Senior Configuration Specialist

Purpose of Position

The Senior System Administrator – Jira & Confluence is a hands-on technical contributor responsible for the administration, configuration, optimization, and strategic evolution of the organization's Atlassian Jira and Confluence platforms. This role ensures platform reliability, security, and scalability while partnering with business stakeholders to translate process requirements into effective tool configurations. The administrator manages integrations, plugins, workflows, permission schemes, and automation rules, and serves as the subject matter expert for Atlassian best practices across the enterprise.

Tasks and Responsibilities

1.    Administer, configure, and maintain Jira and Confluence instances (Data Center or Cloud), including project creation, workflow design, custom fields, permission schemes, notification schemes, and space management 
2.    Design and implement complex Jira workflows, screens, and automation rules to support Agile, ITSM, and business process requirements across multiple teams and departments 
3.    Manage user provisioning, access controls, group management, and security policies in alignment with organizational standards and compliance requirements 
4.    Plan and execute platform upgrades, migrations (e.g., Server/Data Center to Cloud), and patching cycles with minimal downtime, including thorough testing in staging environments 
5.    Install, configure, evaluate, and manage Atlassian Marketplace apps and plugins, ensuring compatibility, licensing compliance, and performance 
6.    Monitor platform performance, conduct capacity planning, and optimize JVM tuning, database queries, indexing, and caching for high availability and reliability 
7.    Develop and maintain integrations between Jira/Confluence and other enterprise systems (e.g., CI/CD pipelines, LDAP/SSO, ServiceNow, Git, Slack) using REST APIs and automation tools 
8.    Provide Tier 2/3 support and troubleshooting for platform issues, including log analysis on Unix/Linux systems, database diagnostics, and plugin conflicts 
9.    Create and maintain technical documentation, runbooks, and knowledge base articles for platform administration and end-user guidance

10. Participate in a shared on call rotation and occasional scheduled maintenance outside normal business hours

11.  Infrequent travel as needed.

Minimum Education

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution or equivalent industry experience

Minimum Experience

• 5-10 years of experience as a System Administrator with hands-on Jira and Confluence administration
• 5+ years of Unix/Linux system administration experience (RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu, or similar)
• 3+ years of experience administering Atlassian tools in an enterprise environment (500+ users)
• Demonstrated experience with Jira workflow design, custom field configuration, and permission scheme management
• Experience with Atlassian platform migrations (e.g., Server to Data Center or Cloud)
• Experience with scripting and automation using Groovy (ScriptRunner), Python, Bash, or similar languages
• Experience with relational databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, or Oracle) for Atlassian backend management

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

1. Advanced knowledge of Jira and Confluence administration, including project configuration, workflow engines, custom fields, screen schemes, issue security levels, and space permissions
2. Strong Unix/Linux system administration skills, including shell scripting, cron job management, log analysis, file system management, and process monitoring
3. Proficiency with Atlassian REST APIs and integration patterns for enterprise system connectivity
4. Experience with ScriptRunner for Jira/Confluence, or similar Groovy-based automation tools
5. Strong understanding of LDAP, Active Directory, SAML, and SSO integration for user authentication and provisioning
6. Knowledge of relational database administration (PostgreSQL, MySQL, or Oracle) as it relates to Atlassian platform backends
7. Familiarity with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and infrastructure-as-code tools (Ansible, Terraform) for platform deployment and management
8. Understanding of ITIL/ITSM processes and how they map to Jira Service Management configurations
9. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to diagnose complex multi-tier application issues
10. Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders
11. Atlassian certifications (ACP-100, ACP-610, ACP-620) strongly preferred

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met and/or encountered 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 use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and communicate. The employee may be required to stand, walk, and sit. Specific vision abilities required by this job include the ability to view monitors, technical documents, and reference material. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate.