Visualization Architect Jobs in Houston, TX (NOW HIRING)

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, Business, or a related field required.
• Master's degree or formal architecture training such as TOGAF or equivalent is a plus.

Work Experiences:

• 6+ years of experience in architecture, technology strategy, or technical leadership roles, with progressive responsibility across complex enterprise environments.
• 2+ years of people leadership or matrix leadership experience, including mentoring architects or senior technical staff.
• Demonstrated experience shaping enterprise or domain architecture across business, applications, integration, and platforms.
• Experience working in cloud and hybrid environments at scale.
• Retail, omni-channel, supply chain, or consumer-facing digital experience is strongly preferred.

Skills:

• Strong executive communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business outcomes.
• Strategic mindset with the ability to balance long-term architecture vision with near-term business needs.
• Proven ability to influence without authority across product, engineering, and business teams.
• Strong analytical and systems-thinking capabilities.
• Experience defining architecture standards, principles, reference architectures, and target-state roadmaps.
• Working knowledge of business, application, and integration architecture.
• Working knowledge of cloud platforms such as GCP, Azure, or similar technologies.
• Working knowledge of data, martech, and digital platforms.
• Proficiency with productivity and visualization tools such as PowerPoint, Visio, and architecture modeling tools including ARDOQ, BizzDesign, or Abacus.

Responsibilities:

• Implement enterprise-wide architecture standards, principles, and guardrails across application, integration, and platform domains and projects.
• Partner with IT and business leadership to help establish a long-term enterprise architecture vision aligned to business strategy.
• Lead development of business architecture artifacts such as capability maps, value streams, and roadmaps to connect business strategy, operating models, and technology architecture.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and platforms, guiding adoption decisions based on value, risk, and architectural fit.
• Champion scalable, resilient, and sustainable enterprise solutions that balance innovation with operational excellence.
• Own and evolve enterprise architecture vision through project implementation across one or more of the following domains: marketing technology and customer engagement platforms; supply chain, inventory, logistics, and merchandising systems; store, POS, and unified commerce platforms.
• Guide architectural direction for capabilities such as campaign management, personalization, martech integrations, order management, fulfillment, and in-store operations.
• Identify and drive opportunities to simplify fragmented landscapes, reduce redundancy, and improve interoperability.
• Enable seamless, end-to-end omni-channel experiences through cohesive architecture design.
• Build trusted advisory relationships with senior business, product, and IT leaders.
• Ensure alignment between business priorities, transformation roadmaps, and technology investments.
• Translate business strategy into business capability models, value streams, and target-state projects that guide technology investment and transformation priorities.
• Represent Enterprise Architecture in executive forums, steering committees, and strategic planning discussions.
• Provide architecture-driven perspectives on investment decisions, risk trade-offs, and sequencing.
• Lead and participate in architecture governance processes, ensuring consistency with enterprise standards and principles.
• Collaborate with solution and domain architects to review and validate solution designs.
• Identify architectural risks, technical debt implications, and long-term impacts early in the lifecycle.
• Support translation of business capabilities into cohesive, end-to-end architecture models and roadmaps.
• Partner with product, engineering, and delivery teams to ensure architectural intent is maintained throughout execution.
• Influence implementation approaches without owning day-to-day delivery responsibilities.
• Collaborate with application support and operations teams to address systemic issues and reduce long-term technical debt.
• Provide guidance on architectural trade-offs, patterns, and best practices.
• Contribute to innovation initiatives, proof-of-concepts, and pilot programs to evaluate new ideas and technologies.
• Continuously identify opportunities to improve architectural maturity, simplify complexity, and improve time-to-value.
• Ensure architectural decisions, reference models, and key learnings are documented and shared across teams.
• Responsibilities may change; team members 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 office attendance is required.

Academy is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate with regard to employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by law.