunities, and we will support you on the way. We embrace making mistakes and learning from them. For us, at IKEA, that is the best way forward.

About the Job

As a Business Developer in our Paper Team (Tissue Segment), you will be an informal leader of a 3-member micro-team. With a Production Engineer, who takes cares of the production process and quality, and a Supply Planner who handles logistics. Based on the analysis, you will draw up an action plan once a year to reduce production costs and to develop better design for the customers, all within the framework of sustainability and ethical business practices.

You also can expect to:

• Develop partnerships with suppliers – The micro team travels regularly, in order to solve production issues and to provide suppliers with feedback and help with the implementation of the action plan.
• Create production calculations – Look for cost saving opportunities for both existing and new products and work actively on the value chain optimization with the suppliers.
• Operation – Communicate with suppliers, the management in team meetings regarding project implementation and data entry.

To be successful in this role, below competences are important for you.

• Passion for business and the end-goal – Both will come in handy when negotiating with suppliers, where you are to be strict but fair. A solution-oriented person, concentrating on problem solving the regular business issues.
• You know economics and finance – Understanding of company financials: cash flow, P&L, income statements and cost breakdowns.
• The art of dealing with people – empathy and great communication skills to coordinate your micro-team. This comes in handy when collaborating with suppliers and stakeholders in the IKEA supply chain. Ability to build relationships.
• Analytical skills - working with numbers, negotiating prices, or setting priorities for your work, in a usually high paced and demanding environment.
• Open-minded person. 
• An interest in production and discovering the latest technologies in home furnishing.
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken. You are comfortable in presenting and engaging with stakeholders at all levels.
• Driving license holder (active driver).

Travelling is a part of the assignment since our Business Developers need work closely with our suppliers. 

The selection process will take place continuously, so please send in your application in English as soon as possible but latest September 6, 2024.

Please note that we don’t accept application through email.

If you have questions about the position, please contact hiring manager Patricia Normand at [email protected]. If you have questions about the recruitment process, please contact People & Culture Lucie Drastilová at [email protected].