Communication Leader - IKEA Wood Supply & Forestry

Wood is at the heart of our range. For decades, using our size and high ambitions, IKEA has helped contribute to how wood is used in furniture design while improving sourcing practices. Still, more remains to be done. In 2021 we launched our Forest Positive Agenda for 2030 to further improve global responsible forest management to enhance biodiversity, mitigate climate change and drive innovation to use wood in even smarter ways.

It is an enormous work, a fantastic responsibility and a critical story that we want to become better at sharing. If you are a communications professional who gets a kick out of making complex ideas easier to understand, is interested in pushing the boundaries for corporate transparency and wants to come closer to one of the most important sustainability development areas of our time, we want to hear from you!

You’ll be based in Älmhult, located within the Wood Supply & Forestry central team and participate in the larger global Wood Supply & Forestry matrix. We are an international mix of down-to-earth, solution-oriented people with a high enthusiasm, commitment and expertise for responsible forestry practices and efficient wood supply chains. Based within the wider IKEA Supply organisation, Wood Supply & Forestry co-workers are spread out across approximately 12 locations, every day working to support our business to verify compliance that all the wood used for our products comes more sustainable sources within optimised supply chains. In parallel, we set the long-term agenda and goals for IKEA wood use, leading partnerships with NGOs, governments and other businesses to make sure that we use our size as a force for good, going beyond our own material needs. Did you know that IKEA has partnered with WWF for over 20 years pioneering one of the world’s largest forest partnerships?

Wood Supply & Forestry manages and steers strategic communication across all companies operating under the IKEA brand, covering both proactive and reactive communication needs. Working together with the Wood Supply & Forestry communication team, and other stakeholders, you will support to position IKEA as a leader in producing responsibly sourced wood-based products. The team’s assignment involves:
Creating and implementing the communication strategy for how IKEA is positioned, internally and externally, as a leader in responsible sourcing and wood use.
Adopting a fact-based and knowledgeable approach to the topic, steering content and stories which reflect our competence, values, and unique position.
Supporting multiple stakeholders in advising and approving content and messaging to meet a wide reach of target audiences.
Collaborating with external partners to co-create strategies and action plans which showcase our work together.
Creating content for and maintaining internal channels profiling Wood Supply & Forestry’s mission and progress.
Providing support to global IKEA press offices during media requests.
Supporting communication competence development within the Wood Supply & Forestry central team and wider matrix.
About the role:

In the Communication Leader position, you will be responsible for project leading specific time-bound communication activities connected to global and regional Wood Supply & Forestry action plans. Overall, you will contribute to the development of the communications strategy, collaborate with external partners on varying activities and identify new opportunities to reach different target audiences, including co-workers. In the beginning, a significant portion of this role will focus on developing and implementing an internal communication strategy to raise awareness, inform and engage all co-workers (approximately 220,000 people), on how IKEA works with wood and forestry.

In more detail, the role involves requires you to:
Be a strategic and tactical partner to the Wood Supply & Forestry, to project lead and implement specific communication actions.
Develop and implement an internal communication strategy supporting co-worker understanding of the Wood Supply & Forestry assignment.
Contribute to the overall communication strategy, content strategy and communication channel landscape for Wood Supply & Forestry.
Manage the creation and production of identified communication activities – creating briefs, steering the process and securing alignment with multiple stakeholders to create target oriented impactful communication.
Work with internal and external resources to deliver to the defined communication briefs within budgets and timelines and create work orders when needed.
Acquire quotes for and monitor communication creation/production costs and be the main point of contact to the creation/production resources to manage and follow up on budget frames.
Participate in the Supply Communication matrix team that secures a holistic overview of Supply business communication and brand needs.
Support IKEA press offices, eg develop QA material.


We look forward to receiving your application in English by 27th of June 2022. Please note that we will handle applications on a continuous basis, so if you are interested to apply please do so as soon as possible as we may close the application process earlier than stated if we find the right candidate!

For more information about the role, please contact Wood Supply & Forestry Manager Ulf Johansson, ulf.g.johansson@inter.ikea.com . If you have questions about the recruitment process, please contact People & Culture recruiter Marie Sandman marie.sandman@inter.ikea.com .

This is a permanent position based in Älmhult, an inspirational working environment, based on creativity and innovation, which gives you the opportunity to work and interact with people from all around the world.
Älmhult has excellent commuting possibilities with hourly trains to Malmö, Lund and Växjö, and an IKEA shuttle bus running back and forth to Helsingborg 3 times a day.

You are warm welcome with your application, please note that due to summer vacation we may come back to you in the beginning of August