Assembly required: Are you the first local hire for IKEA New Zealand?

10 April 2024: IKEA has today announced the search for their first local hire from New Zealand - a People & Culture Manager to lead the assembly of the first IKEA Sylvia Park, New Zealand team.   

To help find the best local talent in a way that is uniquely IKEA, a giant flatpack box was today unveiled in Karanga Plaza, downtown Auckland. The oversized replica of the iconic flatpack box that has become synonymous with IKEA, is approximately 21 times larger than the average one in store and took four people three hours to assemble.    

Flatpack furniture and self-assembly are part of the DNA of IKEA and the giant flatpack box is designed to both capture the attention of potential recruits, while also showcasing some of the key elements that make the iconic furniture retailer unique.    

Johanna Cederlöf, Market Manager for IKEA Sylvia Park, New Zealand, says the eye-catching installation perfectly encapsulates the hands-on nature of the People & Culture role at IKEA and the opportunity for the successful applicant to “assemble” the IKEA Sylvia Park team in New Zealand.     

Other requirements of the role include having a passion for people, outside-the-box thinking, an ability to lead teams with togetherness at heart - and of course, a love for high quality, beautiful and affordable home furnishings.   

The People & Culture Manager will lead the IKEA Sylvia Park store through its people, while taking a tactical, hands-on approach in day-to-day operations and people strategies. They will lead and develop the People & Culture team, with their first major task being to recruit and assemble a team of approximately 400 co-workers for IKEA Sylvia Park, New Zealand.   

The major recruitment announcement comes off the back of the arrival of Johanna Cederlöf, Market Manager for IKEA Sylvia Park, who commenced her role and arrived in New Zealand in February. Cederlöf started her IKEA journey in Finland in 2011 and says that people are the heart of the IKEA business.    

“Working at IKEA means so much more than a job, and the role of People & Culture Manager is so much more than simply HR. The IKEA vision, culture and values are what guide us every day - challenging and empowering us to work purposefully together, develop each other and the business and lead by example.”   

The role of People & Culture Manager is due to begin in June and will be based in Auckland. The first IKEA store in New Zealand is set to open at IKEA Sylvia Park, Auckland in late 2025, with anticipation already building since site construction kicked off in June 2023.   

For those who think they have what it takes and believe in bringing out the potential in every individual, head to https://jobs.IKEA.com/en and apply from 10 April until 7 May 2024.  

Closer towards opening, recruitment of more roles at IKEA New Zealand will be announced. Keep an eye out at www.IKEA.com/nz/en/this-is-IKEA/work-with-us/ to stay up to date.