What is a Solutions Architect?

At Glean, the Solutions Architect is a pivotal technical role that bridges the gap between our cutting-edge enterprise search technology and the complex infrastructure of our customers. You are not just a facilitator; you are a builder and a strategist. This role sits at the intersection of engineering, product, and customer success, ensuring that our AI-powered work assistant integrates seamlessly into diverse enterprise environments.

You will be responsible for designing and implementing technical solutions that allow companies to unlock the full potential of their internal knowledge. This involves working with connectors (integrations with tools like Jira, Slack, and Salesforce), managing identity and access protocols, and often writing code to solve unique deployment challenges. Because Glean operates at the forefront of Generative AI and search, your work directly influences how users experience the magic of finding exactly what they need, instantly.

This position requires a unique blend of "hands-on keyboard" technical skills and high-level architectural thinking. You will be working with a team that operates with a relatively flat hierarchy, meaning you have significant autonomy and the opportunity to make a visible impact on our product roadmap and customer satisfaction.

Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Preparing for the Solutions Architect interview at Glean requires a shift in mindset. You must be prepared to demonstrate that you are a technical expert who can code and design systems, not just talk about them. The interview process is designed to test your ability to execute under pressure while maintaining a customer-centric focus.

Your evaluators will be assessing you on the following key criteria:

Technical Proficiency & Coding Unlike some architecture roles that are purely diagrammatic, Glean expects you to be proficient in coding. You will be evaluated on your ability to write functional scripts (typically Python), interact with APIs, and deploy code in cloud environments like AWS. Do not underestimate the technical depth required here; successful candidates are often expected to produce code that is not just theoretical but deployable.

System Design & Cloud Architecture You must demonstrate a strong grasp of how modern SaaS applications are architected. Interviewers will look for your ability to design scalable solutions that handle data ingestion, permissions, and security. Familiarity with cloud services (AWS/GCP) and containerization is critical.

Problem Solving & Adaptability Glean is a high-growth environment where processes are still evolving. You will be evaluated on your ability to navigate ambiguity. Interviewers want to see how you troubleshoot complex integration issues when documentation is scarce or when a customer’s environment is non-standard.

Communication & Stakeholder Management You will frequently interface with both technical engineering teams and non-technical business stakeholders. You must show that you can translate complex technical constraints into clear business value and manage expectations effectively.

Interview Process Overview

The interview process for the Solutions Architect role at Glean is generally streamlined but rigorous. Based on recent candidate data, the process can move quickly—often concluding within two weeks—but it can also be unpredictable due to the company's rapid growth and flat structure. The process typically begins with a recruiter screen to align on logistics and interest, followed by a conversation with a Hiring Manager. This manager screen explores your background and fit but may not fully represent the technical depth of subsequent rounds.

Following the initial screens, you will move into the technical assessment phase. This is the most critical juncture. Candidates have reported a significant jump in difficulty between the Hiring Manager's description of technical requirements and the actual technical interview. You may be told the role is "low code," only to face a technical review requiring an 8/10 proficiency level where you must write and deploy code. The final stage involves a loop of interviews covering culture, deeper technical deep dives, and behavioral questions.

The timeline above illustrates the typical flow from initial contact to final decision. Use this to plan your preparation intensity: use the time before the Technical Screen to sharpen your coding and cloud deployment skills, as this is the primary filter. Be aware that communication between interview stages may sometimes feel disjointed, so you should treat every round as an independent opportunity to prove your technical merit.

Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

To succeed, you must prepare for specific, high-priority evaluation areas. Drawing from candidate experiences, the following sections outline what you must master.

Coding and Scripting

This is the area where most misalignment occurs. While some discussions may frame the role as advisory, the technical interview is hands-on. You are expected to be comfortable writing scripts to manipulate data and connect systems.

Be ready to go over:

• Python Scripting – Writing clean, efficient scripts to parse JSON, handle strings, or automate tasks.
• API Interaction – Making HTTP requests, handling pagination, and managing rate limits.
• Data Transformation – converting data from one format to another to fit Glean’s ingestion requirements.
• Advanced concepts – Asynchronous programming or deploying a small app on a cloud provider during the interview.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Write a script to fetch data from this public API, filter the results based on specific criteria, and save it to a file."
• "How would you debug a Python script that is failing to authenticate with a third-party service?"

Cloud Infrastructure & Deployment

Glean runs on complex infrastructure, and you need to understand where the software lives. Candidates have reported being asked to demonstrate code running on AWS.

Be ready to go over:

• AWS Services – EC2, S3, Lambda, and IAM roles.
• Deployment – How to get a script running in a cloud environment, not just on your local machine.
• Security – Understanding permissions, VPCs, and secure credential management.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Deploy the script you just wrote to an AWS instance and ensure it runs automatically."
• "How would you architect a secure connection between a client's on-premise data center and our cloud tenant?"

Solutioning & Integration

This area tests your "Architect" title. You need to show how you connect disparate systems to create a unified search experience.

Be ready to go over:

• Connectors – How to integrate with SaaS platforms like Salesforce, Jira, or ServiceNow.
• Identity Management – SSO, SAML, and OAuth flows.
• Search Relevance – Basic understanding of how indexing works and how to optimize data for retrieval.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "A customer is complaining that search results from Jira are outdated. How do you troubleshoot this?"
• "Design a solution to ingest documents from a legacy file system into Glean."

The word cloud above highlights the most frequently discussed topics in Glean interviews. Notice the prominence of AWS, Coding, and Python alongside Architecture. This visual reinforces that you should prioritize hard technical skills just as much as your high-level architectural knowledge.

