IT Solution Architect - Enterprise Integrations

Ulta Beauty; Bolingbrook (IL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Ulta Beauty is seeking a Solution Integration Architect to lead scalable, real-time and event-driven integrations across core business processes. You will shape API-first, AI-enabled integration patterns that connect in-store, online, supply chain, and CRM systems.

The role requires hands-on experience with Kafka, TIBCO, Spring Boot, Apigee, and GraphQL, and a vision for modernizing integration landscapes to enable agile, innovative retail experiences.

Qualifications

• Experience in designing and delivering real-time and near real-time integrations across retail platforms.
• Ability to define architecture strategy aligned with omnichannel, supply chain, merchandising, and CRM needs.
• Hands-on expertise in event-driven architecture and API-first integration patterns.
• Proven ability to drive AI-enabled integration and intelligent automation initiatives.
• Strong collaboration with enterprise architects and engineering teams to govern and scale integration platforms.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the integration architecture strategy across platforms and systems.
• Design integration solutions for order management, inventory, loyalty, pricing, and vendor collaboration.
• Implement real-time and event-driven data flows using Kafka, TIBCO, and Spring Boot.
• Develop API standards and governance for lifecycle, versioning, cataloging, and reuse.
• Drive AI-enabled integration adoption for routing, data transformation, and automation.
• Lead design sessions with stakeholders to build scalable, reusable integration solutions.
• Establish integration governance, canonical models, and reusable services.
• Architect cross-environment (on-premise and hybrid) integration designs.

Skills

Retail integration experience

Real-time / near real-time integration

Event-driven architecture

API Design & management

AI-enabled integration

Tools

Apache Kafka

TIBCO

Spring Boot

API management (Apigee)

GraphQL

Job description

Overview

Live the experience. From professional empowerment to continual learning opportunities. From ongoing investment in new and emerging technologies to a career of self-determination. At Ulta Beauty, our tech 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 IMPACT YOU CAN HAVE:

We are seeking a Solution Integration Architect with deep experience in the retail industry to lead the design and implementation of scalable, real-time and near real-time integrations across core business processes. This role focuses on enabling seamless data exchange between applications, platforms, and services, supporting omnichannel experiences, supply chain operations, merchandising, and customer engagement.

The ideal candidate will bring strategic architectural vision and hands-on technical expertise, particularly in real-time, near real-time, and event-driven integration patterns using technologies such as Apache/Confluent Kafka, TIBCO, Spring Boot, API-first design, and GraphQL. This architect will play a key role in modernizing Ulta Beauty's integration landscape to support agility, scalability, and innovation.

The architect will also drive the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and intelligent automation within enterprise integration, identifying opportunities to use AI to simplify integration development, improve operational intelligence, automate workflows, and enable more adaptive, scalable, and resilient integration solutions.

YOU'LL ACCOMPLISH THESE GOALS BY:

• Integration Architecture Strategy: Define and drive the integration architecture strategy aligned with enterprise and retail business goals. Establish best practices for real-time, near real-time, and event-driven integration across platforms and systems, including in-store, online, supply chain, and CRM.


• Retail Business Process Integration: Partner with functional and technical teams to design integration solutions supporting key retail processes such as order management, inventory synchronization, loyalty, pricing, promotions, and vendor collaboration.


• Real-Time & Event-Based Architecture: Design and implement solutions using platforms like Apache Kafka, TIBCO, and Spring Boot, enabling efficient real-time and near real-time data flow. Promote loosely coupled, scalable architectures through event streaming and messaging systems.


• API Design and Management: Define and implement an API-first approach to integration using modern API management tools such as Apigee. Develop standards and governance for API lifecycle, versioning, cataloging, and reuse across the enterprise.


• AI & Intelligent Integration Architecture:


• Architect and drive the adoption of AI-enabled integration solutions across the enterprise, leveraging generative AI, AI agents, intelligent automation, and machine learning capabilities to enhance integration processes. Identify opportunities to use AI for intelligent routing, data transformation, anomaly detection, operational automation, and integration monitoring. Define patterns and standards for securely integrating AI services and agents with enterprise applications, APIs, event streams, MCP servers and data platforms. Partner with engineering and business teams to evaluate emerging AI capabilities and translate them into scalable, reusable, and governed enterprise integration solutions.


• Collaboration and Leadership: Work closely with enterprise architects, application teams, and business stakeholders to translate business needs into integration strategies. Lead design sessions and guide teams in building scalable, reusable, and performant integration solutions.


• Governance and Standards: Establish integration governance processes to ensure consistency, security, and compliance. Define and maintain shared integration standards, canonical models, and reusable services.


• Hybrid Integration Design: Architect integration solutions across on-premise and hybrid environments using modern integration