Product Owner, Business Technology

Ulta Beauty; Bolingbrook (IL); Hybrid; USD 78,000 - 103,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Health, dental, vision benefits

Disability benefits

Job summary

Ulta Beauty is seeking a Product Owner, Business Technology to evolve retail and salon services tech. You’ll partner with IT, document requirements, manage defects, perform UAT, and drive deployments while owning the product backlog and roadmap. A strong SME with cross-functional influence and data-driven decision making will thrive in this role.

You’ll work with the Sr. Manager, Business Technology to plan sprints and releases, aligning with store and salon leadership to improve guest

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• 4+ years of relevant work experience with at least 2+ years in a product owner role in an agile environment.
• Project management and agile certifications preferred (e.g., PMP, SAFe, CSM, CSPO).
• Experience with business process reengineering and modeling concepts/tools.

Responsibilities

• Define product vision, manage backlog, and prioritize requirements to meet partner, associate, and guest needs.
• Break down concepts into epics, user stories, and acceptance criteria; facilitate workshops and backlog refinement.
• Lead user acceptance testing and ensure deliverables meet stories’ expectations.
• Manage IT projects across cross-functional teams with timely deployments and integrations.
• Bridge business stakeholders and technology, monitor timelines, SLAs, adoption, and satisfaction.
• Support change management, training, and communication on technology changes.
• Prioritize and plan sprints/releases with the Sr. Manager, Business Technology.
• Collaborate with retail and salon leadership to drive operational efficiencies.

Skills

Agile methodologies

Backlog management

Stakeholder communication

User acceptance testing

Cross-functional collaboration

Data analysis

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering/Business

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Figma

Microsoft Office

Job description

Overview

Discover greater levels of performance. With over 1,400 stores throughout the U.S., Ulta Beauty is revolutionizing the beauty retail experience. With new stores coming online on a continual basis and the re-engineering of existing locations with the latest design and technological advancements for heightened guest experiences, we’re not just growing, we’re thriving. Through consistent innovation and a bold commitment to reimagination. If you want the opportunity to build something strategic, to take ownership of your career trajectory, to apply your passion to operational excellence, Ulta Beauty provides the kind of stability and support few organizations can match. So be curious. Be flexible. Be more than you thought possible. The future is yours at Ulta Beauty.

THE IMPACT YOU CAN HAVE

The Product Owner, Business Technology is responsible for maintaining, evolving, and enhancing retail & salon services technology applications and capabilities. This individual serves as Product Owner, subject matter expert (SME), and primary business liaison with IT. They will partner cross-functionally to document requirements, manage defects and support tickets, perform user acceptance testing, and coordinate deployments. They own the product backlog and drive day-to-day product development, in addition to leading change management, documentation, and communication. This role optimizes and transforms current technologies, identifies innovative capabilities, and shapes product roadmaps in partnership with the business teams. A strong understanding of the retail, operational, or service-related industries is required to ensure alignment with business strategies. Success requires the ability to influence colleagues, peers, and leaders across the organization, along with exceptional communication skills and a track record of leading multiple technology products. As a trusted partner and SME, this individual will bring field perspective and operational insight to cross-functional teams, using intellectual curiosity and data/market analysis to identify trends and drive quantifiable results.

YOU'LL ACCOMPLISH THESE GOALS BY

• Apply Agile, SCRUM, Waterfall, or Lean methodologies as appropriate
• Responsible to define product vision, manage the backlog, and prioritize requirements to anticipate the needs of partners, associates and guests
• Ability to break down concepts into epics, user stories, and acceptance criteria; and facilitate story workshops and backlog refinement
• Lead user acceptance testing — stepping into the associate/guest role to confirm work meets both the letter and intent of user stories
• Manage service/event operations IT projects across cross-functional and third-party teams, ensuring upstream/downstream system integrations are met
• Serve as primary liaison between business stakeholders and technology, bridging requirements to solutions, monitoring timelines, SLAs, adoption, and satisfaction
• Support change management, training activities, documentation, and communication on technology changes
• Partner with the Sr. Manager, Business Technology to prioritize and plan sprints/releases
• Collaborate with retail and salon leadership to drive operational synergies and efficiencies
• Advocate for field and salon teams, ensuring their perspectives and pain points shape product development
• Support cross-functional implementations and track/analyze performance - using data and root cause analysis to optimize results and drive remediation
• Respond to and resolve field feedback, support tickets, and escalations in a timely manner

THE ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, Business, or equivalent professional experience
• 4+ years relevant work experience with at least 2+ years in a product owner role and experience operating in an agile environment preferred
• Project management and agile certifications preferred (e.g., PMP, SAFe, CSM, CSPO, etc.) or willingness to achieve
• Established experience with business process reengineering as well as business modeling concepts, tools, and techniques
• Proficiency with tools such as Jira, Confluence, Figma, and the Microsoft product suite including Outlook, Teams, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Word
• Strong business acumen, augmented with retail store/operations experience is desirable
• Expertise in navigating requirements based on waterfall and agile project delivery methodologies
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; capable of articulating intricate issues in simple terms
• Strong interpersonal, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the aptitude to influence colleagues, peers, and cross-functional teams throughout the organization
• Proven experience to scrutinize data, identify and interpret trends, and develop and execute appropriate action plans based on discoveries.

Preferred Or Special Position Requirements

• Ability to work a flexible, full-time schedule to include days, evenings, weekends, and holidays
• Ability to travel, including overnight stays, as required (5%)

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Normal in-office demands
• Visit stores to enhance understanding of the associate/guest experience and collaborate with field partners

CO1

#hybrid

The pay range for this position is $77,600.00 - $103,000.00 / Year with the opportunity for eligible associates to earn additional compensation pursuant to the Company’s bonus plan. Exact pay will be based on factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, level, shift, geographic location, and business and organizational needs.

• 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.

For additional information concerning our benefits, visit our Benefits and Career Development page: https://learn.bswift.com/ulta

About

At Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ: ULTA), the possibilities are beautiful. Ulta Beauty is the largest North American beauty retailer and the premier beauty destination for cosmetics, fragrance, skin care products, hair care products and salon services. We bring possibilities to life through the power of beauty each and every day in our stores and online with more than 25,000 products from approximately 500 well-established and emerging beauty brands across all categories and price points, including Ulta Beauty’s own private label. Ulta Beauty also offers a full-service salon in every store featuring—hair, skin, brow, and make-up services.

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.