Jira Specialist

Saic; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

SAIC in San Diego, CA, seeks an IT/JIRA Specialist (Agile Product Support SME) to drive Agile process adoption and manage Jira/Confluence across secure DoD networks. Hybrid role with office work in San Diego, CA; U.S. citizenship and TS/SCI clearance required.

Responsibilities include translating mission requirements into technical specs, leading release management, and ensuring traceability from backlog to delivery within Government security constraints.

Qualifications

• Bachelors and 5+ years in Agile software development environment.
• DoD program experience preferred.
• Active TS/SCI clearance required.
• Hands-on Jira/Confluence admin experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead Agile process implementation and requirements traceability.
• Configure and maintain Jira/Confluence workflows, roadmaps, and automations.
• Bridge operational leaders and technical development teams to translate requirements.
• Support release management workflows across secure government networks.

Skills

Jira workflows

Confluence administration

Agile methods

Release management

SDLC/SecDevOps

Stakeholder communication

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Jira Advanced Roadmaps

Job description

Description

The IT/JIRA Specialist (Agile Product Support SME) is a highly specialized technical and operational role dedicated to enabling the delivery of the Joint Fires Network (JFN) Program. This position acts as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) driving Agile process implementation, requirements traceability, and project management tooling optimization to support JFN initiatives.

As an Agile Product Support SME, you will serve as the strategic bridge between operational leaders and technical development teams. You will collaborate directly with JFN leadership and department managers to translate mission requirements into structured, executable technical specifications, while providing expert guidance on Agile best practices and release management workflows.

As an IT/JIRA Specialist, you will serve as a principal administrator and technical expert for the Atlassian suite (Jira Software, Jira Service Management, Confluence, and Jira Advanced Roadmaps) across secure government networks. You will configure and maintain workflows, roadmaps, and automation schemes that keep the JFN development lifecycle highly visible, organized, and on schedule. This position is hybrid with the office work being performed in San Diego, CA.

Qualifications

• Bachelors and 5+ years of experience in an Agile software development environment supporting teams as a Product Owner, Agile Coach, Business Analyst, or Scrum Master.
• U.S. citizenship and an active TS/sCI clearance.
• DoD Program Experience: Experience supporting DoD acquisition programs, military software factories, or tactical C4ISR / C2 network programs.
• Atlassian Expertise: 2+ years of hands-on experience as a Jira and Confluence administrator, with demonstrated proficiency in Jira Advanced Roadmaps.
• Agile Release Management: Demonstrated experience in Agile Release Management, including planning, coordinating, and managing release schedules and deployment activities.
• Software Development Practices: Demonstrated experience applying Agile software practices and supporting the secure software development lifecycle (SecDevOps/SDLC).
• Leadership & Documentation: Demonstrated experience leading teams handling customer feedback requirements, writing user stories and acceptance criteria, and developing capability, tool, or system documentation.

Technical Skills

• Proven expertise designing complex, conditional Jira workflows, automations, and scheme configurations to support requirement traceability.
• Communication Skills: Demonstrated excellent oral and written communication skills to effectively translate complex operational needs into clear technical requirements for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong Agile mindset with an in-depth understanding of Scrum, Kanban, and Scaled Agile Frameworks (SAFe) for Government.
• Initiative & Ownership: Demonstrated ability to take the initiative to proactively identify bottlenecks and complete tasks in a timely manner.
• Analytical mindset with a focus on metrics-driven continuous improvement in complex, mission-critical environments.

Preferred Certifications (A Plus)

• Active Atlassian Certified Professional certification (e.g., ACP-100 or ACP-120)
• Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), or SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM)
• CompTIA Security+ (or other DoD 8570/8140 IAT Level II compliant certification)

Target salary range: $120,001 - $160,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.