VP International

Ulta Beauty, Inc. • Bolingbrook, IL

18d • $330,000 - $360,000

About The Position

Live the experience. From professional empowerment to continual learning opportunities. From ongoing investment in our strategic initiatives to a career of self-determination. At Ulta Beauty, our 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 VP, International will lead the charge in shaping and scaling our global retail footprint as we embark on a bold aspiration for international growth. This executive will manage our international franchise and JV partnerships, build and scale our international partner operating model, establish foundational capabilities, lead our international customer insights and occasions engine to measure and drive performance and shape our integrated international strategy (performance, prioritization, sequencing). Reporting to the SVP of Enterprise Strategy & New Growth, the role will translate our enterprise ambition into a cohesive strategy and market-by-market success.
The ideal leader brings a blend of strategic vision, cross-functional influence, and hands-on experience building international retail businesses through partnerships — balancing global consistency with local relevance.

Requirements

• 15+ years of experience in retail, consumer, or hospitality sectors, including 8+ years in international leadership roles.
• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• Proven track record and deep experience leading market entry and expansion, managing franchising, licensing, or JV models.
• Experience architecting and driving successful international growth and expansion strategy.
• Strong commercial acumen with ability to diagnose business performance and influence outcomes without direct authority.
• Deep experience managing multi-market operations and navigating cultural, regulatory, and operational complexity.
• Strategic and operational thinker — able to define frameworks while driving execution.
• Exceptional relationship management and communication skills; able to inspire, challenge, and build trust with partners and internal stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams and influencing enterprise resources.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own the enterprise international strategy, including financial ambition and performance and market prioritization & sequencing, partnering with the Corporate Development team to prospect, develop and contract partners to enter new markets.
• Build and maintain a global view of the beauty consumer, occasions, and purchase behaviors and manage integration of that fact base into business to ensure effective use and consistent decision making.
• Partner with functional leaders (Merchandising, Stores, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain) to define the “why” and “what” of international expansion, ensuring alignment with enterprise priorities and capabilities.
• Create and maintain the international go-to-market playbook that defines the core of the Ulta Beauty business model to be adopted and - in pre-defined areas - tailored to local markets. The playbook will encompass global brand guidelines, approach to customer experience, and functional best practices (e.g., brand partnerships, assortment, omnichannel experience, operational standards)
• Serve as the primary executive interface with franchise and JV partners — setting expectations, managing relationships, and driving performance through influence.
• Translate and cascade Ulta Beauty strategies, global standards and executional priorities to guide partner market strategies and plans. Lead process to integrate market strategies and plans with the broader enterprise strategy and plans.
• Lead onboarding and launch of new market partners, ensuring clarity on roles, accountability, brand standards and Ulta Beauty best practices.
• Implement a structured partner performance management framework to govern steady state performance, including KPI reviews, audits, and in-market visits.
• Champion partnership excellence — balancing advocacy for partner success with accountability to enterprise standards.
• Drive adherence to formal processes and support ongoing connectivity between HQ and partner teams to ensure timely communication, feedback, and decision making.
• Build and lead a cross-functional HQ international team that integrates embedded functional experts and shared capabilities.
• Define and operationalize the international operating model to enable scale — roles, processes, governance, and success measures.
• Foster collaboration with enterprise functions to ensure knowledge transfer, capability building, and best practice sharing.
• Model the international leadership mindsets and behaviors: influence over authority, systems thinking, agility, and stakeholder-centricity.
• Drive international topline growth through effective partner management, market activation, and commercial performance.
• Define targets and ensure market performance delivery vs. commitments.
• Lead strategic planning, quarterly and annual business reviews with partners and senior leadership, surfacing insights and opportunities to accelerate results.
• Serve as a thought partner to the SVP Enterprise Strategy & New Growth on long-term global expansion roadmap and investment priorities.

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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive