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Practising for the listing Senior Solution Architect. Its requirements are filled in below. When you have an answer you like, paste it with your CV in Career Mirror to see which of the job's skills it shows.

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Senior Solution Architect
About Gusto

At Gusto, we're on a mission to grow the small business economy. We handle the hard stuff — payroll, health insurance, 401(k)s, and HR — so owners can focus on their craft and their customers. With teams in Denver, San Francisco, and New York, we support more than 500,000 small businesses nationwide and are building a workplace that reflects the people we serve.

All full-time employees receive competitive base pay, benefits, and equity (RSUs) — because everyone who helps build Gusto should share in its success. Offer amounts are determined by role, level, and location. Learn more about our Total Rewards philosophy .

AI is a fundamental part of how work gets done at Gusto. We expect all team members to actively engage with AI tools relevant to their role and grow their fluency as the technology evolves. AI experience requirements vary by role and will be assessed during the interview process.

About the role

The most senior individual-contributor seat in Solutions Engineering, not defined by a stage in the customer journey, but by scope: you're the final technical escalation point for Solutions Engineering, and the person who sets technical strategy and standard for the function as a whole. Where other Solutions Engineers own the deepest technical work on a given deal, you own the problems and decisions that span deals, route-to-market segments, and teams, like the ones with no existing playbook because nobody's had to solve them at this scale before. You're equally credible sketching an API flow with an engineer and discussing technical roadmap with an exec. In practice, that often means owning the deep API and OAuth-level integration and customization work behind the organization's highest-value enterprise and partner deals, the work that has historically had no clear owner, leaving sales and delivery teams to chase down the technical follow-through themselves.

Here's what you'll do day-to-day

• Serve as the final technical escalation point for the rarest, highest-ambiguity problems — the ones with no existing playbook.

• Set standing technical strategy and direction for Solutions Engineering as a function, independent of any single route to market or deal.

• Represent Solutions Engineering directly in cross-functional and executive conversations with Product, Engineering, and GTM leadership — translating technical reality into business decisions and vice versa.

• Mentor and set the technical bar for the broader Solutions Engineering team — including coaching on the judgment calls that come with full deal/technical autonomy.

• Own the technical strategy — and the hands-on build — behind the org's highest-stakes, most cross-functional initiatives: deep API and OAuth-based integration work for enterprise and partner accounts, from initial authorization through ongoing customization, end-to-end.

• Act as the technical throughline between engineering/platform teams and go-to-market teams on the largest deals — making sure a committed integration or customization actually ships for the customer, instead of leaving that follow-through to sales.

• Turn bespoke, one-off integration builds into reusable patterns and tooling other accounts and partners can adopt, rather than re-solving the same problem for every new deal.

• Influence product and engineering roadmap from a position of pattern-recognition across the entire SE function, not just your own book.

• Operate with full autonomy — no standard escalation path exists above this seat for day-to-day technical decisions.

Here's what we're looking for

• 8–12+ years of relevant experience, with significant time in a senior technical pre-sales, solutions-architecture, or implementation leadership role.

• Proven track record operating independently on the most complex, highest-stakes technical problems an organization has — not just executing an established playbook.

• Comfortable and credible in both a whiteboard session with engineers and a strategy conversation with executives — able to translate fluently between the two.

• Demonstrated experience setting technical direction or standards across a team or function, not just for your own accounts.

• Strong track record influencing product/engineering roadmap through structured technical feedback and pattern recognition across many accounts or problems.

• Deep fluency across Gusto's technical surface area — Salesforce/CRM, API and integration architecture (including OAuth/token-based authorization flows), payroll/tax/compliance systems — sufficient to be the final word when others can't resolve something.

Bonus points

• Payroll Certification.

• Prior experience in a Staff/Principal-titled technical pre-sales or solutions-architecture role at another company.

• Experience standing up a net-new technical program or capability from scratch (e.g. an OAuth-based API/partner access program) rather than operating inside an existing one.

• Track record mentoring senior technical ICs (not just junior ones) into more autonomous, higher-scope roles.

• Executive-facing communication experience — comfortable owning a technical narrative in a room with Gusto leadership or a customer's leadership.

Our OTE cash compensation amount for this role is targeted at $150,000-$185,000 OTE in Denver & most remote locations. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate location, experience and expertise and may vary from the amounts listed above.

At Gusto, we don't use titles the traditional way, as a signal of rank or hierarchy. Instead, our titles describe two things at once — your craft (what you do, e.g. Engineering, Design) and your scope of ownership (what you're accountable for) — which is why you'll see something like "Head of X" instead of a rank word like "Director" that tells you neither. Because of this, the title on this posting may look different from what you'd expect based on the scope and seniority of the role, and from how similar roles are typically titled elsewhere. If you have questions about how this role compares to your current title or level, your recruiter can help translate.

