Retail Systems Engineer

As a member of SKECHERS USA, Inc's IT team, this person will be responsible for the engineering, development, and enhancement of Skechers retail corporate systems worldwide, with primary focus on o9 Solutions and Aptos Merchandising. Working closely with the Retail Corporate Systems team, this role will translate business requirements into technical solutions and lead technical aspects of retail modernization projects, including the migration from our legacy Apropos retail backoffice system to Aptos Merchandising.

The Engineer, Retail Corporate Systems will lead technical implementation projects, develop custom solutions, and provide advanced system configuration and optimization. The ideal candidate has strong engineering skills in enterprise software development, data engineering, and retail domain knowledge.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

System Engineering & Development:

• Design, develop, and implement custom plugins and extensions for retail corporate systems.

• Create custom applications, scripts, and automation tools to enhance system functionality and user experience.

• Implement advanced system configurations, customizations, and performance optimizations.

• Support and manage ETL processes, data pipelines, and system interfaces.

• Support the migration from the legacy Apropos retail backoffice system (Informix/4GL) to Aptos Merchandising, including data migration, integration re-platforming, and cutover activities.

• Lead technical proof-of-concept projects and pilot implementations to showcase new ideas.

• Collaborate with enterprise architects on system design and technology roadmaps.

Data Engineering & Analytics:

• Develop and maintain advanced SQL queries for data extraction and analysis.
• Ability to work with and extract data from legacy Informix databases as part of migration and reconciliation efforts.
• Create automated data validation, quality monitoring, and performance tracking processes.

Production Support & Optimization:

• Troubleshoot system issues, data discrepancies, and integration problems across both legacy Apropos and new Aptos Merchandising environments during transition.
• Ability to identify any design issues in the existing setup and solve the business problem by providing break fixes.
• Perform system performance tuning, monitoring, and optimization.
• Manage technical debt, platform upgrades, and ensure compatibility with vendor-driven releases.
• Ability to review release notes, identify functional and technical impacts and support testing and business readiness activities.
• Document technical specifications and system designs relating to retail corporate systems.

Project Leadership & Collaboration:

• Work closely with business stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical specifications.
• Participate in legacy-to-modern system migration planning, including business process mapping from Apropos to Aptos Merchandising.
• Coordinate with offshore development teams, vendors and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Participate in Agile development processes, sprint planning, and technical reviews.

Additional:

• Maintain flexible work schedule including on-call availability during evenings and weekends as needed
• Ability to work effectively across multiple time zones (Pacific Time Zone primary) with global teams

WHAT YOU'LL BRING:

O9 Solutions:

Functional Configuration & Deployment

• Experience supporting or implementing knowledge graph-based supply chain planning solutions.
• Experience configuring o9 platform based on custom requirements including reports, action buttons, procedures and plugins.
• Ability to convert business logic to technical platform design, including knowledge of platform infrastructure.
• Experience in performance tuning o9 configuration and resolving customer issues to ensure solution usability and uptime.
• Knowledge of o9 platform's data model (table structures, linkages, optimal designs) for designing various merchandising use cases.

Technical Integration & Support

• Experience in o9 SDK and development frameworks.
• Knowledge of o9 Integration framework (Integration 3.0 framework preferred).
• Knowledge of implementing ETL solutions and designing integration flows between system endpoints and o9 platform.

Aptos Merchandising (Replacement for Legacy Apropos Retail Backoffice System):

Legacy System & Migration Context

• Familiarity with or ability to learn legacy retail backoffice systems, specifically Apropos running on Informix with 4GL code.
• Understanding of legacy-to-modern system migration strategies, data mapping, and business process re-engineering.
• Ability to analyze and document existing Apropos business logic written in 4GL for re-implementation in Aptos Merchandising.
• Experience with Informix database querying and data extraction to support migration validation and reconciliation.

Foundational Platform Knowledge

• Foundational knowledge of Aptos Merchandising concepts: environments, configuration, access control, logging, and monitoring.
• Experience with Aptos release management and change governance processes.

Aptos Retail Systems

• Ability to learn Aptos Merchandising data relationships (items, suppliers, locations, inventory, cost, and financials).
• Ability to learn Aptos database concepts (tables, views, indexes).
• Strong SQL skills for data analysis, reconciliation, and issue resolution.
• Experience with batch job processing, monitoring, and troubleshooting in Aptos environments.
• Familiarity with scheduler/batch frameworks, restarting, re-running, and validating jobs.

Integration & Data Management

• Hands on experience supporting system integrations:

• REST-based APIs.

• Event-driven integrations.

• File-based and asynchronous processing patterns.

• Experience re-platforming legacy integrations (e.g., file-based or proprietary protocols) to modern API-driven architectures.

• Comfort tracing issues across multiple services and integration logs.

Programming & Development:

• Proficiency in IBPL (o9 Solutions programming and scripting language).
• Proficiency in Java, Python, C#, or similar object-oriented programming languages.
• Some knowledge of VB.NET, JavaScript, or analytical packages like R, SAS, or CPLEX is desirable.
• Exposure to or ability to read legacy languages such as 4GL is a plus.
• Experience with web technologies (REST APIs, JSON, XML, HTML/CSS, JavaScript).
• Fluent in one or more query languages such as SQL, MDX, T-SQL, or IBPL is preferred.

Technical Architecture:

• Proficiency with version control systems (Git, SVN).
• Knowledge of enterprise integration patterns and API design.
• Knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or similar).
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.

Tools & Platforms:

• Proficiency with Atlassian tools (JIRA, Confluence).
• Experience with project management tools (Smartsheet).
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
• Experience with business intelligence platforms (Incorta is a plus).

Retail Domain Knowledge:

• Knowledge of merchandising systems and retail business processes (planning, buying, allocation, replenishment).
• Understanding of retail backoffice operations and how legacy systems like Apropos support store and corporate retail functions.
• Understanding of ERP functionalities.

Soft Skills:

• Excellent communication skills with ability to explain complex technical concepts to business stakeholders.
• Customer service orientation with focus on delivering business value and operational efficiency.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with exceptional attention to detail.
• Self-directed with ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities.
• Strong collaboration skills working effectively with project stakeholders, end users, developers, QA, contractors, and offshore resources.
• Adaptability to changing business requirements and technology landscapes.
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to learn new technologies.
• Strong documentation and knowledge sharing practices.
• Strong habit of continuous learning as vendor products evolve.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, or related technical field required.
• 8+ years of experience in Retail IT in Engineering/Technical position.
• 3+ years of experience with retail planning systems (o9 Solutions preferred).
• 2+ years of experience with a retail merchandising system (Aptos Merchandising preferred) OR demonstrated willingness and ability to learn.
• Familiarity with legacy retail systems (Apropos, Informix, or 4GL) is a plus but not required.
• Strong foundation in one system with proven ability to learn new enterprise systems.
• Experience with Agile development methodologies.

The pay range for this position is $130,000-$150,000/yr USD.

About Skechers

Skechers, a global Fortune 500 company, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel, and accessories. Serving over 180 countries and territories, Skechers connects customers to products through department and specialty stores, e-commerce and digital stores, and through our more than 5,300 Skechers retail locations.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Skechers is committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and respectful work environment. Skechers provides equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for employment without regard race, color, religion, gender, gender identification and expression, national origin, marital status, age, disability, genetic information, military status, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic established by local, state or federal law.

Reasonable Accommodation

Applicants for employment who require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job should request appropriate accommodation by emailing benefits@skechers.com.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each job responsibility satisfactorily. The skills, abilities and physical demands described are representative of those duties that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities, who are otherwise qualified for the job position, to perform the essential functions.