Customer Care AI Program Lead

Ulta Beauty, Inc.; Bolingbrook (IL); On-site; USD 79,900 - 106,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Health benefits

Dental and vision benefits

Job summary

Ulta Beauty, Inc. in Bolingbrook, Illinois, is seeking a strategic operator to enhance customer support through AI integration. The role focuses on improving customer experience by identifying AI opportunities and optimizing workflows across support teams.

The ideal candidate will possess over 5 years of experience in customer support and familiarity with AI technologies. Responsibilities include analyzing data for performance enhancements and collaborating with various teams to implement AI-driven solutions.

This full-time position offers a competitive salary between $79,900 and $106,000 annually, along with comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in customer support or contact center operations.
• 2+ years of experience with AI and automation platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize customer journeys for automation.
• Experience designing and implementing performance frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Analyze AI interaction data to identify gaps and opportunities.
• Execute AI performance improvements based on insights.
• Partner with teams to automate guest and agent journeys.
• Drive design and implementation of an AI quality program.
• Maintain awareness of emerging AI capabilities.

Skills

Customer support experience

AI platforms knowledge

Analytical skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Tools

CRM platforms

Quality Assurance programs

Conversational AI platforms

Job description

OVERVIEW

We are seeking a strategic and execution-focused operator to support the next phase of Customer Care’s evolution through AI. This is not a hands‑on engineering role. Instead, it focuses on applying AI within a contact center environment – identifying where it can improve the customer experience, reduce friction, and scale operations.

This role will partner closely with product, engineering, and operations teams to prioritize and implement AI-enabled workflows across the customer support journey. It requires strong judgment across both operations and technology, with the ability to translate customer needs and contact drivers into practical, scalable solutions. In parallel, this role will own how AI performs in production. This includes defining success metrics, establishing a quality and performance management approach, and working with internal teams and BPO partners to continuously improve outcomes.

Success in this role comes from a strong foundation in contact center operations, with an understanding of how different parts of the support ecosystem work together to deliver and improve the customer experience. This is paired with comfort working with technology – such as CRM platforms, QA programs, or support tooling. Direct AI experience is a plus but not required. We are looking for someone who is naturally curious, self‑directed, and able to quickly build working knowledge in a rapidly evolving space.

YOU'LL ACCOMPLISH THESE GOALS BY

• Analyze AI interaction data to identify performance gaps, experience friction, and automation opportunities; translate performance insights into prioritized improvement initiatives.
• Execute AI performance improvements based on performance insights and business objectives.
• Partner with engineering, product, and Customer Care operations to identify and prioritize guest and agent journeys that should be automated, supporting the design, launch, and optimization of new AI workflows across digital support channels.
• Partner with Knowledge Management teams to ensure AI systems leverage accurate, structured knowledge sources; collaborate on Guest Services launches and AI updates needed to support the business.
• Assist in design and development of the performance management framework for guest‑facing AI experiences: metrics definitions, measurement methodologies, reporting, and performance insights.
• Drive design and implementation of a scalable AI quality program to evaluate interaction accuracy, experience quality, and resolution effectiveness: QA frameworks, audit methodologies, and scoring models for AI interactions.
• Operationalize AI quality monitoring through internal teams and BPO partners responsible for executing audit programs; establish audit‑the‑auditor practices and calibration processes to ensure scoring consistency and continuous improvement.
• Maintain strong awareness of emerging AI capabilities and best practices in customer support automation.

ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS

• 5+ years of experience in customer support, contact center operations, or digital support environments, with a strong understanding of customer experience, service metrics, and operational workflows.
• 2+ years of experience working with AI, automation, or conversational platforms (e.g., chatbots, virtual assistants, agent assist), with direct involvement in improving performance or scaling use cases a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and prioritize customer journeys for automation, balancing customer experience, complexity, and business impact.
• Experience working cross‑functionally with product, engineering, and operations teams to launch or improve support workflows (human or AI).
• Experience designing and implementing performance frameworks, KPIs, or quality programs for support operations (AI or human).
• Experience operationalizing QA or performance programs through BPO/vendor partners, including calibration, audit‑the‑auditor practices, and continuous improvement loops.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate interaction data into actionable insights and measurable improvements.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to present performance insights and recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Familiarity with conversational AI platforms (e.g., Gladly, Sierra, Ada, LivePerson, Dialogflow, etc.) a plus.

The pay range for this position is $79,900.00 - $106,000.00 per year with the opportunity for eligible associates to earn additional compensation pursuant to the Company’s bonus plan. 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.

We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with arrest records, conviction records, or other criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of any applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the New York City Fair Chance Act.