Country Sustainability Manager

For IKEA Netherlands we are looking for a Country Sustainability Manager based in our Service Office in Haarlem.

The Country Sustainability Manager secures the integration and implementation of the Ingka sustainability strategy - People & Planet Positive, by both putting demands on the business and being a competent sustainability business partner, while securing local relevance. You are the voice and influencer of sustainability both internally and externally, sitting close to the business where decisions are made. The People Planet Positive topics you are responsible for are: Healthy & Sustainable living, Circular, Climate, Fair & Equal.

Een dag met ons in jouw leven
In this role you'll be responsible for:
- the integration and implementation of the sustainability People & Planet Positive strategy, through clearly defined accountabilities and responsibilities in the business and supporting as a competent business partner, while securing local relevance.
- being the spokesperson of sustainability, by understanding consumers in the market, and working across the business where decisions are made to set the People & Planet Positive requirements on the total country organisation, empowering others to deliver.
- Integrating the sustainability agenda across all markets, customer meeting points, stores and units.
- Applying approved methods and tools from Group Sustainability to connect with relevant SO functions

What else you will do:

- Working with others to help solve the challenges of the business with both a growth and purpose driven mind-set.
- Secure country adaption of the global direction and ambitions. Develop and continually maintain an outside-in perspective, following and listening for trends, (future) legislation, topics and future thinking.
- Conception, exploration and business case development projects in partnership with Group Sustainability, or when needed, drive country specific development projects.
- Create and maintain a performance culture across the whole organisation.
- Be an effective external and internal spokesperson, participate in advocacy activities, events, networking and empower others (e.g. country and store managers) to become sustainability spokespersons.
- Secure positive impact on local communities where IKEA operates through deep understanding of the local communities and co-creating with identified key local stakeholders.
- Empowering and engaging all co-workers in creating a new IKEA with sustainability at the core by working together with the sustainability matrix, contributing and sharing key learnings.
- You lead a team of Sustainability Business Partners and based on relevant business cases time limited Project Leader(s).
- You are part of the Country Commercial Team and you proactively contribute with sustainability perspective in Country Business Plan processes to ensure sustainability is integrated in commercial agenda and an active contributor to the country Growth and Positioning goals.

Wie je bent
- Motivated by sharing and living the IKEA culture and values
- Thorough knowledge of how to create and implement change initiatives and manage stakeholders in IKEA.
- Thorough knowledge of how to initiate, plan, execute, control and close a project.
- In depth knowledge of how to balance and merge environmental, social and economic aspects to define sustainability and how IKEA uses that knowledge in striving to make business within the limits of the planet.
- In depth knowledge of the IKEA Concept, Brand positioning and Culture & Values
- In depth knowledge of the relevant IKEA business processes, tools and cycles
- Good knowledge on relevant sustainability topics within the specific market area (including legislation, governmental plans, stakeholder landscape etc.).
- Good knowledge of how to transform our operations to become climate positive and contribute to a circular society.
- Good knowledge of how to craft, describe, (respond to) and share information through the use of narratives to build trust, inspire and create an emotional connection to an audience with courage, joy and care.
- Good knowledge of the possibilities to activate sales and the use of the commercial calendar and relevant associated store activities.
- Emerging knowledge of the different challenges faced by the different local communities and what IKEA can do to empower communities.
- Emerging knowledge of how to analyse (sustainability) data from digital sources to gain insights of IKEA customers for business purposes and decision making.

The Country Sustainability Manager is part of the Commercial Function and reports to the Country Commercial Manager.