Manager IT Application Operations

Academy Sports + Outdoors•Katy, TX

2d•Onsite

About The Position

At Academy Sports + Outdoors, our vision is to be the best sports + outdoors retailer in the country. We are a passionate, purpose-driven team committed to each other and our customers. We have over 80 years of experience building a culture that puts people first, creating opportunities for growth, fostering meaningful connections, and supporting every Team Member’s journey. We believe in the power of fun, and here, you won’t just help customers gear up for their next adventure — you’ll launch one of your own. Whether you're starting out or leveling up, Academy is a place where fun can’t lose!

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field of study or equivalent years of related work experience required.
At least 8 years of related management experience in the retail industry IT field.
Prior people leadership experience, including management of employees, contractors, and/or managed service providers
Experience supporting enterprise‑scale applications across one or more business domains (e.g., Supply Chain, Retail Operations, Finance, Digital, Corporate Systems)
Possess the capability to manage direct reports who may be contractors as well as employees in a managed services environment
Experience managing a technical staff with a variety of technical skills, administering and supporting a portfolio of enterprise applications and systems
Experience managing a technical team providing 24/7 on-call support
Experience supporting enterprise application platforms across one or more business domains, with oversight to related support towers such as Stores, BI/Reporting, Financials, or Digital as required.
Experience in building and maintaining a comprehensive Application Catalog of applications and business customers
Working knowledge of the latest technological trends, including observability, automation, and AI.
Coordinate with project managers, business analysts, development managers, and the Infrastructure teams on new application projects, and ensure application and database performance and stability
Provide regular and proactive communication to senior IT management on project status, potential risks, concerns, team successes and challenges, as well as the progress of individual performance
Maintain current knowledge on new IT tools, hardware, software, and technology, and make recommendations to meet current and future business challenges
Must possess excellent customer service, inter-personal, leadership, conflict resolution, and problem-solving skills
Must be able to work in a fast-paced environment and ensure Business SLA’s and project deadlines are met
Acceptable level of hearing and vision to perform job duties
Communication - effective listening, speaking, and writing

Nice To Haves

Experience in product-based IT Operations and SRE principles is a plus

Responsibilities

Provide leadership across assigned enterprise application support teams and platforms
Manage the application lifecycle for Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), Transportation Management Systems (TMS), and Labor Management Systems (LMS)
Oversee the IT interface with automated Material Handling Equipment (conveyors, sorters, robotics, and ASRS). Ensure high availability for mission-critical distribution center hardware/software interfaces
Maintain the "source of truth" for inventory data as it moves through the supply chain into Merchandising and Store systems
Maintains smooth and efficient operation of assigned departments
Responsible for service reliability, cross-functional incident/problem/change governance
Performs general managerial duties, including hiring, training, coaching, reviewing, performance, compensation, and termination for regular and contract associates as applicable
Able to enumerate and assign tasks to staff and establish metrics to assess performance
Mentor team members to ensure continuous learning and engagement, maximizing individual talents and strengths where they serve the team(s) best, and report on these to management
Maintains budget including project expenses, salaries, training, travel & entertainment
Own execution of IT General Controls (ITGC) for assigned application portfolios; lead quarterly access reviews and ensure Segregation of Duties (SoD) is maintained
Maintain internal control documentation, effectively perform assigned internal controls, remediate internal control exceptions, and respond to internal and external audit requests
Ensure adherence to all Academy standards and policies and effectively maintain SOX, PCI, ISO, and other compliance standards where assigned
Define and manage observability roadmaps (logs/metrics/traces, AIOps); drive alert hygiene and signal-to-noise across Splunk/Dynatrace/Grafana.
Define and manage self-healing and diagnostics automation; quantify value (hours saved, incidents avoided, risk reduced).
Own DR/BCP readiness for critical apps; validate playbooks, RTO/RPO targets, and periodic exercises in partnership with the DR team.
Supports the corporate goal of Academy – For All, For Less
Continuous reviews and, when necessary, realigns department strategies to fit the changing business needs of the company
Guards against the installation of any technology that does not have a direct business benefit associated with it
Own MSP/SaaS vendor scorecards, QBRs, penalties/incentives, and remediation plans; ensure RCAs and SLAs are contractually upheld.
Manage OpEx budgets, forecasts, and cost-to-serve; optimize onsite/offshore mix and licensing/observability spend.
Represent service posture to executives and business leaders; publish simple, actionable health reports and narratives.
Translate business priorities into operational plans; align intake/prioritization with the Product team and PMO.
Required to learn company policies, procedures, and safety rules
Duties may change, and associates may be required to perform other duties as assigned