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Atlassian Cover Letter Example

Atlassian's values literally include 'Open Company, No Bullshit' — which means your cover letter should be unusually direct. This example shows how to write with zero buzzwords while still demonstrating seniority and fit.

The full cover letter

[Your Name] · [Email] · [Phone] · [City, ST]

April 21, 2026

Dear Hiring Manager,

I'm applying for the Staff Software Engineer role on the Jira Cloud Platform team. Your public writing on the Vertigo migration — moving Jira and Confluence from on-prem to a cloud-native microservices stack on AWS — is the exact problem space I've been working in for the last three years, and I'd like to join the team that takes that architecture into its next decade.

At Canva I led the re-architecture of our document collaboration service from a single-region monolith to a multi-tenant cloud platform running on AWS across 3 regions. The hardest part wasn't the Kotlin services or the Kafka pipelines — it was the six-month sequencing work to let 28 downstream teams adopt the new platform on their own schedule, without a flag day. We shipped it with zero unplanned downtime, cut p99 API latency from 420ms to 95ms, and — the part I'm proudest of — none of the consuming teams had to change a single public interface. That's the 'Don't F*** the Customer' value applied inward.

Before Canva I spent four years at a 200-person distributed SaaS company where I was the first engineer in a Berlin time zone team ramping up against a San Francisco HQ. I learned, the hard way, how to run decisions async: written RFCs with explicit 'disagree-and-commit' windows, Loom-based design reviews, and a strict rule that if a decision required a synchronous meeting, the meeting's output had to be a written artifact the rest of the team could push back on. That's how I'd want to work at Atlassian — your Team Anywhere policy only works if the written layer is load-bearing, and I've spent years making sure mine is.

I'd welcome a first call to discuss where I'd focus in the first 90 days on the Jira Cloud Platform team, and I'm happy to share a short design doc I wrote on tenant isolation trade-offs that might be a useful conversation starter. Any timezone works on my side.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Why each passage works

Line-by-line breakdown of the sentences that earn the letter its space.

“Your public writing on the Vertigo migration — moving Jira and Confluence from on-prem to a cloud-native microservices stack on AWS — is the exact problem space I've been working in.”

Why it works: Vertigo is a real Atlassian engineering effort they've published about. Naming it in sentence one proves the candidate reads the engineering blog — that's the 'did you actually do your homework' signal Atlassian looks for.

“None of the consuming teams had to change a single public interface. That's the 'Don't F*** the Customer' value applied inward.”

Why it works: Takes one of Atlassian's most famous values and reframes it as an engineering principle about internal customers. This is the kind of values reasoning that lands because it's non-obvious.

“A strict rule that if a decision required a synchronous meeting, the meeting's output had to be a written artifact the rest of the team could push back on.”

Why it works: 'Open Company, No Bullshit' in action — describes a concrete practice, not a vibe. Atlassian's Team Anywhere policy depends on exactly this kind of written-first operating discipline.

“Your Team Anywhere policy only works if the written layer is load-bearing, and I've spent years making sure mine is.”

Why it works: Connects the candidate's personal practice to an Atlassian policy with precision. 'Load-bearing written layer' is the kind of phrase that signals the candidate has actually operated in distributed teams, not just worked from home.

“I'm happy to share a short design doc I wrote on tenant isolation trade-offs that might be a useful conversation starter.”

Why it works: Atlassian lives on written artifacts — offering a design doc instead of a call shows you understand the company's operating rhythm and are proposing a value-add, not just asking for time.

Strong phrasing

  • “Shipped it with zero unplanned downtime and cut p99 API latency from 420ms to 95ms.”
  • “None of the consuming teams had to change a single public interface.”
  • “If a decision required a synchronous meeting, the meeting's output had to be a written artifact.”
  • “I'm happy to share a short design doc on tenant isolation trade-offs.”

Weak phrasing to avoid

  • “I am passionate about Atlassian's mission of unleashing the potential of every team.”
  • “I am a highly collaborative engineer who thrives in cross-functional environments.”
  • “I have leveraged best-in-class practices to synergize team outcomes.”
  • “I am excited about the opportunity to work at a world-class company like Atlassian.”
  • “Please find my resume attached for your review.”

Writing tips for this role

  • ·Cite something specific from Atlassian's engineering blog, public architecture talks, or a named internal initiative (Vertigo, Point A, Rovo). Generic praise signals you didn't read anything.
  • ·Use direct language. 'Open Company, No Bullshit' is a real value, and filler phrases like 'leveraged synergies' actively hurt your application.
  • ·Demonstrate distributed-work fluency through a concrete practice (async RFCs, Loom reviews, written decision logs) — not just 'I've worked remotely.'
  • ·Show platform thinking. Atlassian's business is Marketplace and APIs — stories about internal customers and backwards compatibility land harder than pure feature work.
  • ·Propose a written artifact as a next step. A design doc offer mirrors how Atlassian actually operates.

Common mistakes

Using corporate filler phrases

'Synergized cross-functional stakeholders' and 'leveraged best-in-class methodologies' will get flagged immediately. Atlassian's values include 'Open Company, No Bullshit' — write the way a senior engineer talks to another senior engineer.

Solo-hero framing

If every sentence starts with 'I led' or 'I decided' with no acknowledgment of the team, recruiters will flag it against 'Play as a Team.' Make space for how you enabled others or shared credit.

No reference to Atlassian's actual engineering work

Atlassian publishes engineering content (Vertigo migration, Forge platform, Compass, Atlas). A cover letter that doesn't hook into anything specific signals generic application.

Ignoring distributed work reality

Atlassian is Team Anywhere. A letter that talks only about in-office collaboration or doesn't mention async skills reads as a fit problem — even if you're strong technically.

Closing with 'I look forward to hearing from you'

Atlassian's culture rewards concrete next steps. Propose a written follow-up (design doc, RFC excerpt, one-pager) or a specific first-90-days topic. Passive closers waste the last line.

FAQ

How directly should I write for Atlassian — can I swear like their values do?

No, don't swear. 'Open Company, No Bullshit' is about intellectual honesty, not casual profanity. Write plainly, cut hedging language, and be willing to state strong opinions clearly. The tone should feel like a well-written engineering RFC, not a stand-up comedy set.

Should I mention I use Jira or Confluence?

Only with specificity. 'I use Jira' is filler — nearly every applicant does. If you've built custom workflows, authored Forge apps, integrated via the REST API, or have opinions about Jira's data model, those are worth mentioning because they show product depth, not just product usage.

How important is the values interview vs. the cover letter?

The cover letter gets you to the values interview. Atlassian's values interview is a dedicated round with structured questions mapping to all five values — but recruiters use the cover letter to decide whether you're worth scheduling. Your letter should give them one or two concrete value-aligned stories to follow up on.

Is it OK to write the letter from a non-US timezone?

Atlassian is Sydney-founded and Team Anywhere globally. Mentioning your timezone and how you've operated across timezones is a plus, not a concern. The company actively values distributed teams — make your async skills visible instead of apologizing for location.

Related Atlassian Resources

Atlassian Resume ExampleAtlassian Interview QuestionsAtlassian Salary Guide

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