Senior Solutions Architect (Remote, UK)

A Senior Solutions Architect at Grafana Labs is responsible for providing specialized business and technical consultation to customers, managing the lifecycle of their onboarding and adoption of Grafana offerings, and delivering tailored training. They act as a trusted partner, offering insights and best practices, as well as managing ongoing support to ensure customers realize value from the products.

To qualify for the Senior Solutions Architect role at Grafana Labs, candidates should have 5+ years of experience in deployment teams using project management techniques, direct experience with observability, and a proven track record of successful customer project delivery. Familiarity with technologies like Kubernetes, AWS, and Grafana products is necessary, as well as excellent communication skills.

In this role, the Senior Solutions Architect engages with customers at multiple levels, including business executives and IT staff. They actively listen to customers' needs, translate those into business and technical requirements, and lead workshops to develop appropriate solutions, all while fostering long-term relationships to maximize client satisfaction.

Technical skills essential for the Senior Solutions Architect position at Grafana Labs include proficiency in observability stacks, knowledge of tools like Prometheus and Loki, and experience with cloud platforms such as AWS and GCP. Understanding Kubernetes and having hands-on experience with command-line interfaces also adds value in delivering successful solutions.

A Senior Solutions Architect at Grafana Labs works on projects that involve enterprise observability implementations for large customers, focusing on deployment strategies, dashboard creation, metrics management, and log analysis. They leverage their expertise to provide comprehensive consulting tailored to the unique needs of high-priority client engagements.

When answering this question, focus on specific tools you've used, such as Grafana, Prometheus, and Loki. Discuss how you've implemented observability solutions in past projects and any challenges you overcame to deliver results. Providing measurable outcomes will strengthen your response.

Emphasize your communication skills and analytical thinking. Discuss your methods for gathering information from stakeholders, documenting requirements, and ensuring that both business and technical teams are aligned. Share examples where your approach led to successful project outcomes.

Highlight your interpersonal skills and the importance of building rapport. Talk about how you tailor your communication to the audience—business executives vs. technical teams—and share specific strategies that have proven effective in engaging customers successfully.

Provide a real-life example where you took the lead in project management. Discuss your role, the challenges faced, how you coordinated with multiple teams, and the ultimate success achieved. Make sure to focus on your leadership and problem-solving skills.

Discuss your commitment to learning through various channels, such as online courses, industry newsletters, webinars, and community forums. Mention any specific practices or resources you rely on to keep your knowledge fresh and stay informed about advancements in the field.

Share a specific scenario where you faced a technical problem during a project. Explain the issue, your troubleshooting steps, and how you communicated with the customer throughout the process. Highlight the positive outcome and any feedback received.

Discuss methodologies such as Agile or Scrum that you have experience with. Explain how you apply them in your projects to enhance collaboration, ensure transparency, and deliver high-quality outcomes. Be sure to mention how these practices benefit the customer engagement process.

Explain the importance of documentation in ensuring clarity and consistency. Discuss how you document requirements, solutions, and processes to facilitate communication between teams and serve as a reference for future projects, stressing how it supports customer success.

Detail your organizational skills and tools you use for task management. Discuss how you assess project urgency, client needs, and resource availability to effectively prioritize tasks and meet deadlines without compromising quality.

Express your enthusiasm for working with cutting-edge technologies and your passion for helping customers succeed. Align your personal values and career goals with Grafana Labs' mission, emphasizing how your skills and experiences can contribute to the team.