Communication & Interior Design group leader

Purpose of the function

IKEA is all about people, and the Communication & Interior Design group leader inspires and surprises visitors by presenting and communicating the IKEA home furnishing offer with strong visual impressions that exceed visitors’ expectations. Through inspiring range presentation, impactful store communication, vitality and commerciality, the team strengthens the IKEA Brand and converts more visitors into customers while positioning IKEA as the leader in life at home.

Purpose of the job

To lead, develop and inspire the Communication & Interior Design group leader in securing relevant, functional, aesthetic and commercial home furnishing solutions that reflect people’s life at home in the local market. Accountable for store layout, range presentation, visual merchandising, store communication, vitality and seasonality to create an inspiring and commercially strong customer experience that contributes to sustainable business growth and long-term profitability.

Key assignments

• Lead, inspire and develop the store Com&In team, including Interior Design and Visual Merchandising co-workers/managers, to strengthen the uniqueness of the IKEA identity in all customer meeting points.

• Secure inspiring, relevant and commercial home furnishing solutions through room settings, homes, vignettes, activity areas, store media and sales support areas that reflect a wide variety of living situations, styles and price levels.

• Lead the team in creating an optimal store layout and range presentation that supports the commercial priorities, customer journey and mechanical sales system.

• Drive vitality and seasonality in the store by securing a strong commercial calendar and implementing commercial activities that always give customers something new and inspiring to discover.

• Use knowledge of people’s life at home, customer shopping behaviour, market research and local trends to create relevant, aesthetic and functional solutions that exceed customer expectations.

• Partner closely with the Store Manager and commercial team to support sales, margin and business goals through impactful visual merchandising, store communication and home furnishing solutions.

• Secure that global tools, solutions and IKEA concept guidelines are implemented consistently while adapting solutions when needed to make them locally relevant.

• Ensure the store commercial team has a strong understanding of store layout, range of presentation and store communication to support the IKEA way of presenting the range.

• Contribute actively to the store business plan, country business plan and Com&In action plan by identifying initiatives that support business growth, customer engagement and long-term profitability.

• Inspire the team with up-to-date knowledge about home furnishing, retail, design, visual merchandising, sustainability, digital communication and market trends.

• Secure high standards of store communication and visual identity in line with IKEA visual and verbal identity guidelines across all physical and commercial touchpoints.

• Lead competence development, succession planning and talent identification within the Com&In function to build a high-performing, future-oriented and passionate team.

• Ensure budget control, cost consciousness and efficient planning of resources while maintaining creativity and quality in execution.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Logistics, Customer Experience and other store functions to secure seamless and inspiring customer experience.

• Ensure compliance with IKEA safety, security and operational procedures, and report any security breaches according to IKEA policies.

Competence Knowledge

• Home furnishing, interior design and visual merchandising the IKEA way.

• Range presentation the IKEA way (store layout, display techniques, store media and customer flow).

• Store communication and visual identity standards.

• Understanding life at home in the local market and the outcome of market research such as IKEA Customer Satisfaction Survey and IKEA Brand Capital.

• Strong knowledge of trends influencing home furnishing, retail, commercial activities and customer behavior.

• Understanding of how to build business and people competence through recruitment, development, retention and succession planning.

• Commercial calendar planning and store activity implementation.

• The IKEA mechanical sales system and the work method for presenting the IKEA range.

• IKEA Concept, IKEA Brand objectives and strategic landscape.

Motivation

• IKEA values truly reflect personal values.
• A passion for fast-paced, future-oriented retailing and the IKEA product range.
• Provide store solutions that improve people’s life at home and exceed visitors' expectations of their shopping experience.
• Passionate about developing people and personal competence.
• Driven to exceed goals by helping the team succeed and develop.

Capabilities

• Ability to combine and identify commercial, aesthetic and practical skills.
• Ability to create a trustful and creative environment.
• A natural ability to move smoothly from assessing the bigger picture to seeing the small details.
• Build trust and communicate clearly with different people and groups of people in various situations.
• Good analytical and strategic skills and the ability to steer the store business over the short-, mid- and long- term.

• Extensive experience in Communication & Interior Design, Interior Design, Visual Merchandising, Store Planning or other design-oriented retail functions.
• Design-based education in Interior Design, Visual Merchandising, Graphic Design, Architecture or related fields.
• Proven success in leading, inspiring and developing people and creative processes within a fast-paced retail environment.
• Strong experience in visually expressing and protecting a brand identity.
• Strong visual competence with a keen eye for aesthetics, commerciality and customer experience.
• Proven customer-focused and business-driven mindset.
• Experience in creating and implementing commercial action plans and store communication strategies.
• Strong communication, coaching and presentation skills with the ability to explain concepts verbally and visually.
• Proven ability to prioritize, organize and manage multiple projects and teams effectively while meeting deadlines.
• Experience working cross-functionally and influencing stakeholders at different levels.
• Confident communication skills in English.
• Computer proficient with knowledge and experience using relevant design and communication software.

A few more details for you

This position is full-time and is located in IKEA Cabo, Morocco. Some travel may be required.

Please send your CV in English and tell us why you would be a good fit for this role.