Senior Staff IT Engineer

Role Summary

AO Swag is building an internal IT core to reduce vendor dependency, stabilize a complex legacy environment, and support the next phase of growth. The Senior Staff IT Engineer is a hands on senior individual contributor role responsible for owning core systems, integrations, and operational reliability while partnering closely with business leaders and junior engineers.

This role sits between strategy and execution. It is not a people manager, but it is a technical leader with real ownership. The expectation is to build, run, document, and improve systems that the business depends on every day.

This role works closely with the CEO, IT leadership, application engineers, and selected vendors, with a clear mandate to internalize knowledge and reduce long term external dependency.

Core Responsibilities

• Operational ownership and stability
• Own day to day reliability of core systems including order flows, integrations, infrastructure, and internal toolsDiagnose and resolve production issues without defaulting to vendors
• Create and maintain runbooks, system documentation, and incident response playbooksReduce recurring issues and operational noise through automation and simplification
• Platform and integration leadershipHelp own and evolve AO’s integration layer connecting ecommerce, ERP, fulfillment, and third party systems
• Design and build reliable APIs, services, and workflows with a focus on traceability and failure handlingEnsure integrations are understandable, observable, and supportable by internal teams
• Legacy transition supportWork alongside vendors and internal staff to absorb institutional knowledge from legacy systems
• Help isolate and stabilize legacy platforms while supporting migration and modernization efforts
• Ensure knowledge transfer results in internal capability, not vendor lock in
• Security, access, and controls
• Partner with IT leadership and external security resources to improve access control, credential management, and audit readiness
• Support PCI posture improvements through system level controls and documentationHelp move ownership of systems and accounts away from vendors and into AO
• Internal capability building
• Mentor and support application engineers including current staff and future hires
• Set technical standards for code quality, documentation, and operational readiness
• Help establish a culture of ownership, clarity, and accountability within IT
• What This Role Is NotThis is not a consultant roleThis is not a pure architecture or strategy only roleThis is not a temporary bridge role
• This role is about owning real systems, making real decisions, and being accountable for outcomes.

Ideal Background and Experience

• 8 to 12 plus years of hands on engineering experience in production environments
• Strong backend and systems experience with modern languages and frameworks
• Experience building and operating integrations between complex systems
• Comfort working in imperfect, partially documented environments
• Experience stabilizing legacy systems while building toward a future state
• Strong debugging and problem solving instinctsClear written communication and documentation habits

Nice to Have

• Experience with ecommerce, ERP, logistics, or manufacturing systems
• Experience with cloud infrastructure and CI CD pipelines
• Experience supporting compliance driven environments such as PCI or SOC
• Experience working in small, lean internal teams replacing vendor led models

Why This Role Matters at AO

This role is central to reducing dependency on vendorsThis role is central to making systems understandable and operable internallyThis role is central to scaling the business without scaling chaos

AO is intentionally building a small, high ownership internal IT team. This role is for someone who wants to be part of that foundation and grow with it.

JOB CODE: 1000032