Interior Design Manager - Retail

Job description / Role

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions; automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group's entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organization to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate.

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration and integrity; Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day

Role Purpose:

To plan, implement Com-In related projects mainly in the showroom, but also at the entrance, IKEA restaurant and staff area. Ensure that the projects reflect the Scandinavian identity of the company, as well as the IKEA product range and the IKEA business idea and are communicated to customers to achieve the commercial goals of the business.

Key Role Accountabilities:

COMMERCIAL
- Design room sets for the store while taking in account the various parameters for designing including the brief related to the "style group" OR "Living Situation" as well as the sales priorities regarding articles that need to be focused on.
- Develop the set right from the floor plan drawn to scale, decide on interiors; and upon receiving approval from the Com-In Manager and the Sales Manager, building the set with Assistance of carpenters.
- Research & be knowledgeable about current market trends, fashion and social trends relating to home furnishing and interior designs.
- Ensure that the room sets are maintained in an "as new" condition all the time by making daily checks of the sets and carrying out regular maintenance work, such as replacing worn out or dirty carpets, changing fused light bulbs, replacing items that are out of stock in the store or replacing items that have picked up from the display by customers to ensure the room sets always reflect the slanders set by IKEA for display
- Design and implement the changes in the restaurant interiors as and when required by the Store Manager and the Restaurant Manager.
- Design and makes changes in the office interiors as and when requested to do so to make the work area a pleasant environment for the staff and representative of the IKEA way.

OPERATIONAL
- Coordinate with the planned marketing activity of the commercial calendar and implement the decor changes of the room and modifications required.
- Lead the implementation of changes done to highlight the new articles that the sales want to push, or for giving a boost to products that are not performing well and need to be displayed in a manner to catch the customer's imagination.
- Participate in other projects related to activities carried out in the store from time to time. This may include rebuilding business area, based on feedback from range relating to changed priorities, or poor performance of the area.
- Assist Visual Merchandisers as and when required, in projects or activities that are planned for the store.

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT
- Ensure that all Interior designers have received the necessary training in safety and security aspects related to the use of this equipment, so they are able to follow the rules and regulations and prevent accidents.
- Make sure all IDs are properly trained including development programs to secure the store performance and succession needs.
- Be involved in the recruitment of the interior designers; ensure the vacancies are filled as soon as they arise and the right candidates are hired in the vacant positions with the required technical skills.
- Ensure positive results in the employee survey and taking action in the areas where the satisfaction is low.

Requirements

Person Specific:

Education:
- Degree / Diploma in Interior Designing or Architecture

Minimum Experience and Knowledge:
- 3 - 5 years in relevant role

Job-Specific/Technical Skills required to complete the tasks:
- Profession level of MS Excel and other MS programmes.
- Excellent command of English Language.
- Excellent command of Arabic Language is preferred.
- Attention to details
- Very good communication skills.

Behavioural Competencies:
- Customer Focused
- Individual Accountability
- Continuous Improvement approach.
- Personal Leadership
- Team player

About Al-Futtaim Retail

Al-Futtaim Retail has established itself as one of the leaders in Retail across the Middle East, Africa & Asia over the past 30 years. We have developed partnerships with some of the biggest and most respected Brands in the world including IKEA, ACE and Toys R Us in the Middle East and the Inditex Group of Brands (Zara, Mango, Bershka and P&B) across Asia. We are also one of the largest Global partners of Marks and Spencer's in both regions with over 75 stores offering both fashion & food options.

Most recently we have been responsible for bringing brands to the Middle East for the first time with the exciting launches of Watsons and B&Q and we aim to continue to be agile and adaptive to our markets with new launches and further development. For this to be possible we aim to recruit the best talent from all backgrounds who will continue to challenge and develop our diverse workforce which includes over 100 nationalities across 12 countries. Join us today and make a difference.

About the Company

Established in the 1930's, the Al-Futtaim Group initially operated as a trading enterprise. Rapid development throughout the 1940's and 50's saw it establish itself regionally as an integrated commercial, industrial and services organisation, positioning itself one of the leading business houses in the lower Gulf region. Today, it operates collectively over 40 companies bearing the Al-Futtaim name, dominates many market segments in the UAE, and has expanded its sphere of operation to include Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Egypt.

The Group comprises a diverse range of strategically positioned operating subsidiaries and associate companies, structured to give the Al-Futtaim Group the flexibility and versatility to keep ahead of local competition while keeping pace with the ever-evolving global business scenario. The Groups continued investment in world-class systems technology is clear evidence of its commitment to maintain leading edge performance and service delivery.

The success of the Al-Futtaim Group can be attributed to a business approach that combines the ability to change with the traditional values of integrity, service and social responsibility that define its core business philosophy. This, linked with the Groups belief in decentralisation, gives the heads of the operating companies a high degree of functional autonomy and authority, providing the Group with essential flexibility, and individual employees a clearly defined work culture and sense of responsibility.