Solution Architect Warehouse Management Solutions (WMS) - Supply Chain Development

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IKEA is one of the world's leading home furnishing companies. Our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. We do this by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.

IKEA Core Business Supply is responsible for securing that the product offer is produced and delivered to our customers. We lead the supply agenda across many functions and work together with all business areas, different business units, but also retail markets to secure customer availability in all markets and sales channels at lowest total cost.

Supply Chain Development (SCD) is one of the business units in Core Business Supply and we are on an exciting journey! By gathering the end-to-end supply chain development and innovation agenda into one organization, embedding management and development of processes and digital solutions into the business, we will meet the future with the right competences and business capabilities. By this we will also create the preconditions to a world class supply chain that enable IKEA to efficiently respond to the ever-changing customer needs.  

The SCD Intralogistics organisation is responsible to establish, lead, support and develop logistics solutions for the various IKEA units that have a logistical and fulfilment component, including the development and innovation agenda of intralogistics at IKEA global. In practical terms, Intralogistics shall lead and educate in creating concepts, processes and solutions for IKEA Handling and Storage as well as to act as centre of expertise for all establishments of logistics units around the globe. The organisation is in strong lead towards a more mechanical and automated goods handling.

Solution Area Handling & Storage as part of the IKEA Supply Organisation connects internal IT specialists and external Service Partners to develop, operate and maintain need oriented, innovative IT solutions, kept up to date – both from technical and functional perspective. Furthermore, we globally support a huge number of Supply Chain Projects to make IKEA available for the many.

As a WMS Solution Architect you:

• Are responsible to make sure the planned solution is aligned with all connected and dependent solutions and meets the overall IKEA IT architecture principles, relevant policies, rules and standards. You suggest changes when compliance hinders business value.
• Shape ideas – in close collaboration with relevant internal and external stakeholders – into concrete, robust and appropriate solution architectures (high level design) and transition roadmaps (for implementation).
• Secure that the solution architecture reflects customer and co-worker experience, time to market, sharing and collaboration, functional, technical, infrastructure, operational, security, financial, social and environmental considerations.
• Actively contribute to the resolution of conflicting requirements.
• Collaborate closely with relevant internal and external stakeholders to improve solution architecture with learnings from the implementation and industry practices. Support stakeholders and initiatives with solution and technical expertise. 
• Proactively identify and advise on opportunities to deliver better business result (e.g. related to technology trends and players, roadmaps, customer value, cost, benefits, impact, risks, dependencies).
• Participate in cross area design board to secure holistic architecture decisions.
• Lead solution architecture activities within the assigned area e.g. the creation, revision and implementation of vision and goals, standards and reference solution architectures (reusable for the enterprise), handling of deviations and exceptions, ensuring architecture requirements for life cycle management of products and services, perform design reviews, provide guidance for service improvements and service transition.
• Represent IKEAs interests towards external partners.

About you

You have a strong interest in supply chain and intralogistics as well as in technology, digitalization, and automation. You have a passion for planning and leading in a global assignment and to drive and develop the business and yourself to deliver excellent results. Moreover, you have a desire to collaborate and interact with various stakeholders.

You are a match for IKEA and this role when you:

• have an IT background and already worked with software development, design and/or architecture, ideally in the area of warehouse management solutions (WMS)
• have minimum 3-5 years of IT development and design experience
• like to take responsibility and have high interest in improving the WMS
• good understanding of digital technologies/trends, industry standards, application and infrastructure market, and digital practices with potential to benefit or impact IKEA
• have a good understanding about system integrations and are able to discuss technical interfaces on the needed detail level
• ideally have experience with the IKEA enterprise architecture framework
• like working in a multi-cultural environment

As a person, you have strong analytical skills - being able to structure information and derive conclusions and consequences out of them. You have passion in listening, coaching and facilitating and have good interpersonal as well as intercultural skills. You show openness, willpower, drive and are motivated by working in a fast-paced environment. You are a team player with a business mind, and you understand the importance of building a cross functional relationship with both internal partners and vendors. You are motivated by enabling business opportunities through IT Solutions. You naturally reflect what IKEA stands for and act according to the IKEA values in your daily work.

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! 

IKEA Supply offers:

• Future oriented projects and technical innovations.
• An international network you can learn from and grow personally and professionally.
• An employer with strong and inspiring values.
• Flat hierarchies and open atmosphere.

Sounds interesting?

Submit your application online and in English via our recruitment system SmartRecruiters (please note that applications sent via e-mail will not be accepted) latest on the 14th of June 2023. If you have any questions about the actual recruitment process, please send a message to our recruiting team via SmartRecruiters and we will come back to you. In case of questions connected to the role, please reach out to hiring manager Julian Brands julian.brands@inter.ikea.com.

Please note that tis position can be based in Dortmund (Germany), Älmhult (Sweden), Shanghai (China) or King of Prussia (USA).

We are looking forward to receiving your application!