Sr Manager Inventory Planning

OVERVIEW

Discover greater levels of performance. With over 1,400 stores throughout the U.S. and an innovative omni-channel ecosystem, Ulta Beauty is revolutionizing the beauty retail experience. Ulta Beauty is expanding its digital capabilities, opening new stores on a continual basis and re-designing 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 re-imagination.

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:

As a Senior Manager of Inventory Planning, you will lead a high-performing team of inventory planners and analysts. This role is focused on driving inventory planning excellence across the enterprise by optimizing inventory flow, improving forecast accuracy, and ensuring the right product is in the right place at the right time. You will lead, coach, and develop your team to deliver operational rigor, analytical insight, and collaborative solutions while fostering a culture of trust, accountability, and high performance.

As a strategic partner to category Merchants, Supply Chain, and other cross-functional stakeholders, you will provide data-driven insights and actionable recommendations that enhance inventory effectiveness, support omnichannel fulfillment, and enable short- and long-term business objectives. You will play a key role in shaping inventory strategy, driving best practices, and continuously elevating the capabilities of the planning function.

YOU'LL ACCOMPLISH THESE GOALS BY:

* Lead, coach, and develop a team of inventory planners and inventory analysts, building expertise in forecasting, inventory optimization, and operational excellence.

* Own the inventory planning process for two beauty categories, ensuring accurate forecasts, optimal inventory flow, and alignment with category strategies.

* Drive inventory planning excellence by establishing and enforcing best practices, standard processes, and governance across the planning function.

* Partner closely with Merchandising Planning to ensure inventory plans align with financial targets, promotional spend, and enterprise priorities.

* Collaborate with the Demand Planning team to incorporate statistical forecasts, historical sales, and market trends into actionable inventory plans.

* Work cross-functionally with Merchants, Supply Chain, and Vendors to support omnichannel fulfillment, new product launches, and promotional activity.

* Analyze inventory performance, lead root cause analysis for variances, overstock, or fulfillment issues, and implement corrective and preventive actions.

* Translate complex data into actionable insights and recommendations, delivering clear, executive-ready reporting to senior leadership.

* Identify opportunities for process automation, system enhancements, and advanced analytics to improve forecast accuracy, inventory productivity, and operational efficiency.

* Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance inventory planning capabilities, team performance, and category results.

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

* Support enterprise initiatives by providing inventory operations expertise, operational readiness, and post-implementation performance tracking.

* Provide business requirements for inventory-related capabilities and KPI dashboards to ensure alignment with operational and customer needs

THE ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS:

* Bachelor's degree in business, Supply Chain, Merchandising, Analytics, or a related field.

* 8+ years of experience in merchandising planning, inventory management, supply chain, buying, or financial planning, with a history of increasing responsibility.

* Experience across multiple categories and/or channels, with strong retail inventory expertise.

* 2+ years of leadership experience managing direct reports in a high-performance,…