Stage dans le département développement des produits au siège principal d’IKEA (loS) à Älmhult

A l’occasion de son 50e anniversaire en 2023, la Fondation Ikea Suisse lance pour la deuxième fois déjà un appel à candidature pour un stage de cinq mois dans le département de développement de produits au siège d’IKEA (IoS) à Älmhult. Ce stage débutera en septembre 2024 et offrira aux jeunes talents Suisse titulaires d’un bachelor en design industriel/d’objet la possibilité de mettre en pratique leurs connaissances et de travailler aux côtés des développeurs de produits d’IKEA. Les candidat(e)s intéressé(e)s sont prié(e)s d’envoyer leur candidature (CV, lettre de motivation et portfolio) au plus tard le 29 février 2024 à info@ikea-foundation.ch.

À QUI S’ADRESSE CE STAGE?

Ce stage s’adresse aux jeunes talents Suisse disposant d’un diplôme de Bachelor en design industriel/design d’objets. Les critères d’éligibilité définis sur la page «Demandes» s’appliquent. La nationalité suisse est en principe obligatoire. Les candidats de nationalité étrangère doivent prouver qu’ils ont étudié (au moins) trois ans en Suisse dans une haute école spécialisée en design d’objet ou industriel.

Les personnes recherchées doivent parler couramment anglais et être en mesure de développer un projet, de l’esquisse à la conception finie. Elles doivent aussi avoir envie d’appliquer leurs connaissances dans la pratique et de travailler aux côtés des développeurs produits d’IKEA afin d’atteindre le plus de monde possible avec leur design.

PROCÉDURE ET PROCESSUS DE CANDIDATURE

Les personnes intéressées pourront postuler en anglais et par e-mail, adressé à la Fondation Ikea Suisse, à partir de 11 janvier 2024. Elles devront envoyer un PDF avec le contenu suivant:

  • lettre de motivation d’une page (200 mots au maximum)
  • CV, diplôme de Bachelor inclus (et certificats de travail, s’ils existent)
  • portefeuille (comprenant huit projets au maximum, si possible avec des illustrations d’un processus de conception)

Parmi toutes les candidatures envoyées, le Conseil de fondation de la Fondation Ikea Suisse recommandera en mars une sélection de cinq à dix candidats/-es à l’attention des personnes responsables à Älmhult. Le ou la candidat/-e sélectionné(e) sera informé(e) en mai 2024 et le stage commencera début septembre 2024.

CE QUE NOUS PROPOSONS

  • Le suivi et l’accompagnement par des designers expérimentés internes à IKEA ainsi qu’un aperçu approfondi du concept de design démocratique.
  • Un poste de cinq mois à durée limitée comme «Intern» (stagiaire) au siège principal d’IKEA of Sweden (IoS) à Älmhult.
  • Un salaire mensuel de 18 750 SEK (env. CHF 1 700.– avant impôts).
  • Un appartement gratuit, et bien sûr meublé, pour la durée du stage.

Conditions

Les postulants doivent avoir de solides connaissances de base dans les logiciels suivants: SolidWorks, Photoshop, Illustrator et InDesign. Ils doivent également être prêts à habiter à Älmhult pour la durée du stage et consentir à n’exercer aucune autre activité professionnelle pendant le stage ainsi qu’à ne travailler pour aucune entreprise (pas plus pour leur propre entreprise que pour une autre). Pour finir, les postulants doivent garantir que leur police d’assurance maladie couvre bien leur séjour en Suède.

Praktikum in Älmhult

Interview with intern Juliette Szott

Julie Szott has been working as an intern in product development at IKEA’s headquarters in Älmhult since the beginning of September 2023. In this interview, she talks about her experiences and her new life in Sweden.

You have been working as an intern at IoS in Älmhult since the beginning of September. How have you settled into your new place of work?

Coming to IKEA right after finishing my Bachelor degree work, I wondered how it would be like. I had a lot of worries, how would I perform? How will the people and the office be like? But thanks to the amazing team at IKEA, who welcomed me so warmly, I now feel at ease starting this new exciting chapter of my life.

