Application Engineer III – D&L

About the role

Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) is looking for a Solution Engineer III in Information Technology (IT) to provide development, integration, and application oversight for strategic technical solutions within our Distribution & Logistics (D&L) department. This customer-facing role serves as an advisor, subject-matter expert, and delivery partner for internal business units. You will guide internal customers from concept to go-live, acting as a key technical anchor to design modern integration layers (including Azure, Java Spring Boot, REST APIs, and modern front-end frameworks) while mentoring the development team through technology transitions.

Responsibilities

• Deliver Solutions (35%)
  • Serve as the subject matter expert for designing and delivering integrated solutions and implementation best practices.
  • Ensure system-wide resiliency, scalability, data strategy, stability, and operational efficiency of solutions.
  • Develop high-quality technical solutions aligned with industry best practices and approved technology stacks.
• Support & Availability Service (30%)
  • Monitor performance and optimize resources for maximum uptime, high availability, and cost-effectiveness in hybrid cloud/on-prem environments.
  • Act as a tier-3 technical resource to analyze, diagnose, and resolve complex application issues and bugs.
• Continuous Improvement (20%)
  • Self-analyze project successes and failures to develop metrics, feedback loops, and corrective actions.
  • Experiment with new solutions and cloud best practices to bridge operational gaps.
  • Mentor development teammates on modern software engineering practices to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
• Strategy (15%)
  • Collaborate with internal customers to understand business problems, workflows, and desired outcomes.
  • Evaluate technology acquisitions for long-term supportability, vendor viability, and total cost of ownership.
  • Drive technical resolution and integration coordination with third-party vendors during software rollouts.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, or related technical degree.
• Experience: 5+ years of application development experience, with a proven track record of designing, developing, and implementing high-performing, large-scale, and complex systems, including integration with third-party applications.
• Core Technical Stack (Required):
  • Strong proficiency in Java and Spring Boot frameworks.
  • Familiarity with cloud ecosystem services, preferably Microsoft Azure (e.g., Logic Apps, messaging infrastructure).
  • Solid experience with relational databases and SQL.
  • Familiarity with front-end JavaScript environments (e.g., React).
• Integration Skills:
  • Strong understanding of event-based/message architectures and data integration techniques.
  • Familiarity with HTTP request/response lifecycles.
  • Knowledge of cloud security and virtual networking basics (e.g., VNets, IAM roles, access controls).
• Communication Skills: Accomplished interpersonal and communication skills for various business and technical audiences, with a strong architectural mindset and dedication to IT best practices.
• Professional Attributes:
  • High initiative: Ability to work independently as a self-starter on complex, undocumented systems.
  • Patient mentor: Passion for mentoring and pair-programming to grow legacy developers’ skillsets.
  • Collaborative: Ability to work in cross-functional teams and excel in remote settings.

Preferred Qualifications

• Retail, wholesale, or Consumer Product Goods industry experience.
• Experience integrating and supporting large-scale enterprise vendor software (e.g., Warehouse Management Systems, ERP solutions, transportation and logistics software).
• Knowledge of modern DevOps technologies, CI/CD pipelines, and version control (e.g., Git, Jenkins, Ansible).

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, & Vision Insurance
• Health Savings Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Paid Vacation, Holiday, and Sick Time
• 401(k) with 4% match and 3 additional contributions
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Basic & Supplemental Life and AD&D Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• Wellness Program
• Yearly Holiday Bonus

Location: 5000 Kansas Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66106. Hybrid work model.