What are the responsibilities and job description for the Jira Specialist position at R&R Global Partners?
Job Description
We are seeking a dynamic Jira Specialist to join our team and manage our enterprise Jira instance, ensuring it aligns with organizational goals and supports teams in effectively managing their projects. This role is integral to driving operational excellence in a fast-paced environment, providing both technical expertise and process insights to optimize project delivery. The ideal candidate is Agile Certified, has hands-on experience with Jira administration, and possesses a deep understanding of software development processes.
This position offers the opportunity to collaborate across various teams, enabling continuous improvement, scaling best practices, and enhancing productivity.
Key Responsibilities
Jira Administration
- Configure and manage Jira projects, workflows, schemes, permissions, and custom fields.
- Maintain system performance, implement upgrades, and ensure data integrity.
- Develop automation rules and custom scripts (e.g., using Jira Automation, Groovy, or REST API) to improve processes.
- Monitor system usage and generate reports to provide insights into team performance.
Agile Facilitation
- Work with Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and other Agile roles to improve Agile practices using Jira.
- Train teams and stakeholders on Jira best practices, dashboards, reports, and integrations.
- Assist in backlog refinement, sprint planning, and retrospective activities through optimized Jira workflows.
Process Optimization
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify areas for improvement in project tracking and reporting.
- Integrate Jira with third-party tools such as Confluence, Bitbucket, Slack, or other CI/CD pipelines.
- Create and maintain templates for recurring project needs, including Agile/Kanban boards and reporting dashboards.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Liaise with leadership, project managers, and development teams to align Jira configurations with business objectives.
- Partner with IT and DevOps teams to address technical challenges and implement enhancements.
- Support change management efforts and communicate updates effectively.
Job Requirements
Education and Certifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent work experience).
- Agile Certification (e.g., Certified ScrumMaster [CSM], SAFe Agilist, PMI-ACP) is required.
Technical Skills:
- 3 years of experience managing and administrating enterprise Jira instances.
- Proficiency in Jira and Jira Service Management administration, including creating workflows, custom fields, and integrations.
- Hands-on experience with Jira Automation, REST APIs, and scripting (e.g., Groovy, Python).
- Familiarity with Agile methodologies, including Scrum and Kanban, and the ability to align Jira configurations with these frameworks.
- Understanding of software development lifecycles (SDLC) and DevOps processes.
- Experience integrating Jira with tools such as Confluence, Bitbucket, Jenkins, and Slack.
Soft Skills:
- Strong problem-solving and analytical abilities.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work across technical and non-technical teams.
- Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with shifting priorities.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with other Atlassian tools (e.g., Confluence, Bitbucket).
- Familiarity with advanced Jira plugins, such as Tempo, Portfolio for Jira, or Structure.
- Knowledge of ITIL practices and certification is a plus.
- Experience working with cloud-based Jira environments and migrations.