Connecting you to careers that matter most.
Service Area | Departments | Culture | Open Positions | Benefits | Application Process | Learn More | EEO
Want to make a real difference in your community? Golden West is looking for friendly, hardworking people to join our team – and we offer well-paying positions right here in South Dakota!
Golden West connects residents in about 100 communities dotted across the state to what matters most. The member-owned cooperative offers broadband internet, reliable phone, and cable TV services that enable employees to work where they want to live instead of the other way around. Golden West offers opportunities for people like you to build a strong career in a community you love.
Do you like taking charge and getting things done? Are you someone who always tries their best? If you've got a "what can we do" attitude and want to work for a company that's known for taking care of its employees and customers, we want to hear from you!
Golden West offers competitive pay for all employees, and full-time employees also get a generous benefits package including health, dental, life, disability, and 401(k) retirement plan with a robust company match. In addition, full-time team members get work-life balance with paid vacation, personal, and sick leave and other cool perks! Come join the Golden West team and help build a stronger future for South Dakota’s smaller communities!
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As of 2025, Golden West employees average 15 years of service.
Various teams
Golden West is all about helping rural communities thrive. Our friendly staff works hard across various teams to exceed customer expectations.
The member services team answers questions and makes sure customers get the service options they need. Every day they assist existing customers with payments or upgrades and do the legwork needed to bring services to new locations. Field services team members are the connection experts! They install, fix, and keep everyone’s internet, phone, and cable TV services working great.
Behind the scenes, engineering and network operations build, monitor, and maintain the infrastructure. They design, document, and take care of the network that keeps everything connected. Platform engineering works on the newest technology, making sure your service is up to date and reliable.
Every Golden West employee plays an important role in keeping customers connected. Marketing communicates regularly with customers and promotes the organization and its products and services. Accounting oversees the cooperative’s financial health for long-term sustainability. And human resources helps ensure a talented team of people work for Golden West and that everyone understands their benefits and is supported in their jobs.
"I appreciate that Golden West gives me the chance to work with my hands, be outside, and provide a service to our community," says Hunter in Field Services.
Company culture
South Dakota may be vast, but there is still a strong sense of community. Golden West embraces that neighborly spirit as a cooperative owned by the very people it serves. As such, Golden West invests deeply in ensuring all its customers – from the far southwest corner of the Black Hills and across the plains to the eastern edge of the state – has access to the fastest internet speeds, reliable phone, and cable TV services.
Golden West team members live and work in the communities they serve, giving them a unique perspective and special dedication to their neighbors. Golden West is committed to doing what's right, striving for excellence, leading responsibly, prioritizing sustainability, and ensuring the well-being of its customers and employees. Team members work together to keep the communities served by the cooperative connected and strong. Some say South Dakota is just one big, small town, and Golden is proud to be a part of it.
In 2024, two employees retired after 35 and 44 years of service.
Open positions
Listed below are the open positions for both Golden West Telecommunications and Golden West Technologies, the organization’s business solutions division. Below that is an overview of benefits available to Golden West Telecommunications full-time employees. For Golden West Technologies benefits information, visit gwtis.com/careers.
"My favorite part of my job is the excitement of families when services are installed or restored. There is a sense of relief that you can feel the moment you inform them that service is active," says Ryan in field services.
Generous benefits for telecom
Golden West Telecommunications offers competitive pay and generous benefits, so you have all you need to grow and succeed. The cooperative also invests in its employees through ongoing training and educational opportunities.
The following benefits are available for full-time employees at Golden West Telecommunications.
Retirement
- 401(k) Plan: Golden West contributes up to 11% toward an employee's 401(k), some without a match required. Starts after 6 months and 1,000 hours of employment.
Health Insurance
- Three plans to choose from with three tiered levels: employee only, employee plus spouse or child(ren), employee plus spouse and child(ren).
- All plans include prescription and vision insurance as part of the plans.
- Company pays over 90% of the health insurance premium for all tiers.
