Company Description

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.

Job Description

Your Opportunity

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.

Serena, a Business Development Manager in IKEA, says:

I act as an ambassador of IKEA values, constantly on the look-out to improve ways of working through tools and people. I focus on people development and strong business development. I enjoy a space for all coworkers by respecting everyone’s knowledge and experience. As a leader in IKEA, I embrace our differences, leading with an open and trustful relationship. The mission as Business Development Manager, is to learn, share and inspire.

About the Job

As a Business Development Manager you get to work with both - business and people. And what better way? Business is done through people!

You will actively contribute to the development of long-term Category Business Plans. The objective is to deliver excellent results in purchasing by team-leading and establishing long-term business development relations with suppliers. Additionally, a significant part of your assignment is to inspire and empower your co-workers. In more detail the assignment consists of:

People agenda

• The art of dealing with people - empathy and good communication skills, when dealing with stakeholders as well as leading business through your team. 

• Lead the competence agenda, including recruitment, development, performance management, retention and succession plans for co-workers in your team.
• Motivate, inspire, mentor and coach your team.
• Securing the preconditions for your team to succeed in the business environment.

Business agenda

• Set the business direction with clear Action Plan(s) to improve and develop business and supplier performance and deliver to the Category Business Plan.
• Identify and start-up new suppliers according to business needs through the business development team.
• Establish and manage cost budget for the team, optimally utilising resources to secure business goals and ensure organisational efficiency.

Qualifications

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

• Have a great track record in leadership and business development. You lead by example and can bring out the best in your team and different stakeholders.
• Lead on an operational, as well as, strategic level always keeping the holistic view in mind.
• Have high energy to build trust and partnerships to reach common goals and are on a constant look out for synergies.
• Deep knowledge of knowledge of wood industry is a strong advantage.
• Be fluent in English, both in written and spoken, and comfortable in presenting and engaging with stakeholders at all levels.
• Driving licence holder.

Additional Information

This position will be based in Prague, the Czech Republic.

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

For this position, international relocation support might be discussed.

The selection process will take place continuously, so please send in your application in English as soon as possible but latest June 7, 2024. Please note that we don’t accept application through email.

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