Category Manager Social Commerce

Ulta Beauty, Inc.•Bolingbrook, IL

3d•Onsite

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. POSITION SUMMARY: The Category Manager, Social Commerce- TikTok Shop role will lead brand engagement and management for the rapidly evolving and growing TikTok Shop business. This position will lead the end-to-end strategy and performance of a portfolio of brands within the TikTok Shop ecosystem including brand pitches, brand onboarding and brand management. This role is responsible for driving GMV growth through scaling brand onboarding, strategic assortment decisions, promotional planning and in-platform merchandising. This individual will operate at the intersection of commerce, content and data— translating trends into scalable revenue opportunities while ensuring brand alignment and operational excellence across a fast-moving, social-first channel. This role will directly manage the Analyst, Social Commerce- Category Management.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree preferred or relevant work experience.
5+ years of Merchandising, Buying and/or Category Management experience
Passionate about social media and the new creator economy
Stays close to product and social media trends
Proven ability to manage multiple brands or categories simultaneously
Highly organized with ability to operate in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment
Excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as strong listening skills
Ability to plan and prioritize effectively and stay organized in a fast-moving business.
Creative problem solver with an innovative mindset
Strong Microsoft Office skills with solid proficiency in usage of Excel and PowerPoint.
Strong analytical aptitude and a passion for turning insights into strategy & action
Professionalism and confidentiality required both internally and externally.
Effective cross-functional collaboration skills. Works in a team environment as well as independently.

Responsibilities

Lead brand pipeline from capturing brand interest, to pitching brands, negotiating terms and onboarding brands with support from the Social Commerce Analyst
Manage brand relationships for entire TikTok Shop brand portfolio— guiding assortment and launch strategy for newness in close partnership with brands and Omni Merchants, providing insights & analytics around brand performance with recommendations to improve performance
Manage and negotiate brand engagement for Ulta Beauty TikTok Shop activations including our Grand Opening Event, Super Brand Days and other TikTok Shop specific events and activations
Own and drive total TikTok Shop cross-category performance including GMV, conversion rate, AOV, units sold and margin
Develop and execute growth strategies across multiple brands, balancing short-term wins with long-term sustainable scale
Identify white space opportunities across assortment, pricing and bundles— leveraging key insights to guide strategic recommendations and actions
Provide strategic recommendations to brands on TikTok Shop growth levers
Collaborate with brands, Omni Merch and MP&I to effectively manage inventory, ensuring we have strong in-stock rates
Build reporting frameworks to track brand health and growth drivers, providing recurring updates to brand partners on performance and upcoming activations to drive the business
Define hero products and core assortment strategy by brand based on platform trends and insights
Lead bundling strategy— product pairings, pricing/value approach, guest-facing naming and theme/bundle positioning
Lead in-shop merchandising including storefront optimization, collections, and campaign alignment in collaboration with the Manager, TikTok Shop Operations
Collaborate with TikTok Shop Operations team to ensure product listings are optimized for the TikTok Shop channel including titles, imagery, PDP content, compliance, etc
Support the TikTok Shop Operations team in troubleshooting platform issues impacting performance or conversion
Partner with Planning and FP&A teams on inventory flow, forecasting, and availability
Analyze daily/weekly/monthly performance to identify trends, risks, and opportunities that will help us continue scaling the business
Translate insights into actionable strategies for our brands, assortment and creator strategies
Partner with the Sr Manager, Digital Strategy & Social Commerce to manage the TikTok Shop promotional calendar aligned to key Ulta and TikTok tentpole events, consumer moments and marketing campaign activations
Plan and execute promotions, events, and bundles to maximize conversion and visibility
Partner cross-functionally on live shopping events and campaign activations
Partner with affiliate and creator teams to scale high-performing products and capitalize on early insights
Identify “viral-ready” SKUs and collaborate with the Influencer and Affiliate team to align them with the right creators and content formats
Support briefing for creators with clear selling hooks, claims, and product differentiation
Collaborate with Omni Merchants and brand partners to ensure our assortment strategy and brand pipeline is strong to support our key platform objectives in addition to delivering high-growth.
Ability to flex from strategic thinking and guiding assortment and brand pipeline strategy into hands-on execution and partnership with brands and cross-functional teams.
Experience leading team, helping coach & guide direct reports through work prioritization, career coaching and more.
Foster and maintain relationships across Merchandising, Marketing, brand partners, Store Operations and external vendors including Rithum, TikTok and our agency partner, Pattern.