Staff Planning Specialist (6 months contract)

SmartRecruiters, Inc.; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 45,000 - 89,000; Full time

Job summary

IKEA Malaysia is seeking a Staff Planning Specialist on a 6 months contract within the Business Development department. The role focuses on incorporating people strategy into coworker schedules, overseeing scheduling solutions, forecasting staff, and ensuring compliance with labor regulations.

Key tasks include drafting and finalizing schedules, reporting on staff planning KPIs, and supporting managers with administrative scheduling duties.

Qualifications

• 1-2 years in staff/workforce planning or scheduling in a fast-paced retail environment.
• Strong analytical, numerical, and problem-solving abilities.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and scheduling software used in-store.
• Experience coordinating people and tasks with a sense of urgency.

Responsibilities

• Incorporate people strategy into coworker schedules following regional/local guidelines.
• Oversee implementation of scheduling solutions to optimize staff planning practices.
• Forecast store staff, consider commercial factors, ensure schedules meet labor regulations.
• Publish draft schedules timely and collaborate with managers to finalize schedules.
• Monitor staff planning KPIs and report findings for benchmarking and improvement.
• Assist the Staff Planning Manager with schedule creation and admin tasks.
• Collaborate with department managers to refine high-quality schedules reflecting availability and skills.

Skills

Scheduling coordination

Analytical skills

Numerical skills

Decision making

Organizational skills

Reading & writing English

Essential Excel proficiency

Tools

Microsoft Excel

In-store scheduling software

Job description

Staff Planning Specialist (6 months contract)

• Full-time
• Department: Business Development

IKEA is the world’s largest home furnishing retailer with 460 stores across more than 60 countries. IKEA Malaysia is part of Ikano Retail, one of 12 IKEA franchisees and the only one owned by the family of Ingvar Kamprad, who founded IKEA in 1943.

IKEA Malaysia creates a better everyday life by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low, that as many people as possible can afford them. Ikano Handel Sdn. Bhd. owns and operates four omnichannel stores in Malaysia, including IKEA Damansara, IKEA Cheras, IKEA Tebrau and IKEA Batu Kawan. To learn more, visit IKEA.my

• Ensure the people strategy is effectively incorporated into coworker schedules by adhering to regional and local principles and guidelines, while providing expertise, support, and training to end-users in scheduling.
• Oversee the implementation of scheduling solutions to ensure they align with and support optimized staff planning practices.
• Responsible for overseeing the store staff planning process, including accurate forecasting, addressing commercial considerations, and ensuring schedules comply with labor regulations and internal guidelines.
• Play a key role in safeguarding the staff planning process, from forecasting to schedule execution, by posting draft schedules on time, incorporating all planned absences, and collaborating with department managers to create final schedules that balance coworker, customer, and business needs.
• Ensure comprehensive follow‑up on staff planning and retail KPIs (e.g., process efficiency, staff cost impact) by leveraging accurate reporting to identify best practices and benchmarking opportunities within the regional staff planning matrix.
• Assist the Staff Planning Manager and Business Navigation Manager with administrative tasks related to schedule creation and management.
• Regularly collaborate with department managers to develop, refine, and improve high-quality schedules within forecasted hours, ensuring they accurately reflect current coworker availability and skill sets.
• Identify opportunities to enhance the store staff planning process and promptly elevate to the Staff Planning Manager or Business Navigation Manager if scheduled or actual hours exceed the financial framework.
• Collaborate with the Staff Planning Manager and Business Navigation Manager to identify and develop succession plans for the Staff Planning Specialist role.

• You have at least 1-2 years’ relevant staff/workforce planning/scheduling experience in a fast-paced, high-volume retail environment;
• You have demonstrated ability to coordinate people and tasks, follow up and work with a sense of urgency;
• You have good analytical and numerical skills; strong decision-making, problem-solving, and organizational skills;
• You have intermediate level of proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (especially Excel).
• Experience in staff scheduling and analysis.
• Experience working in customer-focused service industries, preferably retail.
• Proficient in scheduling software used in-store.
• Strong reading and writing skills in English (if not the native language).