Candidate profile (title) Who you are Candidate profile (text) - Default language You are a passionate continuous improvement leader with deep understanding and skills of Lean, retail operations and project management.

The country lean leader plays an important role in driving the country's implementation of Lean ways of working. It starts with a program in one unit where we kick-start the journey to develop the continuous improvement capability in the country via training, workshops and activities. Following the initial program, the country embarks on a lean journey to implement lean ways of working across all units, led & driven by the country lean leader. This assignment requires a dynamic leader with vast change management experience who can inspire and motivate teams, navigate complex challenges, and deliver measurable improvements in efficiency, cost reduction, and customer satisfaction. Key responsibilities (title) Your responsibilities Key responsibilities (text) You will:
Lead transformation
• Lead, drive & manage the implementation of lean ways of working in all country units to improve efficiency, reduce waste, increase coworker engagement and add value for the customer.
• Develop lean ways of working country roadmap in alignment with organizational goals

Training & coaching
• Establish an everyday waste elimination coaching culture for the many coworkers
• Train leaders and managers in lean ways of working, including mindset, leadership, principles, methods & tools, change management
• Facilitate workshops and ‘train to deliver’ sessions
• Coach & challenge leaders and managers through a demanding change process as well as during their normal way of working
• Act as the ‘go to’ person and ambassador for continuous improvement & lean thinking across the country
• Train & develop potential unit lean leaders

Process improvement
• Identify areas for improvement with country business owners & country management
• Lead country process improvements to enhance productivity, quality, and customer satisfaction

Performance monitoring
• Collaborate with units to closely follow up on implementation to secure the delivery of business potential
• Support the country business owner & Business Navigation with calculating the business potential and following-up the progress

Collaboration & communication
• Communicate lean objectives, progress, and results to stakeholders at all levels
• Work cross functional with different stakeholders to secure alignment on implementing lean ways of working to drive business results
• Work cross-organization to voice the country needs for global development
• Support the country business owner with capturing, sharing, communicating, scaling & implementation of good examples / best practices / solutions
• Support the country / global business owner with process documentation on standards
• Manage country lean ways of working communication, news and recognition
• Contribute to the global development of the lean ways of working initiative, framework & concept

The right assignment for you?

Knowledge:
• Deep knowledge of continuous improvement methodologies (lean), where you have been applying the mindset, leadership, principles methods & tools yourself in operations
• Extensive project management knowledge
• Extensive experience of working in operations (senior leader)
• Strong knowledge of how to create and implement change initiatives in complex environments and manage stakeholders
Motivation:
• Open for change. Comfortable with ‘leading in the unknown’. Have a ‘just do it, let’s try it, let’s fix it’ mindset & approach
• High drive, perseverance to deliver on what has been agreed, overcoming potential obstacles on the way
• You can work alone but love to work together and support others
• Passionate about leading, growing, inspiring and developing leaders and co-workers
• Performance driven and motivated to exceed the goals and targets, on an individual level as well as on a team level
Capabilities:
• Problem solving skills, data analysis and fact-based decision making
• Project management skills, facilitate and coordinate change in a structured way
• Training, facilitation, mentoring and coaching skills, utilize the brain, hands and hearts of the many
• Leadership skills, the ability to lead yourself and others through change to get things done
• Capable of end-to-end thinking, seeing the bigger picture, connecting the dots, steer away from silo thinking
• Good knowledge of stakeholder management, how to identify and involve relevant stakeholders in a project, process, or questions, to make things happen
• Excellent communicator, interacting with a diverse range of people comes very natural to you. Able to communicate in a clear and comprehensive manner
• Able to build trustful relationships
• FR/NL/ENG is a must

This is a temporary vacancy from 01/01/2025 till 31/08/2026 Team vision ( title) Our team within IKEA Team vision (text) If someone’s the spider in the web, that’s us! We work across functions with different teams, stakeholders and partners on all sides and bring out the best of everyone involved – while meeting deadlines and budgets. We don’t mean to brag, but our planning skills are celebrated. In our team we support each other to ensure that all projects are delivered with high quality. And of course, we have a lot of fun along the way! Let's connect Apply now! Let´s connect At IKEA, we like to give you the space to take control of your own development and growth. We believe in entrepreneurship and initiative and want to make it easy for you. In the first few weeks/months, you will be offered a 5-step development plan to get you started, with enough personal space to create the learning moments you need.
We offer this structure and a supportive network of colleagues who will make sure you feel comfortable in this situation and give you time to learn, make mistakes and develop.
In addition to a competitive remuneration, we offer:
- Eco-vouchers
- End-of-year bonus, holiday pay and sector premiums
- An additional allowance if you come by bike
- Private leasing of an electric bike, we are happy to give you a boost
- Comprehensive hospitalization insurance
- A private accidents insurance
- Pension savings
- We also offer extra-legal holidays, seniority holidays and for full-time colleagues 6 extra days off
- A canteen where you can eat delicious food at very democratic prices
- IKEA Tack! Loyalty reward, an additional deposit into your retirement savings based on our global results and your loyalty to IKEA
- ONE IKEA Bonus: an additional bonus based on country results
- IKEA Benefits at work: a portal offer you great discount for well-known stores and brands
- IKEA staff discount 15% on all your purchases
- A Mobile of your choice (Apple or Android) and a corresponding subscription
- Team outings & staff parties, because togetherness is very important to us
- A nice extra in case of legal cohabitation/marriage/birth/retirements to celebrate these beautiful moments