What are the responsibilities and job description for the Sr. Director Product position 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
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.
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 Business, Marketing, Online Retailing, Information Systems or similar field of study required
- 10 years in product management, e-commerce, or digital experience
- 7 years leading product teams at scale
- Proven experience driving measurable business outcomes
- Experience in omnichannel retail preferred
- Strong track record working in cross-functional environments
- Deep understanding of web and app product ecosystems
- Experience with experimentation, personalization and analytics
- Strong understanding of customer journey optimization
- Proven ability to coach, develop, and hold teams accountable
- Cross-functional influence: drive alignment across teams
- Executive communication: build narratives; translate technical details for business audiences
- Change leadership: guide teams through major transitions while sustaining quality
- Decision-making: recommend and defend data-backed trade-offs
- Customer-first mindset
- Own the Unified Product Roadmap
- Lead the development of a single omnichannel roadmap across all journey stages
- Align priorities across Awareness, Engagement, Consideration, Purchase, and Post-Purchase
- Partner with leadership to define sequencing and trade-offs
- Journey-Based Execution Through Pods
- Lead product managers embedded in journey pods
- Ensure each pod owns: Customer outcomes, Backlog prioritization, Measurable KPIs
- Reinforce accountability for end-to-end experience improvements
- Partner Closely with the Business
- Collaborate with Merchandising, Discovery, Marketing, and Operations to define priorities
- Bring data, insights, and trade-offs to shape decisions
- Ensure strong alignment between business goals and product execution
- Own the End-to-End Customer Experience
- Continuously evaluate the customer journey across all touchpoints
- friction points and drive improvements
- Ensure consistency across web, app, and fulfillment experiences
- Drive Execution Excellence
- Partner with Engineering, Project Services, and UAT teams to deliver high-quality releases
- Ensure release readiness, scalability, and performance
- Balance speed of delivery with long-term platform health
- Leverage Data, Insights, and Benchmarking
- Use analytics, customer behavior, and experimentation to guide decisions
- Apply competitive benchmarks to raise experience standards
- Drive a strong test-and-learn culture across pods
- Deliver Measurable Business Impact
- Own and influence key metrics: Conversion rate, Engagement, Average order value, Units per Transaction, Retention and lifetime value
- Ensure all product initiatives are tied to business outcomes
- Build and Lead a High-Performing Product Team
- Lead and develop product managers across journey pods
- Coach teams to think strategically and act with urgency
- Build a culture of ownership, accountability
- Acceptable level of hearing and vision to perform job duties
- Adhere to company work hours, policies, procedures and rules governing professional staff behavior
- Ability to work flexible hours as needed, including, but not limited to nights, weekends, and holidays
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.