The design department at IOS is definitely one of the most impressive, inspiring spaces that a newly graduated industrial designer could even dream of working in. The first impression was quite movielike and a little bit overwhelming, just like Disneyland.

What are you currently working on?

Due to competitive reasons, I can´t share too many details about the projects I work on, but! To summarize it: The work at IKEA is full of variety and possibilities to dip into many different categories of products. That is one of the amazing parts about working as a designer at IKEA; every project includes different stories, solutions and materials – it never gets boring!

 

Considering the perspective of the many who will use the products, but also thinking of the factors that come with manufacturing, pricing and sustainability is a very eye-opening experience.

 

At the moment I am taking part in about eight projects. Bedroom furnishing, storage solutions for hallways, creative solutions for cooking & eating, working from home, ceramics, decorative items… myself I am quite surprised by the bandwidth of work I am already allowed to take part in, it is extremely fun!

What does your working day look like? Tell us a bit about the team, structures, processes, working hours…

In the morning, starting around 8.30, I get into the office and grab a coffee and a sandwich from “Mums” (our cafeteria, which is called “yummy” in swedish), and then I head up to the range area (where all designers have their desks). On my way I pass by shelves filled with product samples and tests, all kinds of materials and shapes – and at last a wall that exhibits material samples we can select from. It felt like a movie-scene when I walked through the area on my first day.

 

My daily work varies; sometimes I sketch, sometimes I go down to the prototype-shop to make some small models, or I work with solidworks to create more precise ideations. In the end, I throw it into the IKEA inhouse rendering-program to show it in the environment it would be used in.

 

The team in the design department are very skilled, impressive people. The hierarchy is very “flat”, everyone is super down to earth and humble about their work. As an intern they are curious about our ideas and opinions, wanting to hear and see what the new generation of designers has to offer. Hearing others insights on a design or discussing a topic is a normal thing in the workflow at IKEA. I don’t feel any competition between the designers, the atmophere is friendly, people collaborate and support eachother.

You have been working at IoS for four months now: What are the first lessons learnt?

IKEA is a whole ecosystem of design and functionality. The depth of how much thought goes into every piece you can find at an IKEA store is incredible. Being able to design for so many specs is a real challenge, and it takes years to fully understand all of the possibilities and limitations that there are.

 

But even if there are boundaries, it is definitely good to try to break them – in order to achieve more welldesigned, sustainable and affordable products.

What characterises the work at IoS in product development in particular?

It offers a lot of freedom and variety of topics for exploration. We are often asked to search broadly for ideas and approaches towards a project briefing, which is very fun! The feedbacks are always very constructive, it is a collaboration, not a competition.

How are new products developed at IoS? How much market research goes into the development of new products?

There are so many people that I have not even met yet who are busy with researching and analyzing what the many people are looking for in their homes. How to make the life of the many easier, whether it is for families, singles, couples, young or old.

 

Usually, the Product developer come up with a brief for a product, and the designers then try to design along the pinpoints given in the briefing.

How did you settle in Älmhult, a small town in southern Sweden in the middle of many forests?

Since I already spent a year abroad for exchange, I was not scared of entering a new environment with a different language and culture – after all, it is about learning and understanding the new place better.

 

Sweden is beautiful! The people here truly know how to make a place feel cozy, and I fell in love with the architecture and fika (it’s okay to take a break) culture. Because IKEA takes a lot of inspiration from the traditional swedish handcrafts “Allmoge” and scandinavian design, I am exploring nearby cities trying to find more inspirations and learning about the swedish aesthetic in everyday life.

Is there any advice you can give future interns about working and everyday working life in product development at IoS?

Don’t be scared to be yourself, even if that requires a bit of bravery. Try to be open for other’s ideas and critique, but don’t be too hard on yourself if things don’t work out. Use this opportunity to learn and grow, but also dare to share your insights with an open heart. Since there are so many different people with incredible knowledge at IKEA, use the chance to talk to them or show them your ideas, who knows what may happen.