Key Responsibilities

As a Solutions Architect at Glean, your day-to-day work is dynamic and heavily focused on customer enablement through technology. You are the primary technical owner for integrating Glean into a customer's ecosystem. This involves designing and building custom connectors or scripts to ingest data from unique sources that are not supported out-of-the-box. You will spend a significant portion of your time in the code, debugging integration issues, and optimizing data indexing pipelines.

Beyond the code, you act as a strategic advisor. You will collaborate closely with the Sales team during the pre-sales process to validate technical feasibility (Proof of Concept) and with the Customer Success team post-sales to ensure smooth deployment. You are also a feedback loop for the Product and Engineering teams; when you encounter a recurring hurdle in the field, you help define the roadmap to fix it at the platform level. Expect to work in a fast-paced environment where you often have to figure out the "how" with minimal guidance.

Role Requirements & Qualifications

To be competitive for this role, you need a specific mix of engineering capability and customer-facing polish.

• Must-have Technical Skills:

  • Strong Coding Ability: Proficiency in Python or Go is essential. You must be able to write production-quality scripts.
  • Cloud Fluency: Hands-on experience with AWS (preferred) or GCP. You should be comfortable spinning up instances and debugging cloud networking.
  • API Knowledge: Deep understanding of REST APIs, OAuth, and data serialization (JSON).

• Must-have Soft Skills:

  • Communication: Ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
  • Autonomy: Proven ability to work in a flat, unstructured environment where you define your own path to the solution.

• Nice-to-have Skills:

  • Experience with Enterprise Search technologies (Elasticsearch, Solr, Lucene).
  • Knowledge of Identity Providers (Okta, Azure AD) and permission models.
  • Background in Generative AI or LLM implementation.

Common Interview Questions

The following questions are representative of what you might face. They are drawn from candidate reports and are designed to test the specific skills required for a Solutions Architect at Glean.

Technical & Coding

This category tests your ability to execute tasks that you would do on the job.

• "Write a program that connects to the GitHub API and lists all repositories for a given user, sorted by the number of stars."
• "Here is a broken script intended to scrape data from a website. Debug it and get it running on an AWS EC2 instance."
• "How would you handle rate limiting when ingesting millions of records from a client's API?"
• "Write a function to traverse a nested JSON object and extract specific keys."

Architecture & System Design

These questions assess your ability to design robust integrations.

• "Design a system to sync data from Salesforce to Glean in near real-time. How do you handle deletions?"
• "A customer wants to index an on-premise Confluence instance but doesn't want to open their firewall. How do you solve this?"
• "Explain how SAML authentication works to a non-technical project manager."

Behavioral & Situational

These questions evaluate your cultural fit and problem-solving approach.

• "Tell me about a time you had to learn a new technology overnight to solve a customer problem."
• "Describe a situation where you disagreed with a product manager about a technical feature. How did you resolve it?"
• "How do you handle a customer who has unrealistic expectations about what the product can do?"

These questions are based on real interview experiences from candidates who interviewed at this company. You can practice answering them interactively on Dataford to better prepare for your interview.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How much coding is actually required for the interview? Do not be misled by initial conversations that suggest the role is "low code." Recent candidates report that the technical screen requires an 8/10 proficiency level, including deploying code to AWS. Prepare as if you are interviewing for a software engineering role.

Q: What is the team structure like? Glean currently operates with a very flat hierarchy. This means "no one is in sync" at times, as noted by candidates. You might find that different interviewers have slightly different expectations. You should view this as an opportunity to show leadership and self-direction.

Q: Is this a pre-sales or post-sales role? The Solutions Architect role at Glean typically spans both. You may assist with complex Proofs of Concept (PoC) in pre-sales and then own the technical implementation and customization in post-sales.

Q: What is the interview timeline? The process can be quite fast, often taking around 2 weeks. However, communication can be abrupt; some candidates have reported rapid rejections or disconnects between recruiters and hiring managers. Stay proactive in your follow-ups.

Q: Is the role remote? Glean has a strong presence in Palo Alto (CA) and New York. While they are flexible, there is often a preference for candidates who can be near a hub to facilitate collaboration in their flat organizational structure.

Other General Tips

Verify Technical Expectations Early

Show Your Work In technical rounds, don't just write code; explain your thought process. If you are asked to deploy something, talk through the security implications (e.g., "I'm opening port 80 here, but in production, I would use a load balancer...").

Demonstrate "Glean-ness" Glean values curiosity and the ability to find answers. If you don't know something, demonstrate how you would find the answer using documentation or search. This aligns perfectly with the product's mission.

Be Prepared for "Flat" Chaos

Highlight Connector Experience If you have built integrations for Jira, ServiceNow, or Salesforce in the past, highlight this heavily. It is the bread and butter of the role.

Summary & Next Steps

The Solutions Architect role at Glean (CA) is a high-impact position that demands a rare combination of engineering grit and architectural vision. You will be working with one of the most exciting AI products on the market, helping top-tier enterprise customers solve their data discovery challenges. This is a role for a builder—someone who is not afraid to open an IDE, write a Python script, and deploy it to the cloud to get the job done.

To succeed, focus your preparation on hands-on coding (Python) and AWS deployment. Do not rely on assurances that the technical bar is low; the data suggests otherwise. Approach the process with confidence, ready to prove that you can bridge the gap between complex enterprise data and Glean's powerful search engine.

The salary data above provides a baseline for the role. Compensation at Glean is generally competitive, often including significant equity components given the company's growth stage. Be prepared to discuss your expectations clearly, keeping in mind the technical depth required for the position.

Good luck! With the right preparation and a focus on technical execution, you can demonstrate exactly why you are the right architect for Glean.