External Communications Specialist

**Company description**The IKEA vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. We do this by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible can afford them. We operate in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand - and have an ambitious expansion plan to bring a little bit of Sweden to new markets in the region. We are part of the Ikano Group of companies and the only IKEA franchisee owned by the Kamprad family that founded IKEA.We also develop, own and operate Shopping Centres that are anchored by IKEA and create walkable communities by including residential, office and other types of real estate in our development plans.We work towards making sustainability a natural part of our everyday work. We are active in our communities, driving and supporting social initiatives that benefit children, women and the environment.**Job description****Contribute to the development and distribution process of annual Catalogue and Brochures**:- Achieve completion of all Catalogue and Brochure spreads for the country following thecountry’s production timeline with accurate, consistent aesthetic considerations accurate and of a high creative quality, by following global typographic guidelines in modifying Catalogue & Brochure artwork with country content. Ensure consistent and timely uploads by working with Sales, E-coms and ICOM digital publications team.- Create a Catalogue consistent order overview and making a timely and accurate catalogue print order in the Business Partner Portal for the country.- Contribute to a smooth execution of delivery by coordinating delivery schedule with printer and distributor, through pre-shipping meeting and subsequent follow-ups on necessary store and distribution requirements: timely delivery to the stores, as well as compliance to warehouse safety standards for pallets.- Preparing effective catalogue coverage by consolidating all catalogue distribution areas for stores based on business and visitor potential (or other factors where applicable).- Support in the creation of a consistent distribution plan (launch and delivery) by evaluating and choosing the most effective distribution method(s), selecting reliable distribution partners (where applicable), defining quality checks across the delivery process and tracking the progress in order to secure continuous process improvement and finally deliver them in a timely manner.- Work with expansion on checkout survey timelines to gather customer and visitor data for catalogue distribution area planning, in line with Catalogue order planning.**Contribute to the development of Advertising, PR and other admin matters**:- Support External Comms Manager in tasks related to Advertising (offline and online display): production of and ensuring communication materials are in line with IKEA Concept while having optimal reach / frequency spends across platforms, assist in partner collaborations, campaign related events (such as store openings/SG40), work closely with other functions to ensure accuracy of products and information to achieve business goals drive visits, increase home furnishing interest and elevate brand awareness.- Support External Comms Manager in tasks related to PR: assist in media launch, press kits pricing, product recalls, tracking of PR coverages and reports, and undertake ad-hocassignments as and when required.- Support to keep to the planned marketing budget and commercial calendar and to trackaccurate expensing of above responsibilities on a monthly basis. Issue Purchase Orders and share the approved POs with agencies and third-party vendors for billing purposes.**Motivation** (Top 5 points):- Highly self-motivated with a passion in marketing and communications to drive results withconsistent messaging.- Continually looking for ways to engage the audience through inspiring/innovative content and good copy writing to drive online and offline visits.- Passionate about marketing communications and home furnishing with strong curiosity about consumers, markets and trends.- Highly collaborative with a strong sense of ‘togetherness’ to achieve the goal.- Inspirational in how you communicate and engage others in your plans**Qualification****Knowledge** (Top 10 points):- Experience in marketing and branding, conceptualising campaigns, logical abilities, and copywriting.- Experience in each offline and online channel’s guidelines and understanding of each media technicalities.- Experience in print production and postage to facilitate catalogue and brochure production and distribution.- Experience in public relations tasks and media relations to build the brand.- Knowledge of trends, proven solutions, translating global into local market relevant solutions that influence home furnishing and retailing.- Knowledge of customers' living situations as well as their needs and frustrations in theireveryday