Sr Manager Core Technologies Connectivity Platforms at Academy Sports + Outdoors

Who We Are At Academy Sports + Outdoors our vision is to be the best sports + outdoors retailer in the country — but what truly sets us apart is our people. We’re a passionate, purpose-driven team that’s as committed to each other as we are to our customers. We’ve spent over 80 years building a culture that puts people first. We believe in creating opportunities for growth, fostering meaningful connections, and supporting every Team Member’s journey. What fuels us? Our belief in the power of fun. 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! Education: • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related discipline, or equivalent work experience. • Advanced industry certifications are highly preferred (e.g., CCNP/CCIE, PCNSE, Cloud-specific networking certs). Work Experiences: • 10+ years of progressive experience in IT infrastructure, with a deep focus on enterprise network and telecom engineering. • 4+ years of proven managerial and leadership experience, with a track record of building, mentoring, and leading high-performing technical teams (experience managing other managers is strongly preferred). • Demonstrated experience developing and executing annual technology roadmaps and strategies that align with core business goals. • Proven track record of architecting, implementing, and managing innovative, highly available, and fault-tolerant network architectures. • Proven experience in leading IT operations, incident response, and problem management functions at scale. • Extensive experience in strategic and tactical vendor/Managed Service Provider (MSP) management, including contract negotiation, defining statements of work (SOWs), and driving partner performance to defined SLAs. • Demonstrated experience directly linking technical operations and infrastructure investments to financial outcomes (budget, TCO, ROI). Skills: • Expert-level knowledge of enterprise network architecture (e.g., Switching, Routing, BGP/OSPF, VLANs, Firewalls) and wide-area networking (e.g., MPLS, SD-WAN). • Deep knowledge in modern wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi 6/6E, mobility, BYOD) for large-scale retail and corporate environments. • Deep understanding of cloud networking (GCP, Azure, AWS), including hybrid-cloud connectivity, VPC design, transit gateways, and cloud-native security. • Advanced knowledge of network security principles and systems (e.g., Next-Gen Firewalls, NAC, Zero Trust concepts, SASE). • Direct experience with the Fortinet platform (FortiGate, FortiManager) is highly desired. • Expertise in modern voice platforms and a comprehensive understanding of telecom infrastructure and cost management. • Proficiency in leveraging network monitoring and observability tools (e.g., SolarWinds, Dynatrace) to drive operational stability and rapid root cause analysis. • Excellent communication skills, with a proven ability to report on technical status, project delivery, and incidents to leadership. • Strong understanding of IT governance frameworks and experience managing environments subject to regulatory compliance (PCI, SOX). • Strong financial acumen with experience managing large operational (OpEx) and capital (CapEx) budgets. • Methodical problem-solving skills, with the ability to lead high-stakes incident response and drive root cause analysis. Responsibilities: • Develop, own, and execute the annual operating plan and technology roadmap for all network, firewall, and telecom platforms (LAN, WAN, SD-WAN, Wireless, Next-Gen Firewalls, Cloud Networking, and Voice). • Partner with IT and business leadership to understand objectives and translate them into scalable, secure, and cost-effective network solutions. • Oversee technology evaluation, selection, and design, ensuring solutions are operationally sound, supportable, and meet business requirements. • Proactively monitor platform health and performance, identifying potential issues before they impact the business and driving continuous optimization. • Drive continuous operational improvement, identifying opportunities for automation, optimization, and process refinement to increase efficiency and reduce TCO. • Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of network engineers and analysts, fostering a culture of operational excellence, service ownership, and accountability. • Manage all aspects of talent management, from strategic recruitment and onboarding to performance evaluation and professional development planning. • Define team structure, resource allocation, and priorities to ensure alignment with critical projects and operational needs. • Directly own and manage the operational excellence of the department, including the P1/P2 major incident response process, root cause analysis, and problem management frameworks. • ...