Associate Manager Category Management

Ulta Beauty, Inc.•Bolingbrook, IL

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Discover the possibilities of our progressive, omnichannel approach to beauty retail. At Ulta Beauty, our E-commerce associates sit at the cutting edge of our efforts to reimagine the future of retail. Through a full suite of new and emerging technologies, this team is creating an enhanced buying experience for guests who crave simplicity, choice, personal insights and the joy of discovery. With greater interactivity. Inspired applications of big data, AI and UI/UX. And creative that persuades and delights. All of this, with the opportunity to experience smart ideas come to life. At Ulta Beauty, we’re forever imagining. Forever striving. Forever investing in next-gen—with deep and rich opportunities for ongoing learning, growth and advancement. We encourage you to take control of your career and set your own ceiling. For curious and big-picture thinkers who can flex to the need and who want to stretch themselves through courage and conviction, Ulta Beauty provides an environment perfectly suited to your ambitions. Let’s build brilliant together.

Requirements

+4 years of experience in category management, merchandising, digital commerce, marketplace strategy, or performance-driven retail roles.
Strong analytical skills with ability to translate performance data into action plans.
Experience collaborating cross-functionally across merchandising, marketing, digital, and technology teams.
Commercial mindset with understanding of assortment, pricing, promotion, and margin dynamics.
Strong organizational skills with ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to operate with urgency, ownership, and agility in a fast-evolving technology environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience with AI-driven commerce platforms, generative search, marketplaces, or algorithm-driven merchandising environments preferred.
Familiarity with structured product data, feeds, or digital content optimization preferred.
Beauty or omnichannel retail experience strongly preferred.
Experience working with brand partners on assortment or promotional planning preferred.

Responsibilities

Own revenue performance and commercial outcomes for assigned categories within Agentic Commerce.
Ensure categories are optimized to compete effectively in AI-driven discovery and selection environments.
Translate GTM targets into category-level action plans.
Define category narratives, hero SKUs, and priority assortment for AI agents.
Align category strategy with GTM objectives, merchandising priorities, and brand partner goals.
Identify growth levers including assortment mix, pricing signals, reviews, ingredients, compatibility attributes, and bundling opportunities.
Partner with GEO to define category-specific feed attributes and structured data enrichment priorities.
Collaborate with Content & SEO to optimize PDPs, FAQs, and buying guides for AI consumption and ranking drivers.
Ensure product representation supports AI reasoning and selection confidence.
Shape agent-readable promotions, regimens, and bundles to maximize AOV and conversion.
Collaborate with Merchandising and brand partners on enriched content and agent-optimized offers.
Ensure substitution logic and promotional mechanics align with margin guardrails.
Support GTM launches with category-specific merchandising plans.
Ensure new launches are agent-ready at activation.
Track and analyze category-level KPIs.
Identify gaps and recommend optimization actions.
Feed performance insights back to GTM, GEO, and Agent Operations to improve channel-wide outcomes.