Category Sourcing Leader

Company Description
You see things a little differently. So do we. We believe in discovering and developing the talent in each of us. We invest in your passions and encourage you to grow with them. Come and see things a little differently with us! 
Inter IKEA is a group of companies that connects IKEA retailers with range development and suppliers and aligns the overall IKEA strategic direction. It consists of three businesses: Retail concept, Range and Supply. IKEA Supply is responsible to source, manufacture and distribute IKEA products to the IKEA retailers. This to secure customer availability in all markets and sales channels at lowest total cost. In Purchasing Development, the assignment goes hand and hand with the IKEA Business idea 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’. ​Affordability, accessibility, sustainability and quality are our main priorities.​ We develop and execute sourcing strategies and meet the Supply markets/industries in 6 different categories. We are a global organization with around 1000 co-workers placed in 27 different locations, close to the suppliers and the market.
We are now recruiting a Category Sourcing Leader to join our exciting journey in Category Textile Products in Category Area Textile Furnishing. Are you our next Category Sourcing Leader? Come and join us!
We in Category Area Textile Furnishing are passionate about beautiful textiles and great comfort and want to make our wide offer accessible and affordable to the many people. With over 300 co-workers and 200 suppliers across the world, Category Area Textile Furnishings drives and develops the global supply chain of textile furnishing products for all IKEA stores globally. This includes everything from bulky products such as mattresses and sofas to carpets, curtains, cushions and felt boxes for storage to mention just a few.
Job Description


What you will do 
As a Category Sourcing Leader, you will be responsible for securing the material and production knowledge as well as setting up the optimal sourcing conditions. With having customer always in mind, you will act as a gear box between HFBs / Category and Need Planning function. From that position you will lead and secure that all products within your area of responsibility are sourced with optimal global sourcing set-up. You will contribute with material, technique and production knowledge in the product development process and ensure that material and choices of techniques related to cost, capacity, quality and sustainability are in-line with supplier production capabilities, as well as with product development process and category strategy.
In this role, you will: 
Contribute to the execution of the Category BPL by being responsible for:
Defining most suitable development partners for specific NEWs projects and services.
Leading the establishment of the global sourcing set-up for running range, NEWs in line with Category desired supplier movements IKEA Best Buy Principles, including scenario planning and assessing sourcing risks.
Engaging the right category resources in specific development projects and connecting them to development teams or other Range/Service owners through indirect leadership.
Securing Business Contingency Plans and to monitor and initiate actions to mitigate deviations, through stakeholder collaboration and indirect leadership.
Ensuring the quality of the Category input into pricing process (Big run and tertial runs)
Contributing to the Business Agreement creation and execution, in close collaboration with Range Areas or other stakeholders.
Consolidation of relevant business input affecting Category plans as example: Range Area portfolio plans, Growth Plans or other stakeholder input.
Leading specific projects on behalf or through allocation from the Category Manager; as example Leading the Creation and Implementation of a Segment Strategy.
Securing overall performance and collaboration with internal stakeholders
Contributing to the category management meetings as permanent member of the category management team

Qualifications


Why we love you 
We believe to be a successful Category Sourcing Leader you have:
Strong experience and good knowledge in purchasing development including insights on supplier capabilities and product development background and preferably experience with diverse material
University degree in technology, business administration, Furniture education or corresponding knowledge
Leadership skills and project leadership experience is an advantage
Holistic view with being comfortable thinking on both operational, tactical, and strategic level
Deep knowledge of value chain and value chain analysis capabilities
Strong entrepreneurship, drive for the change and strive for improvement.

and you are:
Driven, decisive, analytical to be able to lead conclusions and realize business opportunities.
Great stakeholder manager with capability to lead and deliver results through involving and engaging people independent of location
Independent and with excellent communication skills
Strongly business minded, ability to see the big picture and apply different perspectives from customer to supplier perspective
Able to foresee the consequences of one's own actions and act based on high moral and ethical principles
Fluent in English, both spoken and written
A strong team player



Additional information
The position is located in Älmhult, Sweden with a global responsibility. Älmhult has excellent commuting possibilities with hourly trains to Malmö, Lund and Växjö and an IKEA shuttle bus back and forth to Helsingborg two times a day.

In this role you will report to Category Manager, Nils Månsson.
If you have any questions please about the position, please connect with Nils Månsson at nils.mansson1@inter.ikea.com. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please connect with Helena Sjölander at helena.sjolander@inter.ikea.com.
Does this fit in with your previous experience and ambitions for the future? Then we look forward receiving your application in English at the latest 9th of September, 2024

We look forward receiving your application!