IKEA is recruiting a Sustainability Specialist to embed its people and planet agenda into daily store operations at Camerano, Ancona. The role partners across functions to turn global sustainability goals into practical local actions that improve efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and enhance the customer experience. If you bring hands-on CSR or sustainability experience, strong stakeholder skills, and the ability to link impact with commercial results, this part-time position offers a platform to lead visible change on the shop floor and in the community.
IKEA Sustainability Specialist Hiring 2025 Quick summary table
Item |
Details |
|---|---|
Job title |
Sustainability Specialist |
Job ID |
313937 |
Location |
Camerano, Ancona, Italy |
Function |
Sustainability |
Type |
Part-time |
Reports to |
Store leadership team and country sustainability function as applicable |
Core focus |
Integrate sustainability targets into store action plan, operations, and customer experience |
Official careers link |
About IKEA and the role purpose
IKEA vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. In stores, that vision becomes real through actions that save energy and water, reduce waste, promote circularity, source responsibly, and inspire customers to live more sustainably at home. The Sustainability Specialist is the store point person for this agenda. You will coordinate planning, coach teams, track progress against targets, and ensure all initiatives make sense commercially while delivering measurable environmental and social outcomes.
Key responsibilities
Strategy and planning
- Translate national sustainability goals into a store-level action plan with clear targets, budgets, and timelines.
- Integrate sustainability deliverables into the overall store business plan and monthly performance routines.
- Prioritise initiatives using impact and feasibility criteria, focusing on outcomes such as energy intensity reduction, food waste prevention, recycling rates, and circular services uptake.
Operations and compliance
- Coordinate energy, water, and waste performance tracking with Facilities, Food, and Logistics to meet store KPI targets.
- Support safe, compliant handling of waste streams and materials, and promote reuse and repair practices in line with circular principles.
- Prepare inputs for internal reviews such as the Sustainability Functional Review and support internal audits or assessments.
People and capability
- Act as the primary sustainability reference for the store, providing coaching, micro-trainings, and onboarding modules so co-workers understand what to do and why it matters.
- Develop a network of sustainability champions across departments to accelerate adoption and troubleshoot blockers.
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement using simple tools such as A3s, root-cause analysis, and PDCA cycles.
Customer experience and communication
- Collaborate with Commercial and Marketing to highlight local sustainability initiatives in store communication, food areas, and digital touchpoints.
- Support inspiring shopfloor solutions that make it easier for customers to choose energy-efficient, water-saving, and circular products and services.
- Engage local stakeholders and community partners for campaigns and events that align with IKEA priorities.
Data, insight, and reporting
- Maintain reliable data for energy, water, waste, food waste, circular services, and community engagement.
- Create simple dashboards for store management and propose corrective actions when performance drifts from plan.
- Document case studies and lessons learned that can be scaled across the country portfolio.
What IKEA looks for
Experience and skills
- Practical experience in sustainability, CSR, environment, or communications in a retail, hospitality, logistics, or facilities context.
- Strong project management skills from planning through execution and review.
- Ability to influence and collaborate with managers and frontline co-workers across multiple functions.
- Clear communication skills, both written and verbal, with an aptitude for training and internal engagement.
- Comfortable with data collection, basic analysis, and KPI reporting.
- Proficiency in English and strong local language skills.
- Flexibility to work shifts across five days per week and collaborate across teams.
- Mobility within the region for occasional meetings or learning activities.
Personal attributes
- Purpose driven and pragmatic.
- Self-reliant, well organised, and comfortable working with minimal supervision.
- Customer focused with a commercial mindset that links impact to business value.
- Inclusive and respectful, aligned with IKEA values.
What you will work on in the first 90 days
- Map current performance baselines for energy, water, waste, and food waste with Facilities and Food.
- Refresh the store sustainability action plan with quarterly milestones, owners, and budgets.
- Launch a champion network across Logistics, Sales, Food, and Customer Relations to embed routines.
- Pilot one quick-win initiative per function, such as a targeted food waste reduction routine, a packaging reuse workflow, or a material recycling improvement.
- Set up a simple dashboard and a monthly performance huddle to review progress and actions.
Benefits and employment details
- Part-time contract based in Camerano, Ancona.
- Temporary one-year term with the possibility of extension depending on performance and business need.
- Employee discount of 15 percent on eligible purchases.
- Affordable staff cafeteria with organic options.
- Access to corporate discounts for travel, tech, and leisure.
- Inclusive, value-driven culture with opportunities for growth and internal mobility.
How to apply
- Prepare a concise CV highlighting your sustainability results, cross-functional projects, and measurable outcomes.
- Write a short motivation that links your experience to store performance and customer experience.
- Apply through the official IKEA careers page: https://www.ikea.com/ and search for Job ID 313937 or the role title.
Sample interview questions to expect
- How did you reduce energy, waste, or water use in a previous role and what was the verified outcome
- Tell us about a time you influenced a department you did not manage. What worked and what did not
- How would you bring sustainability to life for customers on the shop floor in a way that supports sales
- Which KPIs matter most for a retail store sustainability performance and why
- Describe your approach to building a simple performance dashboard and cadence of reviews.
Frequently asked questions
Is this role full time or part time?
It is part time based at the Camerano, Ancona store.
Do I need previous retail experience?
Retail experience is helpful but not essential. You should demonstrate practical sustainability outcomes and strong cross-functional collaboration.
What languages do I need?
Strong English and local language skills are expected to work effectively across teams and with customers.
Will I need to work weekends or shifts?
Expect a shift pattern that supports store operations across five days per week.
What kind of projects will I lead?
Typical projects include energy and water efficiency routines, waste and food waste reduction, recycling improvements, circular services promotion, and community engagement aligned with store priorities.
How will success be measured?
By progress against store sustainability KPIs, successful delivery of the action plan, quality of cross-functional adoption, and customer-facing results that support business goals.
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