- Deductible Reimbursement (Section 105): Golden West reimburses a portion of the deductible as it is met with traditional insurance plans.
- Health Savings Account (HSA) pairs with the High-Deductible Health Plan.
- Flexible Spending Plan is available to pay medical, dental, and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars with traditional insurance plans.
Dental Insurance
- Three tiered levels: employee only, employee plus spouse or child(ren), employee plus spouse and child(ren).
- Single-tier premium is paid by Golden West.
Additional Insurances
- Long-term disability plan: 50% of the premium paid by Golden West.
- Group life insurance: offers term life policy valued at 2x salary with premium paid by Golden West.
- Supplemental life insurance for employee and/or spouse: premium paid by the employee, if elected.
- AD&D (accidental death & dismemberment): premium paid by Golden West.
- High-limit business travel insurance: premium paid by Golden West.
- 24-hour accident insurance: premium paid by employee.
Paid leave
- Vacation – 80 hours, accrues monthly and increases with length of service.
- Personal leave – 32 hours issued at the beginning of every year (prorated when employment starts mid-year).
- Regular sick leave – 48 hours issued at the beginning of every year (prorated when employment starts mid-year).
- Medical reserve leave/Short-term disability – 520 hours, company funded, available after one year when qualifying events occur.
- Holidays – 9 days per year.
Other benefits
- Employee assistance program through Connections EAP is fully paid by Golden West.
- Logo wear clothing allowance.
- Personal interest-free computer loans.
- Personal discounts on company internet, phone, and cable tv services (must live within the service territory).
- Personal discounts on Verizon and AT&T cellular services.
- Employee referral program: employees who refer someone hired by Golden West can earn up to $1,000 for their referral.
Customer referral program
Refer a friend, neighbor, or family member to a position at Golden West Telecommunications. They'll get competitive pay and a generous benefits package while doing meaningful work helping connect customers to what matters most.
After they are hired and complete 90 days on our team, you'll get a $150 credit toward your Golden West bill.
*Applicant must list referrer’s full name, address, including town, and phone number on the online employment application. Credit is given after the referred applicant is hired and has worked 90 days. The referrer must currently subscribe to Golden West services.
Golden West’s longest tenured employee retired after 52 1/2 years of service.
To be considered for a position at Golden West
1. Submit your application: Follow the steps to complete the online application. Please make sure to fill out the application in its entirety.
2. Interviews: If the internal review process determines you are a preferred candidate, you’ll receive a call from human resources to schedule an interview. The interview will be conducted by human resources and management staff from within the specific department either online using Microsoft Teams or in person. Some positions ask applicants to complete a short sample exercise to demonstrate technical capabilities or communication skills. Additional assessments may also be requested.
3. Decision: Human resources manually reviews and responds to candidate applications. If the hiring team decides to hire you, you’ll receive an official offer to join the company. If they do not, you’ll receive either a phone call or an email from humanresources@goldenwest.com.
4. Prior to and including the first day: Leading up to the start date, all new full-time employees must pass a mandatory drug test and background check. The first day at work generally involves onboarding at Golden West’s headquarters in Wall.
“The best part about working at Golden West is to be able to solve people’s problems and helping to make their jobs easier," says Ben in Platform Engineering.
To learn more about Golden West
Browse this company website and consider reading the cooperative’s news site. You’ll get to know more about the telecommunications industry and the company along with its values, products, customers, and the communities it serves.
Our current employees have a combined 2,920 years of service.
Equal Employment Opportunities
Golden West is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion, equity, and connectedness. We can grow and learn better together with a diverse team.
Golden West provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or protected veteran status. In addition to federal law requirements, Golden West complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which Golden West has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
Golden West fully subscribes to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and will attempt in its employment process to make reasonable accommodations necessary to assist qualified persons with disabilities. If you are in need of a reasonable accommodation to apply for any position within Golden West, you may contact human resources at 605-279-2161, or humanresources@goldenwest.com.