Job Description

Food Operations Leader
"You care about making a positive impact in the world. You understand greatness requires thinking differently. An inclusive and accepting work environment is important to you.
A job at IKEA is so much more than home furnishings. Together, we work to make a better everyday life for the many. It's the perfect fit if you want to contribute, grow, and share. Join the team and start a better life for yourself."
Location
Bengaluru Service Office
Employment type
Full Time Permanent
Department
Food & Restaurant
Deadline
2025-02-21
Mobility support
Domestic
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Candidate profile (title) Who you are
Candidate profile (text) - Default language You are a passionate leader with extensive experience in food operations, dedicated to delivering an exceptional and sustainable food experience. You have a strong understanding of food retail operations, compliance, and customer needs. Your ability to lead, influence, and collaborate across teams ensures that IKEA's food business thrives while maintaining high operational standards.
Key Qualifications & Experience:

• Formal qualifications in Sales, Business, or Customer Management (or equivalent).
• Minimum 10 years of experience in food operations, including food logistics, food production, and customer experience.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in leadership roles, coaching, and influencing coworkers.
• Strong background in food sustainability, compliance, and equipment management.
• Proven track record of driving business performance through operational excellence.
• Experience in retail food operations, with knowledge of food safety standards (HACCP) and local food legislations.

Key responsibilities (title) Your responsibilities
Key responsibilities (text) As a Food Operations Leader, you will drive food operational excellence across units, ensuring a high-quality, sustainable, and affordable food experience for customers. Your key responsibilities include:
Operational Excellence & Compliance

• Ensure all food operations comply with IKEA standards and local legal requirements.
• Monitor and optimize food operational needs, ensuring efficiency in logistics, food production, and customer interaction.
• Develop and implement operational frameworks, standards, WoW (ways of working), and KPIs to align with business goals.
• Ensure food product availability, efficient stock management, food quality, and waste reduction.
• Oversee equipment and facility maintenance to ensure sustainable and up-to-date solutions.

Financial & Business Performance

• Contribute to IKEA's financial success by monitoring food business performance and initiating improvements.
• Support market business planning with insights and strategies to enhance food operations.
• Lead performance reviews and escalate issues as needed to drive operational improvements.

Leadership & People Development

• Coach and mentor unit teams to achieve operational excellence.
• Train coworkers in new food production techniques, serving methods, and operational tools.
• Foster a culture of knowledge-sharing and continuous learning across units.
• Actively promote IKEA values and contribute to an open and collaborative work environment.

Collaboration & Sustainability

• Work cross-functionally with Commercial, Digital, Customer Fulfillment, Communications, Sustainability, Finance, and People & Culture teams.
• Drive sustainability efforts, including local ingredient sourcing, circular food production, and eco-friendly materials.
• Co-create innovative food solutions that enhance IKEA's multichannel experience.
• Contribution to Profitability and Customer Experience (CX) Goals.
• Achievement of food business targets and KPIs set in the Goal Letter and Flight Tower.

Leadership Capabilities
As a leader at IKEA, you are expected to:

• Build Strong Relationships across teams and stakeholders.
• Collaborate & Co-create innovative solutions.
• Create Customer Value by prioritizing customer needs.
• Lead with IKEA Values, inspiring others.
• Unleash Entrepreneurship and drive continuous improvement.

This role is ideal for a motivated food operations professional eager to transform the IKEA food business while ensuring compliance, efficiency, and a joyful customer experience.
Team vision ( title) Together as a team
Team vision (text) Thanks to us, customers, co-workers and people at home can have a better everyday life through food that's good for both people and planet. Together we serve more than 660 million customers yearly at the IKEA restaurants worldwide, underlining our Scandinavian heritage by offering a modern taste of Sweden. We also offer a variety of foods in our bistros and in the Swedish Food market. We are a diverse group of people who all live by the motto: Laughter is brightest in the place where the food is!
With the customer at the heart of everything we do, Expansion takes responsibility for developing and implementing the strategic expansion plan in the country. Expansion acts upon business needs based on and optimize accessibility to enable maximum penetration of the country. Expansion is responsible for implementing our retailing concepts and securing that we fully utilise our assets in the new world of IKEA lowest cost, with economy of scale and sustained profitability
WE ARE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:
At IKEA we value diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We are committed to providing coworkers with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. We encourage individualism and invite you to come join our team and be yourself with us! We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability status, or any other applicable characteristic protected by law. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit and business need.
Why you will love us
From the deep forests in Sweden, we have spread our culture and values around the world. At the heart of our offer are our beautiful home-furnishing products and solutions, made with care for our planet, reaching millions of customers.
At the heart of our business, are our wonderful co-workers representing diversity in all dimensions and passionate for life at home. We all contribute with our uniqueness and we want to grow and develop together.
Our vision, to create a better everyday life for the many people inspires and guides us in everything we do. This is IKEA.
What we all have in common

• Living our values
• Being your unique self, while respecting and including others
• A passion for home furnishing
• Performing & delivering while learning & developing
• Having fun!