Sustainability Specialist

The IKEA 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 affordable prices . We are part of IKEA Al-Homaizi Limited, operating in three countries - Kuwait, Jordan, and MOROCCO.

Our keywords are Home, People, Happiness, Development, Leadership, Inclusion & Diversity, All with Passion!

Purpose of the function: Sustainability is not a function, but a business approach, a mindset, and a way of working together across all functions, in order to strengthen the commercial agenda, become a better place to work, a better local neighbour and a store with positive impact on people and planet.

Purpose of the job: support the store management team in making sustainability come alive in the store, across all functions. Together with co-workers, customers, and partners determine how we can operate in an environmentally responsible way while tackling climate change, unsustainable consumption, and inequality.

Key assignments: Inspire, develop, support and challenge the business teams to ensure effective implementation and fulfilment of the Sustainability agenda in day to day Operations;

• Identify and monitor sustainability trends, policy developments and business opportunities;
• Lead the Sustainability Developers matrix ensuring aligned and efficient ways of working to reach the sustainability goals;
• Engage in extensive internal and external networking to drive the Sustainability agenda. Act as a bridge builder to enable new collaborations and partnerships in close collaboration with the business;
• Identify and contribute to mitigate sustainability risks;
• Proactively support and advice business teams on sustainability related topics;
• Share and develop sustainability competence throughout the business by inspiring and empowering co-workers;
• Review and revise sustainability proposals or policies;
• Research or review regulatory, technical, or market issues related to sustainability;
• Identify or create new sustainability indicators;
• Identify or investigate violations of natural resources, waste management, recycling, or other environmental policies;
• Facilitate store improvement through the Sustainability Functional Review and other relevant tools;
• Provide technical or administrative support for sustainability programs or issues;
• Identify or procure needed resources to implement sustainability programs or projects;
• Create or maintain plans or other documents related to sustainability projects;
• Assess or propose sustainability initiatives, considering factors such as cost effectiveness, technical feasibility, and acceptance;
• Monitor or track sustainability indicators, such as energy usage, natural resource usage, waste generation, and recycling;
• Collect information about waste stream management or green building practices;
• Contribute to the economic sustainability of the organization by discovering and implementing measures to reduce energy and resource use;
• Write reports and other public communications to promote sustainability initiatives;
• Oversee and implement corporate social responsibility initiatives;
• Engage managers and co-workers by providing timely and relevant sustainability knowledge and information;
• Provide support in delivering co-worker sustainability training and secure the understanding of roles and contributions to the sustainability agenda in each function.

• Bachelor Degree in environmental sciences, environmental engineering, or related field would be an advantage;
• Preferable having a certification in a sustainability system;
• Preferred minimum 5 years EH&S experience with experience in the field of Sustainability;
• Track record of Developing sustainability project goals, objectives, initiatives, or strategies;
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills;
• Ability to work in a team or teams, working in multiple projects simultaneously;
• Strong knowledge of industry and government EHS standards and regulations;
• Proficient knowledge of MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint;
• Experience of working with sustainability in a business environment.

Knowledge:

• Interest and previous know-how about sustainability is an advantage;
• Strong understanding of IKEA organisations work with sustainability;
• Sustainability University degree (e.g. sustainability/CSR, environmental engineering, business, economics);
• Advanced sustainability knowledge and an understanding of how it can support the business agenda;
• Country/market-specific knowledge and experience;
• Fluent in English, both written and spoken.

Motivation:

• Passion for sustainability/CSR and highly motivated in making IKEA a People & Planet Positive company;
• Results and change driven, and a desire to lead people and business;
• Inspired by our vision "create a better everyday life for the many people;
• Open-minded and solutions oriented.

Capabilities

• Leadership abilities;
• Organisational and coordination qualities;
• Strong written and oral communication skills;
• The ability to be self-directed and self-motivated and the ability to be team player;
• Solid problem solving skills and be recognized as results oriented.