IT Director

Tecovas was founded with the simple goal of making the world's best western boots, apparel and leather goods, and selling them at a fair price. We are a brand revolutionizing a category and welcoming first-time boot buyers and western enthusiasts alike. Tecovas is looking for an IT Director to lead and scale our Corporate and Retail IT functions during a period of rapid growth across our headquarters and store fleet. Reporting directly to the Chief Technology Officer, you will own the strategy, operations, security posture, and team behind every piece of technology that powers our corporate office, our retail stores, and the people who run them. This role is required to be based in Austin, TX. Candidates must either be currently located in or willing to relocate to Austin, TX. What you’ll do: Lead the Corporate IT strategy and execution, including identity and access management, endpoint management, networking, AV and conferencing, helpdesk operations, and day-to-day technology support for the corporate team. Lead the Retail IT and Technology strategy and execution across our 70+ store fleet, including POS uptime and support, store networking, back‑of‑house hardware, RFID infrastructure, and the technology playbook for new store openings. Use technology as a lever to push radical hospitality through every store experience. Partner with Retail leadership to guide roadmaps and technology decisions that elevate how our teams serve customers. Build, manage, and develop the IT team, including the Corporate IT Manager and Retail IT Manager and their respective teams. Coach managers, set the bar for service quality, and grow the bench underneath you. Own IT security policies and governance in partnership with the broader technology organization. Define and enforce standards for access, devices, vendors, and data across both corporate and retail environments. Help shape and operate corporate governance around AI usage at Tecovas, including acceptable use, tooling standards, data handling, and risk management. Partner with the technology organization and cross‑functional leaders to make sure our approach to AI is both ambitious and responsible. Lead compliance and audit management for the IT organization, including SOX readiness, PCI compliance across our eCommerce and retail channels, and any future framework adoption. Serve as the primary IT point of contact for internal and external auditors. Drive the IT roadmap and budget, prioritizing investments that improve uptime, reduce risk, and scale with the business. Manage IT hardware lifecycle, budgets, and procurement across both corporate and retail environments. Build a predictable refresh cadence and make sure the right tools are in the right hands at the right time. Manage and partner with external IT vendor relationships across software, hardware, networking, and managed services. Hold vendors accountable to SLAs, lead renewals, and build partnerships that extend the team's reach. Partner closely with Store Operations, Finance, People, and Engineering to deliver technology that helps every team move faster. Serve as the senior escalation point for major incidents affecting corporate or retail technology, and lead post‑incident reviews that drive lasting improvements. Scale the retail technology stack and support model as Tecovas grows into new markets and time zones. Build the coverage, on‑call, and partner relationships that keep every store supported regardless of where or when it operates. Travel periodically to retail stores to stay close to the field and the realities of operating technology at the store level. Qualifications: 10+ years of progressive IT leadership experience, including direct ownership of both corporate and retail technology environments. Experience managing and developing IT managers and their teams in a multi‑site retail business. Track record of building and maintaining IT security policies, governance frameworks, and compliance programs. Demonstrated experience leading audit cycles as the senior IT point of contact, including SOX or PCI engagements. Experience leading IT through a significant company growth or transformation phase, particularly one that required new levels of rigor in controls, audit, and governance. Strong working knowledge of modern IT tooling across identity, endpoint, networking, and helpdesk. Experience supporting a large retail fleet of 50+ stores, including new store openings, POS environments, and store networking at scale. Experience standing up AI governance programs or leading AI tooling rollouts at scale. Familiarity with our stack, including Unifi, Okta, Shopify POS, Nedap RFID, and NetSuite. What you bring to the table: You are AI fluent and leaning in. You actively use AI tools in your own work, stay current as the landscape evolves, and have a clear point of view on how IT leaders should operate in an AI native world. You see technology as a service to people, not the other way around. You understand that the goal of retail technology is to free our store teams to do what they do best, take care of customers. You are a builder and an operator. You are comfortable setting strategy and equally comfortable rolling up your sleeves when the moment calls for it. You have a high bar for service quality. You believe great IT is invisible when things are working and decisive when they aren't. You can lead through other leaders. You coach your managers, set clear expectations, and create the conditions for your team to do their best work. You communicate clearly with non‑technical audiences. You can sit with a store manager, a CFO, or an engineer and meet each of them where they are. You are calm under pressure. When systems go down, you bring structure, not noise. You are deeply organized. You can hold a 12‑month roadmap, an audit schedule, and the Friday helpdesk queue in your head at the same time. We offer insurance plans that pay 79‑90% of your health premium coverage and 100% of your dental and vision insurance coverage for your family/dependents. 401(k) match. Flexible PTO policy. Corporate wellness program. Eligibility to participate in Corporate Bonus Program. About Us: Based in Austin, TX, Tecovas brings the spirit of the West to the modern consumer. Handcrafting the best Western footwear, workwear, apparel, and accessories, Tecovas has grown rapidly since its founding as the first digitally native Western brand in 2015, serving customers through Tecovas.com , Tecovas Stores from coast to coast, and select wholesale partners. We are committed to hiring values‑aligned people who believe in grit, speed, and a clear vision. In a remote setting, interviewing at Tecovas may include phone interviews, virtual "on‑site" interviews, and on‑the‑job mock cases. We are committed to a thorough process for candidates with whom we identify a potential match and will do our best to follow‑up with each applicant. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and we encourage all qualified individuals to apply! Information collected during the application process is subject to our privacy policy. Please note: Offers of employment may be conditional pending the completion of standard onboarding procedures. #J-18808-Ljbffr Tecovas