Technical Operations Engineer

Reports To: Chief Technology Officer

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work: Full Time/ M-F, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM.

About Us:

Mid-States Distributing is the leading Farm, Ranch, and Home Retail Organization. Our 72+ year old company is owned by 29 independent Farm, Ranch & Home retailers (“Members”) who operate approximately 700 stores across the US with combined annual sales in excess of 7.5 billion dollars. Our member/owners retail items such as agriculture parts & supplies, petroleum products, hardware & tools, pet food, lawn & garden, animal health supplies, apparel & footwear, sporting goods, and various other products for the Farm, Ranch, and Home.

We are looking for enthusiastic people who like to win! We place a tremendous amount of emphasis on creating a dynamic and positive company culture. Most of our employees will tell you that Mid-States is the best place they’ve ever worked. We value high-energy people with positive attitudes who believe in the concept of “serving to wow”! Our consumers are primarily rural people raising kids, pets, cows, and crops so traditional values like God, family, and patriotism are important virtues. So, if you are enthusiastic, competitive, have a great attitude, have excellent written and verbal communication skills, like to build strong relationships, like to win, and refuse to eat meat grown in a lab – Mid-States may be the place for you! If you are not, please apply with our competitors!

POSITION OVERVIEW:

Mid-States Distributing is looking for a versatile Technical Operations Engineer to work directly with the Chief Technology Officer across a wide range of technology initiatives.

This is not a narrowly defined infrastructure, development, database, or project management position. The person in this role will work across all of those areas depending on the needs of the department.

One day you may be investigating and fixing database performance, writing a PowerShell script, or troubleshooting an Azure issue. The next day you may be coordinating a technology project, working with a vendor, reviewing a network configuration, documenting a process, or helping solve an issue within Dynamics 365.

We are looking for someone who enjoys solving problems, learning unfamiliar systems, and taking ownership of projects from initial investigation through implementation.

The ideal candidate is a strong technical generalist who may not know every technology on day one but knows how to research, troubleshoot, test, document, and ultimately solve technical problems.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Responsibilities will vary based on current projects and business needs and may include:

Microsoft Azure and Cloud Infrastructure

• Assist with administration and optimization of Microsoft Azure resources.
• Work with the network team to troubleshoot Azure infrastructure, networking, application, and configuration issues.
• Assist with Azure SQL databases and other database services. This could mean fixing performance issues, finding and fixing bugs, maintenance schedules, etc.
• Review resource configurations, performance, security, and costs.
• Help implement infrastructure improvements and cloud-based solutions.
• Assist with identity, permissions, access control, and Microsoft Entra ID.
• Help document and maintain the company's cloud environment.

Database Administration and Optimization

• Investigate database performance problems and identify potential improvements.
• Write and review SQL queries.
• Analyze slow queries, indexes, execution plans, and database workloads.
• Assist with database maintenance and optimization.
• Support data integrations between internal and external systems.
• Help troubleshoot data-related issues across applications.

Automation and Scripting

• Develop PowerShell scripts and other automation tools.
• Automate repetitive IT and business processes.
• Build scripts for system administration, reporting, monitoring, data movement, and maintenance.
• Improve existing scripts and internal tools.
• Identify opportunities where automation can reduce manual work.

Dynamics 365 and Business Systems

• Assist with the administration and support of Microsoft Dynamics 365.
• Troubleshoot Dynamics-related issues involving users, integrations, workflows, applications, and data.
• Assist with data imports, exports, transformations, and integrations.
• Support projects involving Dynamics 365 and related Microsoft technologies.
• Work with internal users and external vendors to resolve system issues.

Networking and Infrastructure

• Assist with troubleshooting switches, firewalls, VPNs, network connectivity, and other infrastructure.
• Review network configurations and troubleshoot performance or connectivity problems.
• Assist with infrastructure upgrades and technology deployments.
• Coordinate with third-party providers when needed.

Troubleshooting and Technical Operations

• Investigate technical issues across a wide variety of systems.
• Perform root-cause analysis rather than relying solely on temporary fixes.
• Research unfamiliar technologies when necessary.
• Work independently to develop and test potential solutions.
• Escalate issues appropriately while providing clear documentation of what has already been investigated.

Documentation

• Create and maintain technical documentation.
• Document systems, configurations, scripts, processes, and troubleshooting procedures.
• Create implementation and rollback plans for system changes.
• Help improve internal IT procedures and standards.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE:

Candidates do not need deep expertise in every technology listed below. Experience across several of these areas is preferred.

• Microsoft Azure
• Microsoft 365
• Microsoft Entra ID / Azure Active Directory
• Microsoft Dynamics 365
• SQL Server and Azure SQL
• T-SQL
• PowerShell
• REST APIs and system integrations
• Windows Server
• Networking fundamentals
• Firewalls and switches
• VPNs
• DNS, DHCP, TCP/IP, and related network technologies
• Git or other source control systems
• Scripting or software development
• Data transformation and migration
• Monitoring and logging systems

Experience with additional programming languages, cloud platforms, databases, networking technologies, or enterprise applications is a plus.

Qualifications

• Strong technical troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to independently research unfamiliar technologies.
• Strong understanding of general IT and systems concepts.
• Experience with scripting, programming, system administration, database administration, or a combination of these disciplines.
• Ability to manage multiple unrelated projects simultaneously.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical users.
• Strong organizational and documentation skills.
• Ability to identify when additional expertise or vendor support is required.
• Comfortable working directly with senior technology leadership.
• Willingness to take ownership of problems and drive them through resolution.

A specific degree or certification is less important than demonstrated technical ability, problem-solving skills, and professional experience.

TRAVEL:

Some travel involved.

OTHER DUTIES:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Reasonable accommodations may enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

A few words from our COO:

I have had the pleasure to work for some incredible companies during my career, but Mid-States is truly the best company I have ever worked for. Lead by our dynamic CEO, Tom Mahlke, our team strives to provide a unique, exciting, fun, and fulfilling work environment for our staff. Things like drama, laziness, and entitlement have no place in Mid-States, which makes Mid-States a refreshing place to work. We offer competitive salaries, have a fantastic benefits package, and believe in rewarding those who produce. We serve a wonderful industry, and we are financially sound and growing rapidly. If you are an enthusiastic, high-energy person with a positive attitude and the skills described above, you may have just found the last job you will ever apply for! I look forward to meeting you. – Jeff Rash, COO