Head Chef

Job Description

Great food brings people together. It creates memorable experiences, reflects our values and gives guests and co-workers another reason to visit, enjoy and return to Älmhult.

As Head Chef, you will lead the development of concepts, menus and food experiences across all our restaurants and food offerings, including IKEA Hotell, IKEA Museum, Aktivitetshuset, Bölsö and our other hospitality businesses. Your role is to create a clear culinary direction across our operations, ensuring that concepts, menus and ways of working remain relevant, commercially strong and operationally sustainable over time. You will combine creativity and a genuine passion for food with commercial understanding, sustainability and smart use of resources.

You will work closely with chefs, restaurant managers and colleagues across the organisation, inspiring and coaching others to develop their skills, share knowledge and continuously improve our food experiences. While the role does not include direct people management, your leadership will be important in bringing people together around a shared food direction.

As we continue to develop our businesses and prepare for the opening of our new IKEA Hotell in 2028, you will also have the opportunity to contribute to the development of future food concepts and experiences.

Your success will be reflected in distinctive food concepts, high and consistent quality, reduced waste, stronger business performance and teams that feel inspired to contribute to the continued development of our food experiences.

In this role, you will:

• Lead and develop the culinary direction across restaurants and food experiences within IKEA Älmhult AB.
• Use guest insights, food trends and business data to continuously improve quality, relevance, profitability and sustainability.
• Develop food concepts, menus and offerings that strengthen guest experiences, reflect IKEA values and support business performance.
• Inspire, coach and influence chefs and restaurant leaders, building a shared understanding of quality, creativity and culinary development.
• Collaborate across the business to turn ideas into practical solutions and contribute to the development of future hospitality concepts, including the new IKEA Hotell opening 2028.

Qualifications

We are looking for an engaged, creative and down-to-earth culinary leader who can combine culinary creativity with strong business understanding. Someone who enjoys developing concepts, inspiring people and finding smarter ways to create value for guests, co-workers and the business.

You understand how great food experiences can bring people together, strengthen businesses and create lasting impressions. At the same time, you know that successful concepts must work in practice. You are comfortable balancing culinary creativity, quality and guest experience with sustainability, operational realities and commercial performance. You build trust and credibility through expertise, collaboration and coaching. Rather than relying on formal authority, you enjoy bringing people together around a shared culinary direction and helping others develop and succeed.

We belive you have:

• Solid culinary experience and a strong understanding of professional kitchens, food preparation and restaurant operations.
• Experience developing concepts, menus or culinary offerings within restaurants, hospitality or a similar food-focused business.
• Ability to combine culinary creativity, guest experience and commercial performance.
• Experience turning ideas into practical solutions that work in daily operations.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence, coach and inspire others without formal authority.
• Experience working with food costs, resource planning and waste reduction.

This is an opportunity to shape the future of Food & Beverage across one of the most unique hospitality environments within IKEA. Working across restaurants, hospitality businesses and meeting places, you will influence how food experiences are created, developed and delivered throughout IKEA Älmhult. As part of a newly formed Hotel & Hospitality organisation, you will help create the culinary direction that connects today's operations with tomorrow's opportunities, including the development of future concepts and the opening of our new IKEA Hotell in 2028. If you are motivated by combining culinary creativity, commercial thinking and the opportunity to influence through expertise and collaboration, this is a chance to leave a lasting mark on the future of hospitality in Älmhult.

Additional Information

We recruit based on values, competence, potential and diversity, and we welcome applications from people with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

 Please submit your application no later than 15 November. Apply with your CV only – there is no need to submit a cover letter. Instead, you will have the opportunity to tell us more about your experience through the screening questions in the application system. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible, as interviews may begin before the application deadline.

 As we continue to support co-workers through organisational change, internal candidates may be considered alongside external applicants throughout the process. At the same time, we are excited to welcome new perspectives and experiences and look forward to hearing from candidates both within and outside IKEA.

 If you have any questions about the role, the recruitment process, or if you require any adjustments during the recruitment process, please contact Recruiter Therese Carlsson at [email protected] or Hiring Manager Sara Schill at [email protected].

We welcome your application