Workforce Planning Specialist

Our team within IKEA

At IKEA, our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. We believe that everything we do comes with the responsibility to create a positive impact on people, society and the planet. We are passionate about home furnishing, creating a positive life at home and sharing our tasty responsibly sourced food with the many people across the world.

We are guided by our cultures & values, creating a great place to work.
We stand for equality, diversity and inclusion.
We care about people & planet and promote health & wellbeing.
We nurture your development and provide career opportunities to unlock your potential.

Working at IKEA has its rewards & benefits:

• 5 weeks’ Paid Annual Leave, Paid Parental Leave, Family & Community Leave and much more
• 24/7 access to our Employee Assistance Program for health and wellbeing support
• 15% Co-worker discount
• Low-cost nutritious meals including complimentary drinks in our Co-worker restaurant
• Co-worker uniform provided
• Free Co-worker parking
• Free benefits membership (savings and discounts across retailers and service providers)
• Novated leasing and EV subscription options
• Superannuation salary sacrifice
• Fitness Passport membership available
• Bonus programme (where eligible)
• Co-worker Loyalty programme (extra contribution to your superannuation fund where eligible)

Additional information:

• Position is Permanent Full Time, 76hrs/fortnight.
• Location of role is IKEA Canberra, ACT.
• Internal job title at IKEA is Unit People Planning Specialist. Reporting line is to the Unit People & Culture Manager.
• As our store operates 7 days per week, you must have the availability to work a rotating roster with a mix of day and evening shifts. You also have the availability to work alternating weekend shifts (both Saturday and Sunday).

About this work area

As the Workforce Planning Specialist, you will play a key role in ensuring our store has the right people, in the right place, at the right time to create an exceptional experience for both customers and co-workers.

Working closely with leaders across the business, you will combine workforce planning expertise, commercial acumen and data-driven insights to support operational performance, labour budget optimisation and strategic decision-making.

Your responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Secure the end-to-end workforce planning process, including forecasting, workforce planning, scheduling and roster publication, ensuring workforce plans align with customer demand, operational priorities and labour budgets.
• Lead the partnership with leaders across the business to co-create workforce plans and schedules that balance customer demand, operational priorities, co-worker availability, workforce capability and financial objectives.
• Analyse workforce, scheduling and labour data using available tools to identify trends, risks and opportunities, translating complex information into clear, actionable insights for stakeholders.
• Build capability by educating, coaching and supporting leaders on People Planning principles, processes and best practice, fostering accountability and consistency in workforce planning.
• Review workforce structures, contract mix and hours allocation to identify opportunities that support both operational requirements and co-worker experience.
• Contribute to the implementation and continuous improvement of People Planning solutions, driving efficient ways of working and supporting a data-informed planning culture.
• Implement and secure the unit People Planning strategy, ensuring alignment with IKEA People Planning principles, processes and country-specific guidelines to support an optimal customer and co-worker experience.
• Ensuring workforce planning practices comply with IKEA policies, employment standards and legislative requirements.

Who you are

As Workforce Planning Specialist you will bring:

• Experience in workforce planning, labour planning, scheduling, resource planning or a similar analytical role will be highly regarded.
• A commercial mindset, with the ability to understand how customer demand, operational requirements, workforce capability and labour budgets work together to balance customer, co-worker and business needs.
• Ability to dissect data and analyse complex information to provide clear, actionable insights that support workforce planning and informed business decision-making.
• Excellent attention to detail, organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities in a dynamic environment.
• Experience using Excel and workforce management systems to support forecasting, reporting and scheduling activities. Experience with UKG will be highly regarded.
• The confidence to influence stakeholders, act as a trusted advisor with the ability to build strong relationships and provide constructive challenge and recommendations to business leaders to support informed decision-making.
• Take a proactive, solutions-focused approach and are always looking for opportunities to improve ways of working to enable successful outcomes for the customer, co-worker and business.