Platform Leader (Databricks)

Company Description

We are on the journey to transform our digital capabilities, bringing core business processes, people, data & technology together - an enabler for IKEA to become an even better home furnishing retailer in the future. A journey that needs passionate people who embrace change, dare to question and want to make a difference. If that sounds like you, come and join us. Together we can do great things!

About the area

Inter IKEA Group is organized in three core businesses - Range, Supply and Retail Concept - and five enabling functions. Together we contribute to the success of IKEA and share responsibility for the franchise offer. 

The enabling functions lead key common activities in networks across Inter IKEA Group, as well as cover specific needs for the core businesses. The five Enabling functions are Operations Management, Business Performance & Support, Communication, Sustainability and People & Culture.

Operations Management leads and holds together the development and maintenance of a common foundation for how we work together across the value chain, our operating model. We enable strategic movements towards the IKEA goals through the strategic landscape and work closely with all parts of the value chain to achieve them. It includes teams for business insights, capability and process development, strategy and roadmap, data and product, and technology. 

We have chosen to organize our work in a data and product paradigm where we are building empowered teams that have the privilege to take responsibility while being supported by servant leaders.

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced digital platform leader to join our team at IKEA. In this role, you will lead the development and operations of a platform that enables our products to talk to each other in a standard way. As a key representative of our developer and product community, you will ensure the efficiency, security, and shared capabilities of our platform. Your expertise in Databricks platform development and operations will be essential in achieving these goals. 

Assignment 

• Platform Vision and Roadmap: Set the platform vision with a clear roadmap, ensuring alignment with our digital product roadmap ambitions. 
• Development and Operations Oversight: Oversee the development, implementation, and maintenance of the platform, ensuring smooth day-to-day operations. 
• Platform Backlog Management: Accountable for building, editing, and maintaining the platform backlog, and clearly communicating it to products and stakeholders. 
• Platform Prioritization and Compliance: Prioritize platform needs based on various product requirements and release schedules while complying with relevant frameworks and standards. 
• Team Composition and Operation: Manage the digital platform team’s composition and operational functioning. 
• Release Planning and Stakeholder Engagement: Develop and communicate digital platform release plans, manage expectations for feature delivery, and engage key stakeholders, including developers and suppliers. 
• Efficiency and Budget Management: Ensure the platform is efficient and user-friendly for products and developers, control costs, and provide input to the overall budget. 
• Dependency and Blocker Management: Identify dependencies and blockers, improving delivery capabilities. 
• User Insights: Gather insights to understand and empathize with the products and developers, creating measures of success to track platform outcomes. 

Qualifications

About you

• You have a minimum of 5 years of progressive and diverse experience in digital product or platform development, with demonstrable experience in Databricks platform development and operations. 
• You bring extensive knowledge of current and emerging technology landscapes, particularly in digital platforms and how they add value for developers. 
• You are enthusiastic about working in a rapidly changing environment and passionate about creating innovations in the digital landscape. 
• You have a strong entrepreneurial drive, always striving to develop better digital solutions. 
• You possess strong communication and collaboration skills, able to build trustful relationships with business and technical stakeholders. 
• You are motivated by leading a digital product across dependencies and contribute significantly to the success of IKEA. 

To be successful in this role, the following knowledge, skills and experiences would be valuable:

• Technical Expertise: Extensive experience with Databricks platform development and operations. 
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Ability to bring a data-driven approach to both day-to-day management and strategic decision making. 
• Agile and DevOps Experience: Familiarity with Agile principles and experience working in an Agile or DevOps setup. 
• Problem-Solving Skills: Ability to handle complexity and solve problems with simplicity. 
• Leadership and Team Management: Proven capability to lead, inspire, and empower team members, delivering results with speed and agility. 
• Stakeholder Management: Strong ability to communicate and engage with key stakeholders, including developers and suppliers. 
• Analytical Skills: Proven analytical skills and experience making decisions based on both hard and soft data. 
• Collaborative Mindset: Excellent team working, leading, and collaborative skills. 

Qualifications 

• Minimum of 5 years of progressive and diverse experience in digital product or platform development 
• Demonstrable experience in working in an Agile or DevOps working set-up 
• Strong knowledge of the data engineer’s and developer’s day to day challenges 

Additional Information

Please note that due to the upcoming holiday season in December, our recruitment process may take a bit longer than usual. We will do our best to keep all candidates updated on their status before any breaks. Thank you for your patience during this time! 

This is a full-time role (40 hours per week) and based in Malmö, Sweden. This role sits in Data & Analytics, Data & Product, Operations Management, and reports to Data Operations Manager, Markus Lentinen.

12th of January 2025 is the closing date to apply for this role.

If you have questions about the recruitment process, please connect with [email protected]

Please send your application – CV – in English and tell us why you would be a good fit. We look forward to hearing from you!

At IKEA, we are looking for people who believe everyone deserves a seat at the table. You’re welcome no matter where you come from, what you believe, and what you look like. We don’t even care how you have furnished your home. We’re interested in you simply because you’re you. Even if your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. We believe that people’s different perspectives, backgrounds, and personalities make us better at understanding our customers dreams and needs. At IKEA, we’re all on the same project. 
If you have a special need that requires accommodation in the recruitment process, just let us know.