Manager, IT Architecture & Operations

Title:

Manager, IT Architecture & Operations

Requisition #: 5138

Location:

Austin, TX, US, 78735
Property:
Exacta
Pay Range
At Exacta Systems, we’re not just shaping the future of gaming—we’re redefining it. As a leader in historical horse racing (HHR) technology, we create cutting-edge gaming solutions that power thrilling player experiences nationwide. Now part of the Churchill Downs family, we’re backed by a storied legacy of excellence in racing and gaming. This new chapter brings exciting opportunities for growth, stability, innovation, and impact.

If you're looking for a career where technology meets tradition and where your ideas drive the future, let’s explore the possibilities together!
Job Summary
The Manager, IT Architecture & Operations is a hands‑on technical leader with a dual mandate spanning enterprise architecture and IT service operations. The role leads architecture and engineering design for Exacta's platforms and infrastructure while supporting incident management, monitoring, and service delivery for internal and customer‑facing systems as business needs require. The incumbent is expected to provide credible technical leadership in design review, major‑incident response, and customer escalation while developing toward broader IT leadership responsibility.
Essential Duties And Responsibilities
Enterprise & Solution Architecture

• Maintain Exacta's enterprise architecture strategy and standards across internal systems, customer‑facing platforms, and integrations.
• Lead architecture and design for Exacta Connect and NXT, including integrations with game manufacturers, casino management, and player tracking systems.
• Maintain architecture patterns and reference designs for on‑premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.
• Prepare build/buy/partner recommendations aligned with product roadmaps and Churchill Downs standards.

• Serve as a technical escalation point for complex customer system, network, and infrastructure issues.
• Partner with Sales, Product, Development, and Operations on deployments and operator‑site expansions.
• Lead technical onboarding of new venues, including infrastructure, connectivity, and compliance readiness.
• Work with operators to improve system performance, uptime, and reporting.

• Execute cloud/hybrid infrastructure roadmaps and recommend improvements using operational data.
• Deliver reliability, scalability, backup, and disaster recovery plans, including testing and documentation.
• Establish infrastructure standards for deployments, networking, hosting, and remote monitoring.
• Manage infrastructure spend and cost optimization.
• Oversee configuration, patching, security hardening, access controls, and infrastructure lifecycle maintenance.

• Ensure systems meet applicable gaming regulatory requirements and security‑by‑design principles.
• Partner with Legal, Compliance, and Churchill Downs security teams on audit readiness, data integrity, and responsible gaming safeguards.
• Support regulatory audits, security assessments, and incident reviews and drive follow‑up actions to closure.

• Monitor, triage, and resolve infrastructure/network alerts and ensure timely critical‑incident response.
• Perform root‑cause analysis on recurring incidents and implement corrective actions.
• Lead major‑incident response as needed, coordinating Engineering, Field Operations, vendors, and customer communications.
• Manage monitoring dashboards, alerts, and thresholds; analyze availability and performance trends.
• Provide incident summaries, service‑level reporting, and technical updates to leadership and stakeholders.

• Flex between…