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People, Projects & Support

Unit People & Culture Manager

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  • Auckland (Sylvia Park), Auckland, New Zealand
  • People & HR

Job Description

  • Job ID: 376905

  • Date posted: 09/11/2026



    • Are you a passionate people leader with a genuine love for culture, driven to create an engaging co-worker experience whilst delivering exceptional business outcomes? Do you thrive in dynamic environments where strategic thinking meets hands-on action, and where your influence shapes the way people lead, grow, and connect? If so, we would love to meet you!

    About this work area

    At the heart of IKEA is people. The People & Culture (P&C) function exists to secure the competence and organisation needed to reach our business ambitions, ensuring co-workers have the preconditions to meet customers in the best possible way. As the People & Culture Manager, you will be a trusted business partner to the Market Manager, a leader of your local P&C team, and a key contributor to the Market Management team. You will be a performance-driven, solution-oriented leader with a genuine interest in developing business through people.



    Your responsibilities will include but are not limited to:
    • Acts as a People & Culture business partner to the Market Manager on all people topics, providing specialist knowledge and advisory support across performance, succession, and confidential business matters.
    • Lead and develop the People & Culture team to deliver an excellent co-worker experience in new and innovative ways and subject matter expert support for all managers and leaders within the market.
    • Ensure the people strategy, global principles and guidelines as localised by the Country P&C team, and relevant business plans are operationally implemented and embedded across the market.
    • Influence the Market Management team to continuously develop local leadership capabilities within their functions, according to business needs.
    • Build and maintain constructive relationships with union representatives, leading union engagement activities, supporting site visits and consultation processes, and representing IKEA as a member of the bargaining team during collective agreement negotiations.
    • Support building of the local business competence and performance by setting and working on relevant goals and training & competence plans in collaboration with managers and leaders in the market.
    • Ensure local employer communication is consistent, well perceived and builds on the IKEA brand.
    • Together with stakeholders secure an up-to-date succession process and plan by influencing managers to take the lead, with a focus on developing talents and high-performing potentials.
    • Responsible for the implementation of the co-worker relations plan, ensuring all areas of the market uphold labour relations principles, local policies, procedures, and relevant legislation.
    • Responsible for managing staff costs across the market and the distribution of budget hours between departments, enabling an effective and efficient people planning process that supports both business and people needs.



    We are seeking a passionate and highly motivated people leader with strong business acumen and a genuine belief in the potential of others. Success in this role comes from the ability to balance strategic and operational thinking with practical action, while influencing, inspiring, and driving meaningful change. You bring experience in long-term planning, budgeting, and goal setting, alongside a deep understanding of co-worker performance, onboarding, succession planning, and leadership development. Motivated by the opportunity to act locally within a global framework, you are committed to creating an engaging co-worker experience that reflects IKEA's values and culture. With a proactive and self-directed approach, you consistently deliver results, achieve goals, and drive business outcomes. Your ability to build collaborative relationships, both virtually and in person, enables the achievement of current and future business objectives, while your initiative, adaptability, and team-oriented mindset make you an effective partner across the organisation.

    To be considered for this role you will have:
    • A minimum of three years’ experience in Human Resource leadership (preferred), or equivalent senior management experience with ability to lead, develop and inspire high-performing teams.
    • A solid foundation in delivering people practices, policies, and strategies to drive business outcomes.
    • A proven record of developing people and organisations, with demonstrated success in building capability and driving performance.
    • Ability to interpret and apply employment relations legislation and principles, consulting with stakeholders to inform compliant and effective people decisions.
    • Demonstrated success in driving co-worker engagement, strengthening organisational culture, and creating an inclusive workplace where people feel inspired to perform at their best.
    • Strong business partnering capability, with experience influencing and coaching leaders at all levels to achieve both commercial and people objectives.
    • Robust relationship-building and influencing skills, with the ability to establish credibility and trusted partnerships within culturally diverse environments across the business and external stakeholders to support strategic priorities and sustainable business growth.

    About the role

    Contract type: Fixed term contract until March 2028
    Reporting Line: Market Manager, IKEA Sylvia Park

    As we are a retailer who 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 an average of 1 in 3 weekend shifts (both Saturday and Sunday). The shifts will be aligned with rest of the Market Management team colleagues.

    As part of the recruitment process this role requires a pre-employment check for final candidates. if you are successful for this role, you will be required to obtain undergo a Ministry of Justice (MOJ) check.
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