Jira optimization consultant (remote)

For further inquiries regarding the following opportunity, please contact our Talent Specialist, Abdul at (224) 507-1295

Title: Jira Optimization Consultant (Remote)

Location: Remote

Duration: 3 Months

Some on-site presence at the client's Deerfield, IL, office may be required during the first week. Only W2 candidates are eligible for this position. Third-party or C2C candidates will not be considered.

Job Description:

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Jira Optimization Consultant to assess, optimize, and enhance the organization's use of Jira and Jira Service Management (JSM). This role will work closely with Senior Project Managers, business stakeholders, and technical teams to understand current processes, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop optimized Jira/JSM solutions. The ideal candidate will bring a strong combination of Jira administration, JSM, process optimization, Agile project management, reporting and metrics, dashboards, automation, and business analysis skills.

Key Responsibilities

• Assess current Jira/JSM configurations, workflows, processes, and usage across project and service management functions.
• Work with Senior Project Managers and stakeholders to understand current processes, business needs, project management practices, and reporting requirements.
• Assess current processes and workflows, document existing-state processes, identify gaps and inefficiencies, and provide recommendations to improve and optimize Jira/JSM processes and project delivery.
• Streamline, standardize, and optimize Jira/JSM processes to improve project visibility, consistency, efficiency, and user experience.
• Configure and optimize Jira workflows, issue types, screens, fields, permissions, notifications, queues, and automation.
• Support the use of JSM for project intake, requests, approvals, incidents, changes, risks, issues, dependencies, and other project/service management activities.
• Work effectively in an Agile environment, supporting Agile project management practices, sprint planning, backlog management, workflow optimization, and continuous improvement using Jira/JSM.
• Develop and optimize Jira dashboards, reports, and metrics for project and operational performance.
• Create dashboards, reports, and KPI metrics to monitor project performance, identify trends and bottlenecks, and provide actionable insights to Senior PMs and leadership.
• Define and track KPIs such as project status, throughput, cycle time, backlog, aging, SLA performance, workload, completion rates, and overdue items.
• Analyze Jira data to identify trends, bottlenecks, recurring issues, process gaps, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Develop reporting solutions that provide Senior PMs and leadership with visibility into project health, progress, risks, issues, workload, and performance.
• Configure Jira/JSM automation to reduce manual processes and improve efficiency.
• Review existing Jira configurations and recommend enhancements based on business requirements, user feedback, and performance data.
• Establish standardized Jira reporting, dashboard, workflow, and process practices across teams.
• Support Jira Cloud configuration, migration-related activities, and post-migration optimization.
• Provide guidance and training to Senior PMs and users on Jira/JSM workflows, dashboards, reporting, metrics, and best practices.
• Document current-state and future-state processes, Jira configurations, reporting requirements, recommendations, and optimization opportunities.
• Collaborate with technical teams on Jira integrations, enhancements, and system improvements.
• Support Jira governance, standardization, reporting, and continuous process improvement initiatives.

Required Qualifications

• Strong experience with Jira administration and configuration. 6+ years
• Strong hands-on experience with Jira Service Management (JSM).
• Experience with Jira workflow and process optimization.
• Experience working in an Agile project management environment.
• Strong experience developing Jira dashboards, reports, KPIs, and performance metrics.
• Experience with Jira automation, issue types, fields, screens, permissions, queues, and notifications.
• Understanding of project management processes, including project intake, planning, execution, risks/issues, dependencies, change management, and project closure.
• Experience gathering requirements and translating business needs into Jira/JSM solutions.
• Strong business process analysis skills, including documenting current-state and future-state processes.
• Ability to identify process gaps, inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to analyze Jira data and performance trends.
• Strong communication skills with Senior PMs, business stakeholders, and technical teams.
• Hands-on experience with Jira Cloud is a big PLUS