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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Manager IT Application Operations - **Company:** Academy Sports + Outdoors - **Location:** Katy, TX, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, Application Lifecycle Management, Software as a Service, Learning Management Systems, IT Management, Information Technology Operations, Inventory Management Software, Enterprise Software Applications, Warehouse Management Systems, IT General Controls (ITGC), System Availability, Grafana, Database Performance, Splunk, Dynatrace - **Published:** August 6, 2026 - **Apply:** https://academy.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/Careers/job/Headquarters---Katy-TX/Manager-IT-Application-Operations_R334083 ## About the Role * 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) Skills: * 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 * Experience in product-based IT Operations and SRE principles is a plus * Acceptable level of hearing and vision to perform job duties * Communication - effective listening, speaking, and writing ## Description * 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 Physical Requirements & Attendance * Acceptable level of hearing and vision to perform job duties * Adhere to company work hours, policies, procedures, and rules governing professional staff behavior * Regular in-office attendance is required ## Related Videos - [Remote Driving on Plant Grounds with State-of-the-Art Cloud Technologies](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/251-remote-driving-on-plant-grounds-with-state-of-the-art-cloud-technologies) - [The Power of Purpose: Unlocking Potential and Innovation](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1110-the-power-of-purpose-unlocking-potential-and-innovation) - [5 steps for running a Kubernetes environment at scale](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/88-5-steps-for-running-a-kubernetes-environment-at-scale) - [Our journey with Spring Boot in a microservice architecture](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/511-our-journey-with-spring-boot-in-a-microservice-architecture) - [Navigating the Corporate Jungle: Life as a Developer in a large Company](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/621-navigating-the-corporate-jungle-life-as-a-developer-in-a-large-company) - [It's Not Vibe Coding If You Know What You're Doing](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100119-it-s-not-vibe-coding-if-you-know-what-you-re-doing) ## Related Articles - [The Most Popular IT Jobs on the Market](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/376-the-most-popular-it-jobs-on-the-market) - [System change: restart as developer?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/39-system-change-restart-as-developer) - [Highest Paying Tech Companies for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/220-highest-paying-tech-companies-for-developers) - [Is Software Engineering Over-Saturated?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/418-is-software-engineering-over-saturated) - [From developer to manager – what does it take to become an engineering manager?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/42-from-developer-to-manager-what-does-it-take-to-become-an-engineering-manager) - [7 Important Tips That Every Software Developer Should Know](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/101-7-important-tips-that-every-software-developer-should-know)