At Ekornes, innovation has always been central to our success. We have strong brands, highly skilled teams and a proud tradition of developing products recognized for comfort, quality and craftsmanship.
To strengthen our ability to create future growth and bring relevant innovations to market, we have established a new Global Category & Product Development organization. The organization connects category leadership, consumer insight, design, innovation, product development and project execution more closely.
Our ambition is to create clearer priorities and accountability, stronger cross-functional collaboration and a more effective path from consumer and market opportunities to commercially successful products.
Building on the capabilities and experience of our existing teams, we are now looking for leaders who can develop people and expertise, provide clear direction and strengthen innovation and execution across Ekornes.
Strengthen the way we lead and execute innovation and product development
As Head of Projects & Process Governance, you will lead Ekornes’ Project Management team and be responsible for strengthening the way we prioritize, govern and execute our innovation and product development portfolio.
Reporting to the Chief Product Officer, you will develop a strong project management capability, create transparency across the portfolio and ensure effective cross-functional execution. You will also own and continuously improve our innovation and product development process, strengthening decision quality, accountability, speed and learning across the organization.
This is a key leadership role for someone who combines strong people leadership with project and portfolio management expertise and the ability to drive change across functions and organizational boundaries.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead, develop and set clear direction and performance expectations for the Project Management team.
- Strengthen project leadership and cross-functional execution across the innovation and product development portfolio.
- Establish portfolio transparency and facilitate fact-based prioritization and resource decisions.
- Ensure that projects have clear mandates, objectives, roles, decision points and accountability.
- Own and continuously improve the innovation and product development process, including the stage-gate framework.
- Improve speed, decision quality, consumer orientation and commercial ownership throughout the process.
- Establish effective reporting, portfolio reviews, dashboards and governance forums.
- Identify dependencies, risks and resource constraints across the portfolio and ensure timely escalation and resolution.
- Build project management capabilities, standards and ways of working across the organization.
- Promote a culture of collaboration, accountability, learning and delivery.
What We Are Looking For
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Business, Product Development, Project Management or a related field.
- Minimum 8–10 years of relevant experience in project management, portfolio management, innovation management or product development.
- Proven people leadership experience, with the ability to develop teams, set clear expectations and drive accountability.
- Demonstrated ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives and resolve dependencies in a matrix organization.
- Strong understanding of portfolio management, project governance and stage-gate or comparable development methodologies.
- Experience facilitating prioritization and resource decisions across competing business needs.
- Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, including handling senior decision-making forums.
- Ability to combine strategic thinking with structured and pragmatic operational execution.
- Strong communication, facilitation and change leadership capabilities.
- Experience from an international and industrial organization is an advantage.
Why Join Us?
This role offers the opportunity to shape how Ekornes leads and executes innovation and product development globally. You will develop the people, processes and governance needed to improve speed, collaboration and predictability and help turn strategic priorities into successful outcomes.
Place of work: Sykkylven, Norway
If you have any questions about the position, please contact Chief Product Officer Hanne Rolling Nymand at Hanne.Rolling.Nymand@ekornes.com.
Apply by September 14th 2026. To apply, please email your application to career@ekornes.no.
Ekornes is the largest furniture manufacturer in the Nordic region, headquartered on the west coast of Norway. We design and produce furniture marketed under the brands Stressless®, Svane®, and IMG® Comfort. Stressless® is among the most recognized furniture brands in the world.
Ekornes operates sales offices in 13 countries and collaborates with over 4,000 retailers serving 48 markets worldwide. We have eight manufacturing facilities located in Norway, the USA, Thailand, and Lithuania, and employ approximately 3,000 people.