Jira Platform Engineer (DevOps)

Title: Jira Platform Engineer (DevOps)

Location: Washington, DC

Duration: 6 months with possible extension

About Cogent Infotech

At Cogent Infotech, we believe in creating opportunities that empower individuals and transform organizations. With over 23 years of excellence in consulting and talent solutions, we pride ourselves on building inclusive workplaces and driving innovation in everything we do. Our diverse teams bring unique perspectives to help deliver cutting-edge solutions to global clients across both public and private sectors.

Position Summary

The DevOps Engineer (specifically Jira Platform Engineer) will serve as the technical owner of our Jira SaaS in government cloud, and is responsible for administering, configuring, and integrating the application within our enterprise technology ecosystem. This position plays a pivotal role in consolidating our collaborative planning tools—transitioning from Azure DevOps (on-prem) and GitLab (on-prem) to Jira—while enabling and scaling Agile practices across the organization. The ideal candidate is both technically proficient and strategically minded, with a strong understanding of Agile methodologies, DevSecOps workflows, and enterprise system integration.

Key Responsibilities

Jira Administration & Engineering

• Administer, configure, and optimize Jira SaaS to meet enterprise project management and Agile delivery needs.
• Design and maintain custom workflows, issue types, screens, fields, and automation rules aligned with organizational Agile frameworks and guidelines.
• Manage user permissions, group roles, and security schemes to ensure governance and compliance.
• Monitor Jira license utilization, user growth, and application usage to ensure efficient use of subscriptions.
• Collaborate with procurement teams to support renewal, optimization, and budget decisions. System Integration & Development
• Design, implement, and maintain seamless integrations between Jira with other enterprise systems, such as GitLab (source control & CI/CD), and ServiceNow (ITSM), using Okta, REST APIs, webhooks, middleware, and scripting.
• Automate data synchronization across platforms to support traceability from planning to release.
• Troubleshoot and optimize integration pipelines to ensure performance, security, and scalability.
• Partner with infrastructure and cybersecurity teams to align integrations with enterprise security and compliance standards.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, standards, and best practices. Agile Enablement
• Partner with the Agile Transformation Office to translate Agile practices into effective Jira configurations and usage patterns.
• Provide technical guidance and mentoring to Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and teams on best-practice tool utilization.
• Support reporting and analytics initiatives, ensuring reliable Agile metrics (velocity, burndown, cycle time, etc.).
• Support and enable teams transition from Azure DevOps Boards, Gitlab, Jira (hosted) to JIRA SaaS.

Required Qualifications and Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 3 years of hands-on experience administering and/or engineering Jira (Self-hosting or SaaS).
• Proven, hands-on experience developing custom integrations with enterprise platforms, especially GitLab and ServiceNow.
• Proficiency in scripting (Python, PowerShell, or JavaScript) and REST API integration.
• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe) and DevSecOps principles.
• Experience in enterprise migrations from Azure DevOps or similar tools to Jira.

Preferred Skills:

• Familiarity with Atlassian ecosystem (Confluence, Bitbucket, Atlassian Government Cloud) and marketplace apps.
• Experience working in a DevSecOps or Platform Engineering environment.
• Experience with information security, privacy, and risk assessment standards including FISMA, SOX, FedRAMP, etc. is preferred.
• Federal government experience is preferred.
• Atlassian Certified Professional (ACP-620, ACP-120, or equivalent) preferred.

Important Note:

All applicants must be US citizens and able to obtain a Public Trust clearance; Secret Security clearance preferred.

Equal Opportunity & Inclusion Statement

Cogent Infotech is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome and valued. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, identities, abilities, and experiences. If you’re excited about this role but don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply.

Application Process

Please submit your resume and a short cover letter through our online portal. Our process includes an initial resume review, a virtual interview, and a short technical assessment. If you need accommodations, feel free to inform us—we are happy to assist.

Join Us

At Cogent Infotech, your ideas matter. Join a purpose-driven organization that celebrates diversity, encourages collaboration, and invests in your future.