Tech Lead, ServiceNow (Citizen Development)

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.

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THE IMPACT YOU CAN HAVE:

The ServiceNow Citizen Development Lead is responsible for enabling, governing, and scaling citizen development across the enterprise ServiceNow platform. This role defines the operating model, guardrails, and enablement framework that allows business teams to safely build applications, automations, and workflows using ServiceNow low‑code/no‑code capabilities while protecting platform integrity, security, and performance.

This role serves as the primary point of accountability for citizen developer onboarding, standards, quality controls, and ongoing oversight.

YOU'LL ACCOMPLISH THESE GOALS BY:

Citizen Development Governance

• Define and own the citizen development governance model , including:
• What citizen developers can and cannot build
• Approved tools (App Engine, Flow Designer, UI Builder, etc.)
• Required design and testing standards
• Establish tiered citizen developer levels (e.g., beginner, advanced) with increasing privileges
• Partner with Platform Architecture and Security to ensure all citizen-built solutions comply with enterprise standards

Enablement & Onboarding

• Design and deliver the citizen developer onboarding program , including:
• Required training and certification paths
• Hands-on labs and templates
• Reusable components and patterns
• Act as the primary coach and advisor to new citizen developers
• Maintain a curated library of:
• Approved application templates
• Data models
• Integration patterns

Design & Quality Oversight

• Establish and run lightweight design reviews for citizen-built solutions
• Define minimum quality gates, including:
• Automated testing requirements
• Peer reviews
• Platform sign-off criteria
• Review and approve citizen-developed applications prior to production deployment in partnership with Release Management

Platform Protection & Risk Management

• Ensure citizen development does not introduce:
• Uncontrolled customizations
• Data model inconsistencies (especially CMDB)
• Performance or upgrade risks
• Track and report on citizen development activity, including adoption, defects, and technical debt
• Serve as escalation point for citizen development issues or violations

Operating Model & Continuous Improvement

• Define the end-to-end lifecycle for citizen-built applications:
• Intake
• Build
• Review
• Release
• Support and ownership handoff
• Partner with Product Owners to determine when solutions should:
• Remain citizen-built
• Transition to full engineering ownership
• Continuously refine standards based on platform maturity and usage patterns

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ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, CIS, or equivalent professional experience
• 7-10 years of overall IT experience, including 3+ years of hands-on ServiceNow platform development and architecture
• Deep hands-on experience with ServiceNow, especially:
• App Engine
• Flow Designer
• UI Builder
• Data modeling
• Strong understanding of platform governance, security, and upgrade impacts
• Experience designing enablement programs or Centers of Excellence
• Ability to coach non-technical users while enforcing technical standards
• Strong stakeholder management and influence skills

: The pay range for this position is $102,900.00 - $160,000.00 / 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: 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.