General Manager

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ: ULTA) is the largest beauty retailer in North America and a premier destination for cosmetics, fragrance, skin care products, hair care products, and full-service salon services. Ulta Beauty creates possibilities through the power of beauty every day, offering more than 25,000 products from about 500 well-established and emerging beauty brands across all categories and price points, including its private label. Each retail location includes a full-service salon offering hair, skin, brow, and makeup services, making Ulta Beauty an all-encompassing beauty hub. Ulta Beauty is known for blending uncommon artistry with an exhilarating buying experience, providing a workplace characterized by energy, passion, and excitement for beauty enthusiasts.

The company is committed to fostering a workplace with greater purpose, rooted in a strong vision, mission, and lived values that emphasize inclusion, growth opportunities, and recognition for individual contributions. Ulta Beauty seeks to create an environment where voices are heard and diversity is celebrated, making it a unique and inspiring place to work for professionals who want to make an impact in the beauty industry.

The General Manager (GM) role at Ulta Beauty is a full-time leadership position responsible for managing all aspects of a single retail store, including its integrated salon operations. This role is essential to driving top-line sales growth, maintaining operational excellence, and building a cohesive team that embodies the Ulta Beauty brand and mission. The GM leads a team of managers and associates by setting clear expectations, managing store performance metrics, and fostering a culture of accountability across sales, service, payroll, and expense control.

A successful GM vigorously promotes a retail and service-driven sales culture focused on guest loyalty and company profitability. They are proficient in business financials, using store sales forecasts, and payroll budgets to optimize workforce scheduling in support of productivity goals and payroll targets. Additionally, the GM ensures compliance with company policies, safety standards, and operational procedures, including loss prevention, cash management, and inventory control.

Ulta Beauty’s GM takes an active role in direct guest engagement, performing makeup applications, skin care analysis, and product demonstrations to enhance the customer experience and boost sales. Staying up-to-date on emerging beauty industry trends and product knowledge is crucial to provide expert guidance and personalized service that delights guests.

People leadership is a core component of the GM’s responsibilities. The GM attracts, hires, trains, and retains a diverse team of talented associates and managers, promoting a highly engaged, inclusive workplace where every team member feels valued and empowered. The GM leads talent development initiatives through coaching, performance reviews, competency-based feedback, succession planning, and ongoing training for both managers and associates. Leading by example, the GM fosters open communication, teamwork, and alignment with corporate objectives, ensuring the store meets annual performance goals and delivers an outstanding guest experience.

Finally, the GM champions process adherence, compliance with corporate standards, and continuous improvement. They leverage company tools and technology to streamline operations, prioritize workload, and support innovation within the store. The GM maintains clear communication channels with field leadership to identify business challenges and opportunities to maximize the store’s competitive advantage.

The compensation for the GM position ranges from $79,040 to $107,640 annually, with the potential for additional earnings through company bonus programs. Benefits for full-time associates include paid time off, health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, while part-time associates are eligible for dental, vision, life, and disability benefits. Ulta Beauty values flexibility and requires the GM to work a full-time schedule including days, evenings, weekends, and holidays, with availability to close the store at least once per week. The role may also involve travel for corporate business meetings and conferences.

Ulta Beauty offers a vibrant career path for driven retail managers who are passionate about the beauty industry, operational excellence, and inspiring teams. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, is adept at managing people and processes, and is committed to delivering exceptional guest experiences while achieving strong business results.