Company Description
Appko is a Silicon Valley-based company specializing in cloud computing solutions for enterprise applications, with a strong history of supporting Fortune 500 companies. With expertise in cloud architecture, automation, and virtualization, Appko helps organizations develop Virtual Private Clouds and optimize IT infrastructures. Our team is composed of seasoned professionals skilled in technologies like Cisco, VMware, OpenStack, Oracle, and SAP. We are dedicated to assisting clients in building private and hybrid clouds, migrating applications, and modernizing IT organizations to achieve cloud efficiency and security. Appko is committed to delivering tailored, innovative solutions that meet client needs.
Role Description
This is a full-time remote role for a Sr. Jira Admin Team Lead. The Sr. Jira Admin Team Lead will be responsible for overseeing the Jira administration processes, managing system configurations, and providing support to internal teams. Responsibilities include maintaining the overall functionality and performance of Jira, collaborating with cross-functional teams, implementing best practices, and troubleshooting issues. Additional tasks involve training team members, improving workflows, and ensuring system scalability aligned with organizational growth.
Strategic Ownership & Program Management
* Team Management: Lead, mentor, and manage the daily operations of the Jira Administration support team, overseeing resource allocation, workload distribution, and KPIs. Ensure technical execution aligns with business goals.
* Strategic TPM: Act as the primary technical program manager for the Atlassian ecosystem, partnering closely with System Engineering, Product, and PMO stakeholders to translate complex business needs into scalable Jira solutions.
* Roadmap & Governance: Drive the long-term Atlassian strategy, establishing rigorous governance models for workflows, permissions, and change management processes.
* Agile Delivery: Own the prioritization and delivery of platform initiatives. Track project progress, manage escalations, and coordinate major system changes or migrations with zero business disruption.
* Platform Product Ownership: Act as the ultimate owner of the Atlassian ecosystem. Define the long-term roadmap, governance models, and best practices for the toolchain.
* Cross-Functional Orchestration: Serve as the primary technical bridge between the Jira Support Team and internal stakeholders (DevOps, System Engineering, Product, and Security).
* Agile Delivery: Own the rollout of platform initiatives, tracking project progress, managing escalations, and ensuring seamless delivery of system upgrades or integrations.
Development, Architecture & Automation
* E2E Test Framework Architecture: Maintain and continuously enhance a custom testing hierarchy within Jira, ensuring seamless data flow across Requirements, Verification, and Execution workstreams.
* Advanced Scripting: Utilize Groovy and ScriptRunner to develop complex backend workflow functions, behaviors, and listeners that extend native Jira capabilities.
* API & CI/CD Integration: Design custom automation using Python and Jira REST APIs to integrate Jira deeply with downstream systems and DevOps tools (specifically Jenkins and CI/CD pipelines).
* Data Automation: Automate the ingestion of external testing results into the Jira hierarchy and engineer reliable data extraction methods for organizational reporting.
System Administration, Operations and Automation Strategy
* Instance Health: Oversee the daily performance, health, and configuration of the production Jira instance.
* Complex Configuration: Manage advanced customizations including permission schemes, notification schemes, screen configurations, and intricate workflow logic.
* Marketplace Ecosystem: Evaluate, install, configure, and manage the lifecycle of third-party Atlassian marketplace apps.
* Security & Compliance: Ensure strict adherence to security, audit, and data governance requirements related to Jira access and administration.
* E2E Test Framework Design: Architect and oversee the maintenance of a custom testing hierarchy that maps the entire Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) from Requirements to Execution.
* Integration Architecture: Design the technical requirements for integrating external tools (e.g., Jenkins, CI/CD pipelines, and automation scripts) with the Atlassian ecosystem using REST APIs.
* Data Flow & Automation: Define the logic for automating the ingestion of testing component results into the system and extracting structured data for organizational reporting.
* Technical Problem Solving: Distill complex, highly technical workflow challenges into clear architectural solutions for your administration team to execute.
Core Technical Requirements
* Jira Administration: 5+ years of experience managing enterprise-grade Jira and Confluence environments (Data Center or Cloud).
* Scripting & Data Knowledge: Expert-level proficiency in Groovy (for Jira backend/ScriptRunner) and Python (for external REST API automation). While you won't write production code daily, you must be able to read and understand scripting languages (Python, Groovy, or JavaScript) and database queries to effectively guide your engineering team.
* Testing & Hierarchy Tools: Deep understanding of Software End-to-End (E2E) testing lifecycles, Test Driven Development (TDD), and proficiency with Jira Structure (ALM Works) or similar hierarchy management tools.
* Integration Ecosystem: Hands-on experience integrating Jira with CI/CD and DevOps tools (e.g., Jenkins).
* Data & Reporting: Experience querying databases and extracting data for external reporting.
Consulting & Leadership Skills
* Technical Program Management: Proven experience managing technical projects, driving agile
* delivery, and managing a team of administrators or engineers.
* Problem Solving: The ability to distill complex, highly technical Atlassian architecture into clear, actionable solutions for non-technical business stakeholders.
* Radical Ownership: A strong history of taking autonomous ownership over instance health, prioritizing workload effectively, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement within a team.
Qualifications
* Strong interpersonal skills, including team leadership experience and the ability to foster collaboration.
* Highly developed analytical skills for problem-solving and optimizing Jira system configurations.
* Excellent communication skills to effectively interact with technical and non-technical team members.
* Experience in customer service and administrative assistance, with a focus on system support and user satisfaction.
* Proficiency in Jira Administration, including managing plugins, maintaining workflows, and system integrations.
* Knowledge of agile frameworks and practices is a significant advantage.
* Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field is preferred.
* Jira or related certifications are a plus.