Gusto has physical office spaces in Denver, San Francisco, and New York City. Employees who are based in those locations will be expected to work from the office on designated days approximately 2-3 days per week (or more depending on role). The same office expectations apply to all Symmetry roles, Gusto's subsidiary, whose physical office is in Scottsdale.

Note: The San Francisco office expectations encompass both the San Francisco and San Jose metro areas.

When approved to work from a location other than a Gusto office, a secure, reliable, and consistent internet connection is required. This includes non-office days for hybrid employees.

Reliable, consistent presence: We expect regular and predictable attendance, whether you're working in-office, hybrid, or fully remote, so that you stay closely connected to your team, customers, and stakeholders in real time and ensure colleagues and customers receive the timely support and responsiveness they deserve.

Our customers come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, not just because it's the right thing to do, but because it makes our company stronger. If you share our values and our enthusiasm for small businesses, you will find a home at Gusto.

Gusto is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. Gusto considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Gusto is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. We want to see our candidates perform to the best of their ability. If you require a medical or religious accommodation at any time throughout your candidate journey, please fill out this form and a member of our team will get in touch with you.

Gusto takes security and protection of your personal information very seriously. Please review our Fraudulent Activity Disclaimer .

Personal information collected and processed as part of your Gusto application will be subject to Gusto's Applicant Privacy Notice .

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Requirements found

Marketing Sales (nice) Salesforce Compliance Word (nice)

What this posting asks for

Level: Senior — The title says "Senior".

Main responsibilities

Serve as the final technical escalation point for the rarest, highest-ambiguity problems — the ones with no existing playbook.
Mentor and set the technical bar for the broader Solutions Engineering team — including coaching on the judgment calls that come with full deal/technical aut…
Own the technical strategy — and the hands-on build — behind the org's highest-stakes, most cross-functional initiatives: deep API and OAuth-based integratio…
Operate with full autonomy — no standard escalation path exists above this seat for day-to-day technical decisions.
Track record mentoring senior technical ICs (not just junior ones) into more autonomous, higher-scope roles.

Competencies an interviewer will look for

Technical skill Core
In the posting: “The most senior individual-contributor seat in Solutions Engineering, not defined by a stage in the customer journey, but by scope: you're the final technica…” · “You're equally credible sketching an API flow with an engineer and discussing technical roadmap with an exec.” · “In practice, that often means owning the deep API and OAuth-level integration and customization work behind the organization's highest-value enterprise and p…”
Show it by: Names the tools, languages or systems used and how; Explains a technical choice and its trade-off.
Problem solving Core
In the posting: “Where other Solutions Engineers own the deepest technical work on a given deal, you own the problems and decisions that span deals, route-to-market segments,…” · “Turn bespoke, one-off integration builds into reusable patterns and tooling other accounts and partners can adopt, rather than re-solving the same problem fo…” · “Deep fluency across Gusto's technical surface area — Salesforce/CRM, API and integration architecture (including OAuth/token-based authorization flows), payr…”
Show it by: Describes a real problem, the options considered and the one chosen; Shows how the cause was found, not just the fix.
Teamwork and collaboration Core
In the posting: “With teams in Denver, San Francisco, and New York, we support more than 500,000 small businesses nationwide and are building a workplace that reflects the pe…” · “Represent Solutions Engineering directly in cross-functional and executive conversations with Product, Engineering, and GTM leadership — translating technica…” · “Own the technical strategy — and the hands-on build — behind the org's highest-stakes, most cross-functional initiatives: deep API and OAuth-based integratio…”
Show it by: Says what they did inside a team, not only what 'we' did; Shows how a disagreement was handled.
Ownership and accountability Core
In the posting: “Where other Solutions Engineers own the deepest technical work on a given deal, you own the problems and decisions that span deals, route-to-market segments,…” · “Set standing technical strategy and direction for Solutions Engineering as a function, independent of any single route to market or deal.” · “Mentor and set the technical bar for the broader Solutions Engineering team — including coaching on the judgment calls that come with full deal/technical aut…”
Show it by: Takes a task from start to finish without being chased; Owns a mistake and what was changed after it.
Leadership and mentoring Core
In the posting: “Represent Solutions Engineering directly in cross-functional and executive conversations with Product, Engineering, and GTM leadership — translating technica…” · “Mentor and set the technical bar for the broader Solutions Engineering team — including coaching on the judgment calls that come with full deal/technical aut…” · “8–12+ years of relevant experience, with significant time in a senior technical pre-sales, solutions-architecture, or implementation leadership role.”
Show it by: Describes setting direction or a standard others followed; Names someone they coached and what changed for them.
Customer focus Core
In the posting: “We handle the hard stuff — payroll, health insurance, 401(k)s, and HR — so owners can focus on their craft and their customers.” · “The most senior individual-contributor seat in Solutions Engineering, not defined by a stage in the customer journey, but by scope: you're the final technica…” · “Act as the technical throughline between engineering/platform teams and go-to-market teams on the largest deals — making sure a committed integration or cust…”
Show it by: Puts the customer's need in their own words; Shows a result for the customer, not only for the company.
Attention to detail and quality Core
In the posting: “The most senior individual-contributor seat in Solutions Engineering, not defined by a stage in the customer journey, but by scope: you're the final technica…” · “Operate with full autonomy — no standard escalation path exists above this seat for day-to-day technical decisions.” · “Demonstrated experience setting technical direction or standards across a team or function, not just for your own accounts.”
Show it by: Gives an example of an error caught before it caused harm; Names the check or standard they used.
Stakeholder management Core
In the posting: “Represent Solutions Engineering directly in cross-functional and executive conversations with Product, Engineering, and GTM leadership — translating technica…” · “Turn bespoke, one-off integration builds into reusable patterns and tooling other accounts and partners can adopt, rather than re-solving the same problem fo…” · “Influence product and engineering roadmap from a position of pattern-recognition across the entire SE function, not just your own book.”
Show it by: Shows how they aligned people with different goals; Explains how they handled a 'no' from someone senior.
Planning and organisation Core
In the posting: “In practice, that often means owning the deep API and OAuth-level integration and customization work behind the organization's highest-value enterprise and p…” · “Proven track record operating independently on the most complex, highest-stakes technical problems an organization has — not just executing an established pl…”
Show it by: Shows how priorities were set when everything was urgent; Mentions deadlines met and how.
Communication Supporting
In the posting: “Executive-facing communication experience — comfortable owning a technical narrative in a room with Gusto leadership or a customer's leadership.”
Show it by: Adapts the message to the listener; Gives an example of explaining something clearly in writing or speech.
Adaptability and learning Supporting
In the posting: “Serve as the final technical escalation point for the rarest, highest-ambiguity problems — the ones with no existing playbook.”
Show it by: Describes learning something new quickly and using it; Shows a change of plan and how they adjusted.

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Practice questions

Tell me about yourself. Dedicated step-by-step practice.
If an interviewer asks something improper How to respond to questions about age, family, origin or health.
Built from this posting (8):
Walk me through a piece of work where you used your strongest technical skill. What exactly did you do? From this posting
Tell me about a difficult problem you solved at work. How did you find the cause? From this posting
Describe a time you worked with another team to deliver something. What was your part? From this posting
Tell me about a task you took from start to finish without anyone asking you to. From this posting
How have you used marketing in your work? Walk me through one real example. From this posting
Tell me about a problem you solved using sales. From this posting
Tell me about a time you helped someone on your team get better at their work. From this posting
Tell me about a time you had to explain something complex to someone outside your field. From this posting
This posting reads as Finance & accounting: its questions come first.
How do you make sure your work holds up in an audit? Finance & accounting
Tell me about a time you found an error in a financial report or reconciliation. Finance & accounting
Walk me through how you build a budget or forecast. Finance & accounting
It is the last day of month-end close and a balance will not tie out. What do you do? Finance & accounting
Describe a time you explained a financial result to a manager outside finance. Finance & accounting
Tell me about an analysis that saved money or found revenue. Finance & accounting
Three urgent requests arrive during close. How do you decide the order? Finance & accounting
Describe a finance process you made faster or more reliable. Finance & accounting
Tell me about a sale or agreement you are proud of.
How do you keep your pipeline organised?
Describe a time you handled an upset customer or colleague.
Tell me about a time you had several deadlines at once. How did you decide what to do first?
Give an example of a mistake you caught before it caused a problem.
Tell me about a time you taught someone how to do something.
Describe a time you took the lead without being asked.
Tell me about a time you had to explain something complicated in simple terms.
Describe a process you improved.
Do you have any questions for us?
Why do you want to work here?
Why is there a gap in your employment? Difficult question
Why did you leave your last job? Difficult question
Why are you changing careers? Difficult question
What is your greatest weakness? Difficult question
What are your salary expectations? Difficult question
You seem overqualified for this role. Why do you want it? Difficult question
Improper-question practice: How old are you? / Do you have children? / Where are you from originally?
A customer is angry about a delay you did not cause. What do you do?
How do you keep track of many open customer requests?
Tell me about a time you could not give a customer what they wanted.
You find that the inventory count does not match the system. What do you do?
Tell me about a time a shipment or delivery went wrong.
How do you make sure safety rules are followed on a busy shift?
Two managers ask you to book the same room at the same time. What do you do?
How have you used spreadsheets in your work?
Tell me about a time you had to enter or check a lot of data accurately.
A prospect says your price is too high. How do you respond?
Tell me about a technical problem you solved on your own.
You find a bug right before a release. What do you do?
Walk me through how you would check whether a report's numbers are right.