Kohl's
Apparel, home goods retailer
Marketing Technology Manager - Capabilities & Innovation
Remote, but residents near Menomonee Falls or New York City must work on-site Monday through Thursday.
About the job
- A bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Engineering, Management Information Systems, Information Systems, Analytics, or a related field.
- At least 5 years of relevant experience in marketing technology, digital marketing and operations, customer relationship management, customer data, digital strategy, analytics, workflow or content operations, media technology, or related capability design roles.
- At least 5 years of experience leading cross-functional marketing technology, marketing capability, or innovation initiatives and managing projects with increasing responsibility.
- Ability to perform the listed accountabilities, maintain prompt and regular attendance, work at least 8 hours per day and 5 days per week, comply with dress code and company policies, give and respond to direction, work effectively with others, maintain composure in a fast-paced environment, complete company training, use a personal computer, plan and monitor activities across business units, complete or oversee projects on time, and comply with health and safety standards.
- Lead assigned marketing technology strategy, capabilities, and innovation capability domains, setting strategy and roadmaps aligned with business priorities, dependencies, and maturity goals.
- Lead the definition, design, planning, implementation, execution, and measurement of cross-functional marketing technology and capability initiatives.
- Identify and integrate innovation, transformation, automation, and artificial intelligence opportunities into domain roadmaps, recommendations, and future-state solutions.
- Translate business goals, pain points, and opportunities into requirements, use cases, success criteria, and future-state capability designs.
- Align cross-functionally on priorities, tradeoffs, and solution direction; identify capability and ecosystem gaps; and develop recommendations that improve scalability, interoperability, and effectiveness.
- Evaluate platforms, vendors, and emerging marketing and artificial intelligence technologies for business value, ecosystem impact, scalability, and long-term sustainability.
- Establish governance principles, design standards, and decision frameworks, and provide oversight through design, build, and validation.
- Define or support success criteria, performance visibility, and value-realization measures, using outcomes and feedback to inform roadmap evolution.
- Coach and guide the aligned Marketing Technologist, strengthening discovery, documentation, analysis, recommendations, and overall domain execution.
- Plan, prioritize, and monitor activities across business units and complete or oversee assigned projects in a timely manner.
- Experience with enterprise marketing technology platforms, including customer relationship management, customer data platforms, marketing automation, content management systems, digital asset management, decisioning or recommendation platforms, analytics, and media technology tools.
- Experience in retail, e-commerce, loyalty, lifecycle marketing, omnichannel marketing, or high-volume content environments.
- Experience with information technology development and delivery processes such as Agile, Kanban, Scaled Agile Framework, or similar methodologies and tools.
About the company
Kohl's is a major U.S. retailer offering clothing, shoes, home goods, toys, electronics, and more through online and physical stores. It supports omnichannel shopping with options like buy online, pick up in-store and frequent promotions, including free shipping on many items. Revenue comes from merchandise sales and partnerships, with additional income from its Kohl's Cash loyalty program and credit card partnerships. The goal is to provide value and convenience to families and budget-conscious shoppers by blending a wide product mix, easy returns, and a simple, rewards-enhanced shopping experience across channels.
Company Size
10,001+
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
Founded
1962
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Q2 2026 gross margin hit 43.0% after roughly $150 million tariff refunds.
- Kohl’s lifted 2026 EPS guidance to $1.80-$2.40 and restarted $100 million buybacks.
- Martha Stewart and Bobby Flay launches expand home aisles ahead of holiday 2026.
What critics are saying
- Kohl’s posted its 18th straight comparable-sales decline in Q2 2026.
- Sephora at Kohl’s sales fell 4%, exposing weak beauty assortment refreshes.
- If tariff refunds fade, Kohl’s margins snap back and liquidity pressure returns in 2027.
What makes Kohl's unique
- Kohl’s couples stores with e-commerce, buy-online-pickup, and easy returns convenience.
- Sephora at Kohl’s and brand partnerships still draw beauty traffic in 2026.
- Ryan Waymire’s September 28 merchandising reset targets fashion, sourcing, and omnichannel execution.
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Benefits
Flexible Work Hours
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↓ -1%1 year growth
↓ -1%2 year growth
↑ 0%Kohl's reported net income of $151m, or $1.28 per diluted share, for the quarter ended 1 August 2026, significantly up from last year's adjusted net income of $64m. The retailer attributed approximately $100m in tariff refunds to gross margin gains, which rose 305 basis points to 43.0%. Year-to-date net sales declined 1.2% to $6.3bn, with comparable sales down 1.0%. Operating income reached $261m, up from last year's operational baseline of $161m. The tariff refund windfall enabled Kohl's to revise its fiscal 2026 outlook upwards and restart its share repurchase programme with up to $100m in buybacks. The company now expects full-year comparable sales between a 1.5% decrease and flat, with adjusted earnings per share forecast between $1.80 and $2.40.
Kohl's has appointed Ryan M. Waymire as Chief Merchandising Officer, effective 28 September. Waymire brings 25 years of retail experience from Walmart, Amazon, and Target, most recently serving as SVP of Fashion at Walmart US. In his new role, Waymire will oversee Kohl's merchandise strategy and all merchandising functions, including buying, product design, and sourcing. CEO Michael J. Bender highlighted Waymire's expertise in refreshing merchandise strategies for broad customer bases and integrating collaborations and social media influencers. Waymire replaces Nick Jones, who has served as Chief Merchandising Officer since 2023. Throughout his career, Waymire has held progressive leadership positions at major retailers and holds an MBA from Saint Louis University.
Kohl's is expanding its home product range with new kitchen appliances from Martha Stewart and cookware from Bobby Flay. The Martha Stewart line includes mixers, griddles, slow cookers and milk frothers, plus a new home fragrance collection. Bobby Flay's collection will add stainless steel and ceramic cookware sets and frying pans starting in September. The department store is also strengthening its apparel and beauty offerings. In March, Kohl's added MAC Cosmetics to over 850 Sephora locations and YSL Beauty to nearly 200 stores. The retailer recently expanded its SO brand for juniors, introducing SO Office Edit with workwear pieces. In Q2, Kohl's net sales fell less than 1% to $3.3 billion, whilst comps declined less than 1%.
Kohl's reported second-quarter net sales fell less than 1% year-on-year to $3.3 billion, with comparable sales also down less than 1%. However, Sephora at Kohl's sales declined 4%, following a drop in the first quarter. CEO Michael Bender attributed the Sephora downturn to a lack of fresh products and weakness in certain beauty categories, particularly skin care. Fragrance, hair care, and makeup remained strong. Gross margin expanded by 305 basis points to 43%, aided by $150 million in tariff refunds. Net income fell over 1% to $151 million. The department store raised its full-year guidance, now expecting sales to be flat or fall as much as 1.5%. This marked Kohl's 18th consecutive quarter of declining comps, though the best performance since third quarter 2021.
Kohl's shares fell 6% despite beating earnings expectations with adjusted EPS of $1.28 on revenue of $3.52 billion. The retailer received a $150 million tariff refund, of which $100 million boosted gross margin. Stripping out the refund reveals underlying weakness. Comparable sales declined 0.9%, whilst net sales fell to $3.3 billion. The stock is now down 12% year to date. By contrast, Ross Stores grew comparable sales 10% and TJX Companies reported 4% organic growth, both also benefiting from tariff refunds. Ross Stores expanded operating margin 205 basis points even excluding its $253 million refund. The divergence highlights Kohl's struggle to generate organic demand growth. Investors are treating the profit beat as reliant on one-time benefits rather than sustainable turnaround momentum.