Product Owner, Merchandise Technology

Live the experience. From professional empowerment to continual learning opportunities. From ongoing investment in new and emerging technologies to a career of self-determination. At Ulta Beauty, our tech team is critical to our scalability—and is recognized that way. We’ve been defined as a “mature start-up.” A place where interdepartmental exposure, open doors, and genuine collaboration is ubiquitous. Where challenges come fast and furious, requiring agility, mental dexterity, and creativity. Where our passion for better solutions drives us and is core to who we are.

We’re engineering for the future of retail, and it’s no-holds-barred. But for those motivated by continual change and ambiguity, by superior leadership, by whip smart colleagues who will press you daily for your very best, you’ll find that virtually nothing’s impossible at Ulta Beauty.

THE IMPACT YOU CAN HAVE:

The Product Owner is a key member of a Product team within the Merchandising Technology portfolio, responsible for delivering data and analytics capabilities that enable end to end merchandising & inventory planning. Partnering with the Product Manager, they translate strategic objectives into a prioritized backlog and roadmap aligned to outcomes such as sales, margin, inventory productivity, and forecast accuracy, supporting capabilities across master data management, assortment planning, demand forecasting, allocation, and replenishment.

They will define and refine user stories with a strong focus on data accuracy, usability, and extensibility, working closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and shared service teams to ensure clear acceptance criteria, data validation, and governance standards are met. This includes ensuring data is structured, accessible, and of sufficient quality to support advanced analytics and AI use cases such as predictive forecasting, optimization, and automated decisioning. Collaborating with merchandising, planning, inventory, and finance stakeholders, they manage cross-system dependencies and act as the liaison between business and delivery teams, driving alignment, data quality, and adoption of analytics and AI-enabled solutions.

 YOU'LL ACCOMPLISH THESE GOALS BY:

• Work with Product Management to establish and communicate a clear product vision for merchandising data leveraged for analytic and AI capabilities
• Lead business, data, and technical teams through the Agile development lifecycle, delivering scalable data products, analytics solutions, and AI-enabled capabilities
• Accountable for tracking and communicating in-production data and analytics KPIs, including data quality, adoption, and performance of AI-driven insights
• Utilize knowledge of business insights, data assets, and stakeholder needs to create epics, user stories, and acceptance criteria, while maintaining a well-groomed product backlog aligned to analytics and AI use cases
• Advocate for business stakeholders by delivering timely, actionable insights through data, analytics, and AI-driven recommendations
• Facilitate release planning with stakeholders, including data product releases, analytics enhancements, and AI model deployments, as well as required product demos
• Develop Agile best practices for data and analytics product delivery, fostering continuous improvement in data quality, governance, and AI enablement

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Partner with the Tech Leads to plan the development of assigned data products, including experiential designs & solution architecture
• Champion the adoption of agile and product development practices focused on delivering value by partnering with business stakeholders and mentoring other teams
• Acts as the voice of the business in order to advocate for stakeholder needs

THE ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or related field required
• 4+ years relevant work experience with at least 2+ years in a product owner role and experience operating in an agile (scrum) environment.
• Experience in a retail, merchandising or equivalent environment (retail master data management a plus)
• Experience using tools, such as Jira, Confluence, and SharePoint
• Experience leading teams in an agile setting such as facilitating ceremonies, managing a backlog, developing a release plan, and writing user stories.
• Domain-specific expertise to support backlog development and blocker resolution
• Strong collaborator with cross-functional teams across design, product, & technology
• Strong communication skills with ability to influence stakeholders, communicate complex concepts, and align the organization on required decisions
• Strong problem solver with the ability to manage and lead the team to a solution
• Experimental mindset to drive innovation, empower others to fail, learn, and grow

#LI-CO1

At Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ: ULTA), the possibilities are beautiful. Ulta Beauty is the largest North American beauty retailer and the premier beauty destination for cosmetics, fragrance, skin care products, hair care products and salon services. We bring possibilities to life through the power of beauty each and every day in our stores and online with more than 25,000 products from approximately 500 well-established and emerging beauty brands across all categories and price points, including Ulta Beauty’s own private label. Ulta Beauty also offers a full-service salon in every store featuring—hair, skin, brow, and make-up services.

We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with arrest records, conviction records, or other criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of any applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the New York City Fair Chance Act.