Food Business Leader

IKEA; Älmhult; On-site; SEK 900,000 - 1,100,000; Full time

Job summary

IKEA in Älmhult seeks a Food Business Leader to drive end-to-end commercial results for the assigned food range, collaborating with the Product Developer and Product Sourcing Leader to connect customer and market needs with product possibilities and supplier capabilities.

You will own pricing, range performance, and the commercial content across markets, while building strong relationships and steering the portfolio with data-driven decisions.

Qualifications

• Deep knowledge of the IKEA Vision, Culture and Values, and how they drive the business model.
• Extensive understanding of the Food business scope, customer needs, and range development.
• Strong capability in commercial leadership, using data and business cases to guide decisions.
• Ability to translate insights into clear commercial direction and actionable business cases.
• Proven skill in building trust across a matrix organisation and aligning stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Be responsible for the commercial business result for the assigned scope, including growth, profitability, affordability, positioning and range performance.
• Define the customer proposition for the scope, including occasion, emotional value, price perception and desired customer response.
• Act as main speaking partner for assigned reference markets and primary commercial contact for the scope across all markets.
• Bring one prioritized commercial agenda into portfolio governance, aligned with the Range Direction and supported by business cases.
• Set the early direction and co-create the business brief with the Product Developer and Product Sourcing Leader.
• Represent the full commercial team at development milestones, decision gates and performance reviews.
• Responsible for pricing, improving and running range, including reference sales price, affordability, customer value and profitability.
• Monitor range performance, act on deviations and align with Retail and development partners on corrective actions.

Skills

IKEA Vision & Values

Food business knowledge

Commercial leadership

Strategic decision making

Business sense

Stakeholder management

Profitability mindset

Cross-border collaboration

Curiosity about markets

Job description

Inter IKEA Group connects IKEA franchisees with range development and suppliers and ensures alignment of the overall IKEA strategic direction. Every day, we strive to develop, produce, and sell products and services that are affordable and accessible to everyone.

With our desirable and sustainable offer, Food is an essential part of the IKEA experience and our Swedish heritage. It is a strong reason for customers to visit, stay longer, and return more often. Food is often also a starting point to connect with the IKEA Brand. It shall always be convenient for customers to enjoy our accessible food offer in different store formats and at every meeting point – always with a focus on families with children.

This role is positioned in Commercial team within the Food RA structure, reporting to the Commercial Manager. You will lead the business by setting the preconditions for successful consumer and customer meetings. You drive growth by maximizing the commercial positioning, performance, and business opportunities of both the existing range and the new products and solutions under development.

Our team is based in Älmhult. We believe that your presence with the team and working the majority of the time in the workplace is important.

We are looking to hire 2 colleagues.

Job Description

As a Food Business Leader, you will be responsible for the end-to-end commercial business result and commercial direction of the assigned business and range scope, including global, regional and market-specific range. You will own the commercial content and priority of the Range Matrix, lead the commercial relationship with assigned anchor markets and bring one ranked commercial agenda into portfolio governance. Together with the Product Developer and Product Sourcing Leader, you will contribute to early joint direction setting by connecting customer and market needs with product possibilities and supplier capabilities.

On a Typical Working Day, You Will

• Be responsible for the commercial business result for the assigned scope, including growth, profitability, affordability, positioning, relevance and range performance.
• Be responsible for the commercial content and priorities, based on customer, retail, market, competitor and performance insights.
• Define the customer proposition for the scope, including occasion, emotional value, price perception and desired customer response.
• Act as main speaking partner for assigned reference markets and primary commercial contact for the scope across all markets, including relevant Market Operations Forums.
• Bring one prioritized commercial agenda into portfolio governance, aligned with the Range Direction and supported by fact-based business cases.
• Set the early direction and co-create the business brief with the Product Developer and Product Sourcing Leader, defining what the business needs and why.
• Represent the full commercial team at agreed development milestones, decision gates and performance reviews.
• Responsible for pricing, improving and running range, including reference sales price, affordability, customer value and required profitability.
• Responsible for commercial decisions, business cases and investment priorities for certifications and voluntary standards. Quality and Compliance own verification and legal compliance.
• Monitor business and range performance, act on deviations and align Retail and development partners on corrective actions.

Qualifications

• High knowledge of the IKEA Vision, Business Idea, Culture and Values, with a good understanding of the IKEA business model, strategic landscape and ways of working.
• Deep knowledge of the assigned Food business and range scope, including customer needs, market differences, competitors, commercial performance, growth opportunities and range/product development.
• High knowledge of commercial business leadership and how data, insights, business cases and scenario analysis support decisions across the value chain.
• Strong business and commercial leadership, with the ability to take accountability for results, set priorities, make trade-offs and translate insights into clear commercial direction and business cases.
• Strong ability to understand the total business picture, connect strategic direction with tactical and operational priorities, and draw systematic conclusions from performance, financial and market data.
• Strong ability to lead, influence and build trust across a complex matrix, align stakeholders around common outcomes, communicate direction clearly and navigate ambiguity and change without formal authority.
• Passion of creating profitable growth, affordability and a relevant offer for the many people, taking end-to-end ownership from insight to results.
• Motivation by building strong relationships and working across countries, cultures, functions and organisational boundaries towards common business outcomes.
• Curiousity about changes in society, customer behaviour, markets and competitors, and motivated by challenging existing solutions and leading in a changing environment.