Inventory Planner

Job Description

About the role  

We are now looking for an Inventory Planner who wants to be part of the IKEA Food goods flow, where planning accuracy supports availability, freshness, food safety and a stronger customer experience. In this role, daily planning and execution come together so food products can move safely, reliably and efficiently from supplier to distribution centre and onwards into the IKEA Food experience. 

The role works closely with Category, suppliers, service providers, distribution centers and internal planning teams. You will use signals from orders, stock, forecasts, lead times and distribution to take clear inventory actions, supporting the Food transformation ambition to simplify execution, reduce handovers and focus planning where it creates business value. 

In this role you will: 

• Own supplier-to-DC inbound availability for assigned products, DCs and markets. 

• Maintain accurate inventory and inbound flow execution, including orders, ERP corrections and physical-flow corrections. 

• Act on daily inventory corrections, inbound order handling, flow bookings and deviations within agreed parameters. 

• Balance availability, food safety, freshness, cost, sustainability and lead-time adherence when planning and following up the inbound flow. 

• Secure supplier and logistics-service-provider execution through confirmations, holiday planning, inbound coordination and invoice follow-up. 

• Manage deviations related to quality, blocked goods, shelf life, shortages and inventory accuracy with timely action and escalation. 

• Improve ways of working together with suppliers, service providers, DC/LSP operations and internal stakeholders. 

Qualifications

We are looking for someone who: 

• Has experience from supply-chain operations, inventory-, supply planning, inbound logistics or DC flow. 

• Works confidently in ERP, order-management and planning systems. 

• Uses operational KPIs, inventory data and deviation follow-up to make clear decisions. 

• Understands availability, freshness, quality and inventory-accuracy risks, and knows when to act or escalate. 

• Communicates well across suppliers, logistics service providers and internal teams. 

• Takes pride in accuracy, structure and keeping the inbound goods flow reliable every day. 

Reliable availability depends on many small inventory and inbound flow decisions done right, every day. 

As Inventory Planner, you help secure the right products in the right place at the right time, with good freshness, compliance, service and cost-conscious flow. You turn supplier, inventory and distribution signals into action so stores and partners can rely on stable availability, and IKEA Food can be enjoyed with trust, quality and care across markets. 

Additional Information

For questions about the role, please contact Nick Liu