Visual Merchandising Analyst

Ulta Beauty, Inc.•Bolingbrook, IL

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Visual Merchandising Analyst is responsible for the entire lifecycle of in-store marketing elements including graphics, product display units (POP) and semi-permeant fixtures for his/her assigned categories – from concept (request, ideation, and strategy build) through completion (creative concepting, production and logistics to end locations). The individual will perform a wide variety of core job responsibilities which include: Project Management, Strategic Sourcing & Budget Maintenance, Supplier Management, Strategic Innovation, Communications, Relationship Management, Inventory Management. This Visual Merchandising Analyst role manages the following assigned business categories: Marketing Campaigns (Holiday, 21 days of beauty, Gorgeous Hair, Love Your Skin, Fall & Spring Haul, Summer Event), Salon & Skin Services, Loyalty (Credit, Gift Card, Ultamate Rewards program), Store Operational Signage (Return Policy, Safety, Navigational, Pricing compliance- bag tax & customer notices, Impulse Fixture & Conscious Beauty In-Store Program). In addition to the primary owned categories additional projects may be assigned – Visual Merchandising Sustainability research, Sustainability policy and implementation, Ulta Beauty Store Events (brand, department, or celebrity personal appearances), New Flagship Store Planning, New Brand Launches (where storewide crossover exists), Storewide Initiatives (Visual & Communication Audit, Store of the Future) and other special projects & other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree in relevant field (Marketing, Visual Merchandising, Project Management).
Minimum 4-5 years of merchandising, marketing, buying or planogram work experience or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
Merchandising skills with demonstrated knowledge of store fixtures, design and store operations.
General knowledge and prior experience with Visual Merchandising, Visual Marketing, Store Experience Marketing.
Strong written and oral communication skills.
Analytical and process management and development skills are necessary for continuous improvement.
Self-starter capable of meeting tight deadlines while managing multiple projects.
Exceptional handling in negotiations, value analysis and supplier management required.
Knowledgeable and experienced in print procurement, production, & print processes, print equipment and technology to determine the appropriate type and process for all the various print vehicles while maintaining cost efficiencies.
Significant experience utilizing Microsoft Office Applications
Excel (managing complex data sets including store distribution, UPS tracking reports, Support Ticket Data, Fulfillment Reports) including: V-Look ups, pivot tables, reports), Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Office 365

Nice To Haves

Working knowledge with Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, PhotoShop).
Experience with project management scheduling software, workflow management and other workflow tools like Monday.com & Workfront.
Experience with CrossCap distribution and sourcing management (or similar applications)
Previous experience in corporate visual merchandising or in-store marketing experience preferred.
Additional experience with temporary fixture and point of purchase displays preferred.

Responsibilities

Collaborates with internal and external cross-functional partners across the organization to scope projects, develop in-store strategy, oversee budget, manage timelines, and monitor progress of projects from conception to in-store execution for several projects at a time at different project phases.
Responsible for all estimating and invoice management of assigned projects.
Bids projects and negotiates cost with suppliers.
Ensures projects remain on budget and works directly with finance and other project partners to manage expenses.
Processes all invoices in a timely fashion and before period closing.
Resolves any discrepancies between estimate and invoice with suppliers.
Shares estimates with merchants & business partners for visibility and forecasting purposes.
Ensures contracted rates are adhered to by suppliers.
Takes flat design concepts and partner with suppliers to develop and present dimensional produced items (product display units or dimensional signs to support seasonal initiatives.
Works with supplier partners to determine print techniques, request material samples and develop temporary POP fixture displays.
Communicates project scope, asset turnover, timeline, and budget with supplier.
Works with vendors to troubleshoot live projects when roadblocks occur and resolves issues as they arise.
Research new suppliers and printer capabilities to fill supplier voids when necessary.
Schedule and attend press checks for assigned product categories as required.
Consistently works to bring the Visual Merchandising and Visual Marketing teams forward as a center of excellence in developing internal strategies and partnering with cross functional teams to make thoughtful recommendations to business partners as the end owner of the store experience for assigned categories.
Creates and implements new strategies and processes to streamline all aspects of the visual team workflow (including the development of new systems and processes to move from a manual paper workflow to a systems/database).
Research and develop new fixture and visual initiatives to maximize the in-store displays and experience.
Partner with other visual merchandising team members to ensure all visual merchandising documents are consistently updated and managed to ensure consistency and reduce overlap.
Effectively communicates with all internal and external partners.
Creates, edits and contributions to development of communication guides including Graphic Launch Kit, Promotional Planner, Visual Standards Documents, Display Instruction Sheets and or store communications tasks & news articles for stores.
Communicates category strategies and project updates with extended internal team (New/Remodel store team leads) on an ongoing basis.
Receives and measures feedback on store implementation and develops a continuous improvement loop to enhance the ways we provide store implementation direction.
Comfortable with presenting to leadership project strategy & plans, work in progress development as well as completed projects and can condense complex projects in a direct and simple way.
Engages in researching and providing feedback and direction to field and store teams through Ulta Beauty support ticket process.
Manages relationships with cross-functional teams including: Creative, Merchants, Store & Service Operations, Field and Store teams, Space Planning, Floor Planning, Procurement, Finance, Facilities, Integrated Marketing, Loyalty & Store Design.
Partners with internal associates to ideate and/or resolve critical issues that may arise.
Must analyze root causes then develop strategies and process improvements to mitigate issues and maximize continuous improvement.
Responsible for managing inventory of graphics for assigned categories.
Analyzes inventory reports on an ongoing basis to ensure all graphics at the fulfillment center are active and not obsolete.
Manages replenishment orders and logistics to ensure active items are in-stock and available for store team’s order.
Updates graphic libraries on an ongoing basis for internal and external use.
Partners with inventory vendor to ensure accurate orders for Ulta Beauty new stores are managed.