Network Engineer

About Our Company

Lids Sports Group is the largest licensed sports retailer in North America, selling fan and fashion-oriented headwear and apparel across the US and abroad. Operating out of Indianapolis, IN, our retail stores offer officially licensed headwear and apparel from collegiate and professional sports teams, plus top brands like Nike, New Era, Lululemon, and Mitchell & Ness. In addition to our wide assortment, we are the industry leader in on demand customization.

We currently operate 1,300 brick and mortar locations, including specialty concept stores for the NBA, NHL, Paris Saint-Germain, and the two largest MLB franchises, via our Yankees & Dodgers Clubhouse stores. Lids has built partnerships and collaborations with iconic global brands including Marvel/Disney, Playboy, Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack, and Post Malone, creating a community where fans, fashion, and culture collide.

General Position Summary

Lids is seeking an experienced and motivated Network Engineer to join our IT team. This role is critical in designing, building, and maintaining robust IT infrastructure to support business continuity and ensure operational efficiency for Lids retail and corporate environments. The ideal candidate will bring a proactive approach to network management, a focus on innovation, and the technical expertise to enhance and secure our systems, with a strong emphasis on cloud-based technologies such as Microsoft Azure.

Principle Duties and Responsibilities

• Network Administration: Configure, install, maintain, and troubleshoot network devices including routers, switches, and wireless solutions.
• Azure Cloud Integration: Design, configure, and support Azure cloud-based networking, including virtual networks, VPN gateways, and hybrid connectivity solutions.
• Monitoring & Troubleshooting: Utilize and configure traffic and security monitoring tools; proactively identify and resolve issues, including reviewing logs for irregularities.
• Maintenance & Patching: Perform regular maintenance, including patching and updates to ensure optimal performance and security.
• Network Design: Assist with designing network infrastructure; create and maintain detailed network architecture diagrams using tools like MS Visio.
• Project Implementation: Lead implementations and upgrades of network equipment, gathering requirements from cross-functional teams and ensuring minimal downtime.
• Optimization & Improvement: Offer recommendations for enhancements in software, hardware, and network design to improve performance and security.
• Protocol Troubleshooting: Demonstrate superior troubleshooting skills for OSPF protocols using tools such as protocol analyzers and sniffers.
• Data Center Operations: Perform rack and stack, cabling, and other on-site tasks within data center environments.
• Incident Response: Address incidents, changes, and service requests promptly, ensuring compliance with SLAs.

Job Requirements

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills to interact with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
• Physical ability to perform tasks in a data center, including lifting equipment and working in confined spaces.
• Strong Team Player skills
• Loves Space Exploration

Knowledge & Skills

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in network administration, including troubleshooting protocols like TCP/IP, DHCP, DNS, and Ethernet.
• Hands-on experience with Cisco technologies, including Nexus, Catalyst, ISR, ASR, and Meraki.
• Proficiency in OSPF routing protocols and network topologies.
• Experience configuring and supporting VPN (site-to-site and client-to-site), VLANs, LANs, and WANs.
• Expertise with Microsoft Azure networking solutions, including virtual networks, ExpressRoute, Azure VPN Gateways, and hybrid connectivity.
• Experience with load balancing, disaster recovery, and enterprise network support across multiple data centers.
• Familiarity with virtualization and web-server technologies.

Additional Beneficial Skills – Not Required, but great to have!

• Proficiency in Azure Active Directory for identity and access management, including role assignments, conditional access policies, and SSO configurations.
• Experience with Azure Networking Services, such as Application Gateways, Network Security Groups (NSGs), and Azure Front Door.
• Knowledge of Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and Network Watcher for monitoring and diagnostics of cloud-based resources.
• Familiarity with Azure Automation to streamline tasks like configuration management and patching.
• Hands-on experience with Azure Bastion for secure remote access to virtual machines.
• Understanding of Azure Backup and Site Recovery for disaster recovery planning and implementation.
• Experience managing Azure Virtual WAN and implementing hybrid networking solutions.
• Knowledge of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools such as Terraform or Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates for provisioning and managing Azure resources.
• Familiarity with Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) for containerized workload orchestration (preferred but not required).

Physical/Travel Requirements:

• In order to perform the essential functions of this job, an employee must be able to meet the following physical demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; talk; or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; use hands to finger; handle; or feel; reach with hands and arms; and stoop; kneel; or crouch. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and depth perception.
• This position requires less than 20% travel.

Reports To

• Manager of IT Infrastructure

EEO Statement:
Hat World, Inc., Lids Holdings, Inc., dba Lids and subsidiaries is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to complying with all federal, state, and local EEO laws. Hat World, Inc., prohibits discrimination against employees and applicants for employment based on the individual's race or color, religion or creed, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, marital status, sex, pregnancy status, age, military status, disability, or any other protected characteristic or class protected by law. Hat World, Inc. provides reasonable accommodation for disabilities in accordance with applicable laws.

Notice to Applicants:
In connection with your application, we collect information that identifies, reasonably relates to or describes you (“Personal Information”). The categories of Personal Information that we collect include your name, government issued identification number(s), email address, mailing address, other contact information, emergency contact information, employment history, educational history, criminal record, and demographic information. We collect and use those categories of Personal Information about you for human resources and other business management purposes, including identifying and evaluating you as a candidate for potential or future employment or future contract positions, recordkeeping in relation to recruiting and hiring, conducting criminal background checks as permitted by law, conducting analytics, and ensuring compliance with applicable legal requirements and Company policies.

Need accessibility assistance to apply?
Applicants who require accessibility assistance to submit an employment application, please email us at onboardingsupport@lids.com. A member of our Talent team will respond as soon as reasonably possible. This email address and is only for individuals seeking accommodation when applying for a career at Lids.

Req ID: 21240 

Location: Corporate Office