Identification & Standardisation Leader - Master Data and Traceability

Ikea; Stockanäs; On-site; SEK 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

IKEA in Älmhult, Sweden is seeking an Identification and Standardisation Leader to guide global data standards, master data, and traceability across the value chain. You will collaborate with business leaders, architects, data specialists, suppliers, and external partners to ensure scalable identification across products, assets, locations, parties, transactions, and events.

Your leadership will drive governance, enterprise-wide consistency, and effective information exchange to enable digital

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in identification systems, GS1 standards, master data, traceability, and interoperability.
• Strong understanding of GTIN, GLN, SSCC, GDSN, EPCIS, GS1 Digital Link and related standards.
• Experience in Master Data Management (MDM), Product Information Management (PIM), data governance, and information exchange.
• Fluent in written and spoken English.

Responsibilities

• Develop and strengthen IKEA's identification and standardisation capability.
• Define, maintain, and communicate principles, standards, frameworks, and guidance related to identification and GS1 standards.
• Secure a consistent and scalable approach to identifying products, assets, locations, parties, transactions, and events.
• Drive awareness of how identification supports business performance, data quality, compliance, and traceability.
• Act as trusted advisor to organisations adopting identification standards and traceability capabilities.
• Define and support business requirements related to identification, master data, product information, and information exchange.
• Represent IKEA internally and externally in GS1 communities and standardisation initiatives.

Skills

Identification systems

GS1 standards

Master Data Management

Traceability

Interoperability

English proficiency

Data governance

Education

University degree or equivalent

Tools

GTIN

GLN

SSCC

GDSN

EPCIS

GS1 Digital Link

AI capabilities related to standards

Job description

Identification & Standardisation Leader - Master Data and Traceability

• Full-time

IKEA Supply is responsible for securing that the IKEA product offer is produced and delivered to customers. Within IKEA Supply, Supply Chain Development brings together capability development across the value chain and supports how we evolve the way we operate Manage Goods Flow End-to-End.

Strategy & Business Process Management (SBPM) turns IKEA strategic direction into action. We contribute to the IKEA strategy creation, drive insights, facilitate business development, and guide the processes and capabilities for Manage Goods Flow End-to-End. By ensuring clear priorities, governing roadmaps and enabling execution, we connect strategic direction with measurable business outcomes and a sustainable process and digital landscape.

Although the team has its organisational home at supply, the Center of expertise (CoE) for Identification and Standardisation is working across organisations and functions including range, supply and retail. With the purpose of providing a holistic and long‑term stewardship of identification standards, ensuring they remain robust, future‑ready, and globally relevant and scalable.

At IKEA, identification and standardisation are strategic capabilities that enable trusted data, connected business processes, traceability, regulatory compliance, and seamless information exchange across the value chain. Core capabilities for IKEAs business and digital transformation.

As an Identification and Standardisation Leader, you will be part of IKEA's Centre of Expertise for Identification and Standardisation, guiding and enabling organisations, teams, and initiatives to realise business value through a common approach to identification, master data, traceability, and interoperability. By connecting business needs with global standards and industry best practices, you will help create the foundation for, trusted data, connected processes, efficiency and automatization, regulatory readiness, and business and digital transformation across IKEA

Together with a team of subject matter experts, you will help IKEA establish and evolve a common approach to how products, assets, locations, parties, transactions, and events are identified and connected across business processes, digital products, platforms, and external ecosystems.

The Centre of Expertise works across organisations and functions to ensure that global standards are translated into practical business value. Through expert guidance, governance, and collaboration, the team enables business development, digital transformation, operational excellence, and future regulatory readiness across IKEA's global value chain.

In this role, you will work closely with business leaders, product teams, architects, data specialists, suppliers, and external partners to ensure that identification standards and traceability capabilities are understood, adopted, and implemented in ways that create long‑term value for IKEA.

Your Assignment

Develop and Strengthen IKEA's Identification Capability

• Contribute to the development and evolution of IKEA's identification and standardisation capability.
• Define, maintain, and communicate principles, standards, frameworks, and guidance related to identification and GS1 standards.
• Secure a consistent and scalable approach to identifying products, assets, locations, parties, transactions, and events.
• Drive awareness and understanding of how identification supports business performance, data quality, compliance, and traceability.

Enable Business Development and Transformation

• Act as a trusted advisor to organisations, initiatives, and teams seeking to adopt identification standards and traceability capabilities.
• Assess business needs and recommend suitable standards, approaches, and implementation strategies.
• Define and support business and functional requirements related to identification, master data, product information, and information exchange.
• Support pre‑studies, proof of concepts, business development initiatives, and digital transformation efforts where standards play a key role.
• Ensure identification requirements are considered early in solution design and business planning.

Drive Collaboration and Governance

• Establish clarity around ownership, decision‑making, governance, and exception handling related to identification standards.
• Facilitate alignment across business areas, digital products, platforms, and data domains.
• Promote common, reusable, and interoperable ways of working across IKEA.
• Support stakeholders in balancing local business needs with enterprise‑wide consistency and long‑term scalability.

Represent IKEA Internally and Externally

• Represent IKEA in GS1 communities, industry working groups, and relevant standardisation initiatives.
• Build strong relationships with external partners, standards organisations, suppliers, and regulatory stakeholders.
• Monitor developments in standards, regulations, and industry practices, translating opportunities and implications into recommendations for IKEA.
• Identify gaps between business needs and existing standards and contribute to the continued evolution of industry standards together with the GS1 community.

Is this the right challenge for you?

You are a strategic and collaborative leader with deep expertise in identification, standards, master data, and traceability. You enjoy working across organisational boundaries and helping others navigate complexity through clear guidance, strong relationships, and a pragmatic approach.

You understand that standards create value only when they are widely understood, adopted, and integrated into everyday business practices.

We believe you have

• Deep expertise in identification systems, GS1 standards, master data, traceability, and interoperability.
• Strong technical knowledge of total Trade Item concept, standards and capabilities such as GTIN, GLN, SSCC, GDSN, EPCIS, GS1 Digital Link, and emerging AI capabilities connected to reaching the next level of use of standards.
• Experience within Master Data Management (MDM), Product Information Management (PIM), data governance, and information exchange.
• Good understanding of traceability requirements, Digital Product Passports, EUDR, and emerging regulatory developments.
• Strong understanding of IKEA's business model, value chain, and operating model.
• Proven experience leading in the unknown and within complex initiatives and influencing stakeholders without formal authority.
• Experience in developing governance models, frameworks, standards, and enterprise capabilities in a global environment.
• Understanding enterprise architecture, digital platforms, integration patterns, and data ecosystems.
• Strong analytical, facilitation, and communication skills.
• Proven ability to build trustful relationships and collaborate across organisations, functions, and geographies.
• University degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Fluent in written and spoken English.

We always recruit based on values, competence, potential, and diversity. We look forward to receiving your application in English.

This position will be based in Älmhult, Sweden. We regret that we are unable to handle applications made by e‑mail.

For more information about the position, please contact Hiring Manager Identification and Standardisation Manager Sandra Mckay Ferrario at [e-mail]. For questions regarding the recruitment process, please contact People & Culture Specialist Katie Pettersson at [e-mail].

At IKEA we believe that we’re better when we’re physically together for collaboration, dialoguesand conversations. We believe in the power of human interactions; the informal chats, the energy,belongingand creativity generated by people being in the same place. Our approach is that we spend majority of our time in the IKEA workplace and with flexibility to work from home when relevant.