Lead Jira Engineer

catworkx GmbH; Germany (OH); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Job stability and excellent work environment

Equal opportunities

Opportunities to participate in international projects

Ongoing training and certifications

Job summary

catworkx GmbH is seeking a Lead Jira Engineer responsible for establishing and maintaining Jira configuration standards across enterprise environments. This senior role will lead initiatives to optimize and unify Jira instances for thousands of users.

The ideal candidate has over 5 years of experience in Jira administration, demonstrating a deep understanding of configurations and optimizations that enhance portfolio management capabilities. The company offers opportunities to participate in international projects and ongoing training.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on Jira administration and configuration experience in enterprise environments.
• Expert-level knowledge of Jira schemes and configurations.
• Proven experience optimizing Jira settings for large user bases.

Responsibilities

• Lead Jira optimization initiatives across enterprise environments.
• Establish configuration governance standards.
• Ensure Jira decisions support BigPicture portfolio management.

Skills

Jira administration

JQL

Jira automation

Problem-solving

Analytical skills

Tools

Jira

BigPicture

Groovy

Python

Job description

We are seeking a Lead Jira Engineer to serve as the technical anchor for enterprise-scale Jira environments that support strategic portfolio management initiatives. This senior role is responsible for establishing and maintaining Jira configuration standards, governance frameworks, and optimization strategies that ensure BigPicture deployments operate on a stable, consistent, and scalable foundation. You'll lead the technical workstream that transforms fragmented Jira instances into unified, enterprise-grade platforms capable of supporting thousands of users across multiple departments and programs.

Primary Responsibilities

Strategic Jira Optimization Leadership

• Lead comprehensive Jira optimization initiatives across enterprise environments with 6,000+ users
• Develop and execute normalization strategies to standardize Jira usage patterns, configurations, and best practices across diverse teams and departments
• Assess current‑state Jira configurations and identify inconsistencies, redundancies, and areas of technical debt
• Design future‑state architecture that balances standardization with legitimate business unit requirements
• Create and maintain a multi‑phase optimization roadmap with clear milestones and success metrics

Configuration Governance & Scheme Alignment

• Oversee the alignment of workflows, permission schemes, notification schemes, issue type schemes, and field configurations to support BigPicture consistency and data integrity
• Establish and enforce configuration governance standards that prevent configuration sprawl and ensure long‑term maintainability
• Rationalize redundant schemes and consolidate where appropriate while preserving critical business logic
• Design and implement scheme hierarchies that support both enterprise‑wide standards and legitimate department‑specific needs
• Create configuration documentation and decision frameworks for ongoing governance

BigPicture Foundation & Integration Assurance

• Ensure Jira configuration decisions actively support and enhance BigPicture portfolio management capabilities
• Validate that issue hierarchies, custom fields, and workflow states align with BigPicture box structures and reporting requirements
• Identify and remediate configuration patterns that create adoption risks or data quality issues in BigPicture
• Collaborate with BigPicture Engineers to ensure seamless integration between Jira and portfolio management layers
• Proactively address technical dependencies and configuration prerequisites for successful BigPicture rollouts

Hands‑On Configuration & Implementation

• Provide expert‑level hands‑on configuration of complex Jira schemes, custom fields, and automation rules
• Execute technical implementations of standardized configuration patterns across projects and business units
• Build and test configuration changes in sandbox environments before production deployment
• Troubleshoot configuration issues and performance bottlenecks that impact user experience or BigPicture functionality
• Implement configuration migrations and consolidation activities during optimization phases

Required Qualifications

Technical Expertise

• 5+ years of hands‑on Jira administration and configuration experience in enterprise environments
• Expert‑level knowledge of Jira schemes: workflows, permission schemes, notification schemes, field configurations, issue type schemes, and screen schemes
• Deep understanding of Jira project architecture, issue hierarchies, and data models
• Proven experience optimizing and normalizing Jira configurations across large user bases (3,000+ users)
• Strong proficiency with JQL, Jira automation, and Jira APIs

Core Competencies

• Strategic thinking with hands‑on execution capabilities
• Exceptional problem‑solving and analytical skills
• Detail‑oriented approach to configuration management
• Change management and organizational influence abilities
• Customer success mindset with focus on adoption and user experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Atlassian certifications (ACP‑400, ACP‑620, or equivalent advanced certifications)
• Experience with Jira Cloud implementations
• Knowledge of scripting languages (Groovy, Python) for advanced automation
• ScriptRunner or other Jira app configuration experience
• Background in ITIL, ITSM, or service management frameworks

Company Benefits

• Job stability and excellent work environment.
• Equal opportunities
• Opportunities to participate in international projects
• Ongoing training and certifications