Lead Engineer - JSM (San Diego Metropolitan Area)

Want to help pets live their best lives?

We’re proud to be where the pets go and where the pet people go. If you want to make a real difference, create an exciting career path, feel welcome to be your whole self and nurture your wellbeing, Petco is the place for you .

Our core values capture that spirit as we work to improve lives by doing what’s right for pets and people.

• Pet First – Protect & Empower. All pets should Live their Best Life. We put the needs of pets and pet parents at the center of everything we do.
• Foster the Fun – Connect & Bond. Our Passion for pets brings us together! We celebrate the journey of pet parenthood through district experiences, products, and services.
• Let’s Go! Own & Commit. We are stronger as One Petco team. We bring our unique superpowers and champion authenticity in everyone to drive success.

About Petco

We’re proud to be where the pets go to find everything they need to live their best lives for more than 60 years — from their favorite meals and toys, to trusted supplies and expert support from people who get it, because we live it. We believe in the universal truths of pet parenthood — the boundless boops, missing slippers, late night zoomies and everything in between. And we’re here for it. Every tail wag, every vet visit, every step of the way. We are 29,000+ strong and together we nurture the pet-human bond in more than 1,500 Petco stores across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, 250+ Vetco Total Care hospitals, hundreds of preventive care clinics and eight distribution centers. In 1999, we founded Petco Love . Together, we support thousands of local animal welfare groups nationwide and have helped find homes for approximately 7 million animals through in-store adoption events.

Lead Engineer – Jira Service Management (JSM)

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Lead Engineer – Jira Service Management (JSM) to lead the technical architecture, design, and continuous optimization of our Jira Service Management (JSM) platform and Configuration Management Database (CMDB) / Assets ecosystem. In this role, you will define and drive technical strategy, architect service spaces and workflows, build complex automations, manage asset data reconciliation, and deploy AI virtual agents.

A critical focus of this role is partnering closely with business stakeholders and frontline operational teams—especially Store Operations —to ensure service request portals, intake workflows, and automated fulfillment are seamless, intuitive, and responsive for store staff and anyone submitting requests.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & JSM Architecture

• Drive the technical vision, architecture, and engineering roadmap for Jira Service Management (JSM) across corporate and retail operations.
• Lead the end-to-end architecture and configuration of JSM service spaces, request types, custom fields, screens, permission schemes, and customer portals.
• Provide technical leadership and architectural oversight for platform engineers and JSM administrators.
• Drive ongoing platform optimization, index tuning, performance reviews, and scalability improvements across JSM.

Workflow Engineering, Automation & AI

• Design, build, and maintain advanced automations, validation rules, custom conditions, and multi-tier approval workflows within JSM.
• Configure and manage incident, service request, change, and problem management workflows tailored to store and enterprise operations.
• Configure and deploy AI virtual agents and intelligent assistants (including Rovo and Opsgenie integrations) for automated ticket resolution, alert escalation, on-call routing, and conversational search.
• Define and configure precise SLAs, operational queues, JQL filters, and executive reporting dashboards to track throughput, resolution time, and customer satisfaction.

Configuration Management Database (CMDB) & Asset Management

• Architect and manage the CMDB and Assets manager, including object schemas, reference types, and attribute models.
• Manage multi-source data ingestion pipelines from discovery tools, hardware/software inventory systems, and enterprise feeds.
• Establish and fine-tune data reconciliation and deduplication rules to maintain clean, authoritative asset records.
• Implement user database management with audience mapping, associating assets and requestors by role, store location, and department.
• Build automated tasks and workflows to detect, flag, and resolve missing or inconsistent asset attributes.

Business & Store Operations Engagement

• Serve as the dedicated technical lead for Store Operations and field teams, building intake channels and request catalogs designed specifically for retail store environments.
• Engage directly with store staff, field managers, and central support teams to understand pain points, streamline request intake, and optimize service delivery.
• Translate operational feedback and business requirements into scalable technical designs and JSM specifications.

System Integration & Custom Development

• Build and maintain integrations connecting JSM and CMDB with enterprise service catalogs, external inventory systems, and third-party APIs.
• Develop custom automations and scripts utilizing REST APIs, webhooks, and modern scripting languages (e.g., Python, Groovy, JavaScript).
• Manage change control, sandbox staging, and release management between development and production environments.

System Design, Troubleshooting & Support

• Serve as the senior escalation authority for deep-dive technical troubleshooting, system diagnostics, and root-cause analysis across JSM and CMDB.
• Monitor system health, API thresholds, automation execution limits, and asset synchronization jobs to ensure maximum availability.
• Maintain clear architectural diagrams, system documentation, and runbooks for technical teams and end users.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience: 8+ years of software/systems engineering or technical leadership experience, including 4+ years of hands-on experience architecting and configuring Jira Service Management (JSM) and CMDB/Assets .
• JSM & CMDB Expertise: Demonstrated track record architecting and administering multi-project Jira Service Management environments.
• Hands-on experience configuring JSM service spaces, custom workflows, automations, SLAs, and customer portals.
• Practical expertise in CMDB / Assets configuration: object schemas, multi-source ingestion, reconciliation and deduplication rules, and audience mapping.
• Experience implementing AI agents, Opsgenie alerting/escalations, and Rovo use cases.
• Proficiency in advanced JQL, queue configuration, and dashboard/metric reporting.
• Technical & Integration Skills: Proficiency in one or more scripting or programming languages (e.g., Python, Groovy, JavaScript).
• Strong working knowledge of REST APIs, webhooks, and third-party system integrations.
• Solid understanding of software development workflows and version control (Git).
• Business & Stakeholder Engagement: Proven ability to engage directly with business users and frontline teams (e.g., Store Operations, retail stores, or field teams).
• Exceptional system design, diagnostic, and troubleshooting skills in high-volume production environments.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with non-technical store personnel as well as senior technical leaders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting retail, store operations, or distributed multi-location environments.
• Knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure) and enterprise identity systems (Okta, Azure AD / Entra ID).
• Familiarity with ITSM best practice frameworks (e.g., ITIL).

Salary Range: $137,100.00 - $227,000.00

Hourly or Salary Range will be reflected above. For a more detailed overview of Petco Total Rewards, including health and financial benefits, 401K, incentives, and PTO - see

Petco Animal Supplies, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or any other protected classification.

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