diff --git a/oak-parent/pom.xml b/oak-parent/pom.xml
index 8fd2dc79857..798c8e82d7c 100644
--- a/oak-parent/pom.xml
+++ b/oak-parent/pom.xml
@@ -1316,5 +1316,37 @@
         </pluginManagement>
       </build>
     </profile>
+    <profile>
+      <id>intellij-build-workaround</id>
+      <!-- workaround for IntelliJ issue https://youtrack.jetbrains.com/issue/IDEA-141732/OSMORC-unable-to-load-bnd-plugin -->
+      <!-- IntelliJ does not add the plugin's extra dependency to the plugin's class-path, which causes the build to fail. -->
+      <!-- This means unit-tests cannot be run from within the IDE. Removing the _plugin instruction from the config if    -->
+      <!-- the IntelliJ specific property "idea.maven.embedder.version" is present resolves the issue. In order for all    -->
+      <!-- tests to work properly, a maven build may need to be run first, in order to generate SCR configuration files    -->
+      <!-- from the "old" Felix OSGi annotations. The newer annotations from the OSGi DS specification are supported ootb  -->
+      <!-- by bnd and thus by the maven-bundle-plugin.                                                                     -->
+      <activation>
+        <property>
+          <name>idea.maven.embedder.version</name>
+        </property>
+      </activation>
+      <build>
+        <pluginManagement>
+          <plugins>
+            <plugin>
+              <groupId>org.apache.felix</groupId>
+              <artifactId>maven-bundle-plugin</artifactId>
+              <configuration>
+                <instructions>
+                  <_plugin combine.self="override">
+                    <!-- remove the _plugin instruction that causes Intellij IDEA to fail when running unit-tests -->
+                  </_plugin>
+                </instructions>
+              </configuration>
+            </plugin>
+          </plugins>
+        </pluginManagement>
+      </build>
+    </profile>
   </profiles>
 </project>