Senior Director Compliance

Ulta Beauty, Inc.•Bolingbrook, IL

13d

About The Position

Realize new levels of autonomy and professional ownership. At Ulta Beauty, our Legal, Risk & Governance team provides clarity and continuity in ways that have made our growth a seamless venture, with keen insights that have opened up new and previously unexplored areas of opportunity. Through superior leadership and work that continually challenges, you’ll have the chance to help set strategic direction through ethical and collaborative thought and practice. The Sr Director of Compliance leads Ulta Beauty’s enterprise-wide compliance organization, reporting directly to the Chief Legal Officer. This role is responsible for overseeing the implementation of compliance programs that safeguard our guests, associates, and brand, while enabling responsible business growth and supporting Ulta Beauty’s mission, values, strategies and Code of Business Conduct. The position is part of the Legal, Risk & Governance (LRG) Department and works cross-functionally with its Legal, Risk Management, EHS, and ESG teams to build a cohesive compliance framework for a modern retail landscape. The ideal candidate must demonstrate a critical blend of both strong strategic management and cross-functional leadership capabilities and a strong track record of successful execution of complex initiatives. The ability to build effective yet simple business processes, influence, advise and manage multiple cross-functional players across levels is required.

Requirements

10+ years of compliance leadership experience in retail, beauty, or consumer products, preferably at a Fortune 500 or similarly scaled enterprise.
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred (e.g., JD and/or MBA).
Proven ability to design, operationalize, and audit enterprise compliance programs.
Demonstrated leadership skills to build and maintain high-performing teams.
Enterprise role model for compliance and ethical decision-making.
Ability to lead complex programs and foster continuous improvement.
Anticipate regulatory changes and prepare the company for compliance.
Dynamic, results-oriented collaborator on strategic initiatives.
Reliability in completing strategic initiatives on time and under budget.
Use of metrics and benchmarking for improvement.
Strong leadership presence and communication skills.
Proactive, solution-oriented mindset.
High emotional intelligence and interpersonal effectiveness.
Trustworthiness and discretion in handling confidential information.
Resilience and adaptability to lead through change and crises.

Nice To Haves

Expertise in cosmetics, hair care, skin care, fragrance, wellness, and/or OTC product regulations.
Salon services regulations and licensing.
Technical expertise across FDA, CARES Act, DSHEA, EU Cosmetics Regulation, REACH/CLP, FTC, CPSC, retail store, salon, distribution center, and digital commerce platform compliance, factory compliance, CBP/import/customs, DOT/IATA/IMDG, EPA, Hazmat, State-Level Chemical & Toxic Bans, Ethical/Sustainability Laws, and/or FCPA/anti-corruption.
Experience leveraging compliance technology, analytics, or automation platforms, and managing compliance risks associated with AI.

Responsibilities

Team Leadership: Enhance and grow a high-performing compliance team to support business expansion and regulatory readiness.
Culture of Compliance: Champion compliance as a shared responsibility across the organization, implementing programs that empower operators through clear policies, effective training, and strong partnerships. Ensure documentation of compliance programs.
Risk & Obligations Management: Identify and inventory key compliance obligations (federal/state, international, industry, contractual, sustainability-related), assign ownership, define controls/standard operating procedures, and implement testing/audit cycles. Maintain dashboards, issue tracking, remediation plans, and periodic management certification.
Operational Compliance: Monitor and ensure compliance for various business operations, including but not limited to: Retail stores & salons, digital commerce platforms, and distribution centers.
Product safety and private label sourcing, including: Regulatory compliance for cosmetics, hair care, skin care, fragrance, wellness, and over-the-counter OTC product lines.
Clearance-to-supply processes for private label products.
Supply chain and manufacturer compliance and transparency for private label products.
Support trade compliance for imports/exports, customs, and sanctions screening.
International structures (subsidiary, joint venture, franchises) and local product registration/labeling.
Communications & Training: Develop engaging compliance communications and role-specific training with Ulta Beauty’s training team, integrating lessons learned from incidents.
Regulatory Change Monitoring: Track emerging laws and regulations, assess impact, communicate requirements, and plan for timely implementation.
Compliance Roadmap: Create and update a roadmap for compliance initiatives, tracking progress and communicating priorities to leadership and the organization.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Ensure implementation of compliance requirements across enterprise. Lead cross-functional projects and partner with the Legal team to operationalize compliance.
Regulatory Engagement: Serve as liaison with regulators and industry bodies. Operationalize compliance aspects of product recalls, investigations, and incidents.
Governance & Reporting: Provide updates to senior leadership and the Board, ensure compliance programs keep pace with technological advances, including AI-related issues, drive improvement via KPIs and benchmarking, and support confidential whistleblowing programs.

Benefits

Full-time positions are eligible for paid time off, health, dental, vision, life and disability benefits.
Part-time positions are eligible for dental, vision, life, and disability benefits.

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