IT Technician

IT Technician

Under the direct supervision of the IT Director, the IT Technician provides frontline technical support for Meade County employees and is primarily responsible for the patching, software deployment, maintenance, security, and operational readiness of County workstations and other assigned endpoint devices. The position works closely with the IT Director and Senior IT Technician to maintain reliable and secure technology services throughout County departments and facilities. The position requires attention to detail, personal initiative, effective communication, and the ability to take ownership of assigned work through successful completion.

Major Duties

• Acts in a manner which demonstrates personal initiative and supports the best interests of Meade County and its citizens.
• Serves as the primary technician responsible for the County's endpoint patch-management process, including identifying missing operating system and third-party application updates, deploying approved patches, monitoring deployment results, troubleshooting failures, and verifying successful installation.
• Maintains established patching and maintenance schedules and provides reporting on endpoint patch status, deployment failures, exceptions, and devices requiring additional remediation.
• Performs routine software installation, upgrades, removals, configuration, and deployment across County workstations and other supported endpoint devices.
• Provides Tier 1 and Tier 2 technical support to County employees for workstation hardware, software, Microsoft 365 applications, printing, peripherals, user account and access issues, and basic network connectivity.
• Monitors assigned IT work orders and takes ownership of issues through resolution, including documenting troubleshooting performed, communicating status with users, verifying successful resolution, and appropriately escalating issues when necessary.
• Prepares, configures, deploys, replaces, and retires County computers and related technology equipment in accordance with established IT standards.
• Assists with employee onboarding and offboarding activities, including workstation preparation, account-related tasks, equipment assignment and configuration, and recovery of County technology assets.
• Maintains accurate hardware, software, endpoint, and asset inventory information within County IT management systems.
• Performs routine endpoint health and security checks and assists with remediation of devices identified as missing updates, security software, required configurations, or other established County IT standards.
• Follows established IT security standards, maintenance windows, change procedures, deployment processes, and documentation requirements.
• Assists the Senior IT Technician and IT Director with Microsoft 365, Active Directory, networking, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and other technology projects as assigned.
• Creates and maintains technical documentation, troubleshooting procedures, deployment information, and other IT records as required.
• Communicates effectively with County employees regarding technical issues, scheduled maintenance, outages, and resolution of support requests.
• Attends training sessions and meetings as required and maintains a willingness to learn new technologies and technical processes.
• May be called upon to participate in scheduled after-hours maintenance or emergency support activities, including nights, weekends, and holidays when required.
• Performs other duties and functions as assigned by the IT Director.

Supervisory Controls

• The IT Director assigns work in terms of general objectives and priorities. The IT Technician is expected to independently diagnose issues, prioritize workload, and complete assigned work with limited supervision.
• Guidelines include county policies and procedures, CJIS security requirements, cybersecurity best practices, vendor documentation, and standard IT operational procedures. Independent judgment is required in troubleshooting and applying technical solutions.

Complexity/Scope of Work

• Experience with endpoint management, software deployment, inventory, or patch-management tools preferred but not required.
• Excellent diagnostic, troubleshooting, and critical-thinking skills.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to verify that assigned work has been successfully completed.
• Ability to follow established technical and security procedures while independently working assigned issues through completion.
• Ability to recognize when an issue requires escalation and effectively communicate the problem and troubleshooting already performed.
• Ability to manage multiple support requests and prioritize work based on operational impact and urgency.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work professionally with both technical and non-technical County employees.
• Demonstrated initiative, dependability, willingness to learn, and ability to work effectively as part of a small IT team.

Contacts

• Contacts are typically with county employees, department heads, vendors, contractors, public safety personnel, and external technology service providers.
• Contacts are typically used to exchange information, resolve technical issues, coordinate projects, and provide technical support services.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or listen.
• The employee frequently is required to stand and walk.
• The employee is occasionally required to sit; use hands and fingers, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 25 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 100 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus.

Supervisory and Management Responsibility

• This position does not directly supervise employees.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or G.E.D. certificate required. Associate degree in information technology, computer science, or a related field preferred.
• Previous experience in technical support, help desk, desktop support, endpoint administration, or a related information technology position preferred.
• Working knowledge of Windows desktop operating systems, computer hardware, peripherals, and common business applications.
• Basic understanding of Active Directory, Microsoft 365, user accounts and permissions, and common networking concepts including TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, and wired and wireless connectivity.

Examination, Testing, and Certification

• Valid South Dakota Driver's License.
• Ability to be insured on the county insurance policy.
• Successful competition in written and/or oral interviews.
• Other such examination as deemed appropriate and necessary by the County.