Her Story
About Rose
Rose Sahagun serves as an Atlassian administrator and systems administrator, with official titles including systems engineer and Atlassian SME at companies such as Spotify, Uber, and Peloton. She began working with the Atlassian toolset in 2015 after transitioning from program management roles with the City of San Jose and project management at a lending company, where she handled database projects and SharePoint revamps. Sahagun holds a degree in environmental economics and policy from UC Berkeley and previously worked in environmental programs with the City of San Francisco and economic programs with the City of San Jose. She is self-taught in her technical skills, having taken Atlassian certifications and courses along with coding classes at General Assembly. Sahagun specializes in building workflows in Jira, managing Confluence spaces, setting up JIRA Service Desk portals, handling integrations with systems like Salesforce and NetSuite, and performing system cleanup and administration. She attributes her success to persisting through challenges, including a rescinded EPA job offer, and approaching her work with curiosity and a determination not to give up.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Rose
01What do you attribute your success to?
I have a real problem with taking no for an answer. My career was born from the ashes of being devastated when the EPA job offer was rescinded. I decided to see it as the glass half full, proceed with curiosity, and not give up. I used that tough moment as fuel and changed my mentality to stop thinking I hate this job or don't know anything.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Kill them with kindness. When people resist change, show up by telling them you're here to make their job easier and help them shine. Sit with their team, observe their day-to-day, and focus on what matters to them. This approach turns stakeholders into partners.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't be intimidated by being one of the only women in the room or by all-male conversations. Document everything if you feel treated differently, as it may be needed for HR. Come extra prepared by making notes and prioritizing. Don't be afraid to learn anything, ask questions, talk to people, and never be afraid to sound dumb because there are no dumb questions.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is that our toolset is constantly expanding and changing. We are asked to integrate with many systems, and we must ensure integrations are worthwhile, don't overburden the system, and keep a catalog of connections. With AI expanding, we need a pulse on data quality and necessity, and conduct regular reviews of service accounts.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Always keep growing and be willing to pivot when something isn't working. Show up with a smile, make time for yourself to step away, blow off steam, and lean into coworkers or get sunlight and meditate. Don't close yourself off under stress.
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