Principal Engineer (ESM Focus)

Valiantys Federal

About The Position

We are seeking a Principal Engineer with deep expertise in Enterprise Service Management (ESM) to lead the design, implementation, and governance of our growing technology ecosystem. This role will be responsible for shaping our end‑to‑end service management strategy across IT,HR, Facilities, Finance, and other business functions using Atlassian platforms (primarily JiraService Management, Confluence, and related tools). The ideal candidate has 15+ years of experience working with large, complex enterprise clientsand can operate as a hands‑on architect, technical leader, and strategic advisor to business andtechnology stakeholders.

Requirements

15+ years of overall experience working with enterprise clients in complex,multi‑business‑unit environments.
10+ years of hands‑on experience with Atlassian products (Jira, Jira Service Management,Confluence) in large‑scale environments.
Proven track record designing and implementing ESM/ITSM solutions using Jira ServiceManagement (or prior Jira Service Desk) for multiple departments.
Demonstrated experience leading large transformation programs, platform migrations, or enterprise‑wide ESM rollouts.
Deep expertise with: Jira Service Management: request types, workflows, SLAs, queues, forms, approvals,automation, incident/problem/change processes. Jira Software: issue types, boards, workflows, schemes, permissions, notifications. Confluence: space architecture, templates, knowledge bases, permissions, macros.
Strong knowledge of Atlassian administration (Data Center and/or Cloud), including permissions, schemes, global configuration, and app management.
Hands‑on experience integrating Atlassian tools with: Identity and access management (SSO, SAML, LDAP, etc.) Monitoring/alerting tools and incident management workflows CMDB/asset management tools (including Jira Assets/Insight or third‑party CMDBs) CI/CD, DevOps, or other enterprise platforms via REST APIs and webhooks
Proficiency with automation and scripting (e.g., Jira Automation, Groovy/ScriptRunner,PowerShell, or similar).
Strong understanding of ITIL/ITSM and ESM concepts (incident, problem, change, request,CMDB, service catalogs, knowledge management).
Demonstrated ability to work with C‑level and senior stakeholders and influence platformand process decisions.
Excellent communication skills, able to clearly explain complex technical concepts to non‑technical audiences.
Strong consulting, facilitation, and negotiation skills; experience running workshops and design sessions.
Proven ability to mentor and lead other engineers and admins, both directly and in a matrixed environment.
Comfortable operating in fast‑paced, ambiguous environments and driving clarity and structure.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in regulated or security‑sensitive environments (e.g., finance, healthcare, energy, government) is a plus.
Relevant Atlassian certifications (e.g., ACP‑620, ACP‑420, ACP‑520, ACP‑120, or successors).
ITIL Foundation or higher‑level ITIL/ITSM certification strongly preferred.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field; equivalent experience considered.

Responsibilities

Define and own the Atlassian/ESM platform roadmap
Lead complex implementations and migrations
Establish standards, best practices, and governance
Mentor engineers and admins across the organization
Define the ESM strategy for cross-platform architecture to support multi‑department service management (ITSM, HRSM, Facilities, Finance, Legal, etc.).
Design scalable, secure, and resilient technology solutions, including projects, request types, workflows, SLAs, queues, and automation.
Develop and maintain the technology solution roadmap, aligning with enterprise architecture, security, and compliance requirements.
Evaluate and recommend Atlassian marketplace apps, integrations, and complementary toolsto extend ESM capabilities.
Serve as the primary technical owner for Jira, Jira Service Management, Confluence, and related Atlassian products used for ESM.
Lead end‑to‑end implementations, upgrades, and migrations, including from legacyITSM/ESM platforms (e.g., ServiceNow, BMC, Cherwell, Remedy).
Configure and optimize projects, workflows, custom fields, schemes, forms, portals,approvals, SLAs, and automation for multiple business units.
Oversee integration with identity providers, CMDB/asset systems, monitoring tools, CI/CD pipelines, and other enterprise systems.
Establish and enforce governance, change control, and configuration management for the Atlassian stack.
Define and maintain standards, templates, and reusable patterns for ESM projects across the organization.
Develop and document best practices for request/incident/problem/change management, service catalogs, and knowledge management in JSM and Confluence.
Collaborate closely with Security, Compliance, and Architecture teams to ensure adherenceto security, data privacy, and regulatory requirements.
Implement monitoring, performance tuning, and capacity planning for Atlassian environments.
Act as a trusted advisor to business and technology leaders on how to leverage Atlassian tools for ESM and digital transformation.
Facilitate requirements workshops and design sessions with enterprise stakeholders andprocess owners.
Translate business requirements into clear, practical Atlassian/JSM designs and implementation plans.
Provide technical leadership and mentorship to Atlassian admins, developers, and other engineers.
Partner with vendors, partners, and technology representatives as needed for complex initiatives.
Develop and deliver training, documentation, and enablement for service owners, agents, and end‑users.
Establish and oversee tiered support models and administration practices for the Atlassian platform.
Drive continuous improvement by analyzing metrics, feedback, and platform usage to identify optimization opportunities.