Atlassian Jira Administrator - Contract

Jira Administrator Contract — Backend Scripting/Automation Overview This is a contract opportunity. We are seeking a hands-on Jira Administrator to own ongoing Jira administration, configuration governance, and backend scripting and automation. The ideal candidate has deep knowledge of Jira architecture and data structures, can design and execute large-scale migrations with minimal disruption, and can build and maintain scripts to automate administration, data transformation, validation, and integrations. Expert knowledge of the Atlassian suite, including Jira Product Discovery (JPD) and Jira Service Management (JSM), is a strong plus. Key Responsibilities Jira Administration & Platform Ownership • Administer and support Jira (Cloud and/or Data Center), including projects, workflows, schemes, issue type hierarchies, custom fields, screens, permissions, notifications, and SLAs. • Define and enforce configuration governance, change management, and platform standards to enable scalable reporting and cross-team collaboration. • Maintain dashboards, filters, boards, and automation rules; ensure configurations align with organizational delivery and reporting needs. • Evaluate and Enable Marketplace plugins Data Center → Cloud Migration Leadership • Provide post-migration support, stabilization, and optimization recommendations. Backend Scripting, Automation & Integrations • Build and maintain backend scripts to automate Jira administration and enable complex data transformations and validations (e.g., bulk updates, field normalization, workflow transitions, metadata validation). • Develop scripts and automations using Groovy, Python, or equivalent languages, leveraging Jira APIs to support migration, reporting, and integration workflows. • Work with stakeholders and IT teams to maintain and troubleshoot integrations (e.g., REST API–based sync, webhooks, identity and user provisioning), ensuring secure and reliable data flow. Testing, Compliance, and Documentation • Coordinate testing cycles, including UAT, reconciliation, and data integrity verification; drive defect triage and resolution for migration-related issues. • Ensure migration and administrative changes comply with security and compliance requirements while minimizing business disruption. • Produce clear documentation, including migration approaches, field mappings, risk registers, runbooks, and operational SOPs. Required Qualifications • 5+ years of hands-on experience administering Jira Data Center and/or Jira Cloud. • Proven experience executing full-cycle Jira migrations, with Data Center to Cloud strongly preferred. • Strong understanding of Jira architecture and configuration objects, including: • Jira architecture and underlying data structures • Permission, notification, issue type, and field configuration schemes • Marketplace app dependencies and migration limitations • Experience with Atlassian Cloud migration tooling (e.g., Jira Cloud Migration Assistant). • Proficiency with REST APIs and scripting (e.g., Groovy, Python) for automation and data transformation. • Strong troubleshooting, validation, and root-cause analysis skills. Preferred Qualifications • Experience migrating other Atlassian products, such as Confluence, alongside Jira. • Atlassian certifications (e.g., ACP-100, ACP-120, or equivalent). • Experience supporting enterprise-scale governance models and standardized configurations across multiple teams.