Solution Engineer (role profile)
This page describes the role profile for Solution Engineers at LEF (how we expect the role to operate in real work).
Primary responsibility
Section titled “Primary responsibility”Create clarity before building: requirements → model → delivery.
Role snapshot
Section titled “Role snapshot”| Work format | Remote-first |
| Primary focus | Requirements clarity → modeling → delivery (Thinkwise) |
What the role is
Section titled “What the role is”Solution Engineers operate at the intersection of business understanding and system design. The core responsibility is to create clarity before building.
Typical responsibility areas:
- Requirements discovery and structuring (always first)
- Data modeling (base model)
- Business rules and automation (logic model)
- Integrations (APIs / data flows)
In most projects, the rough balance of effort looks like:
- 40% requirements discovery and structuring
- 20% data modeling
- 25% business rules and automation
- 15% integrations
What “good” looks like
Section titled “What “good” looks like”- Reframes ambiguity into a clear problem statement and next questions.
- Produces explicit models (base + rules) with minimal exceptions.
- Communicates progress and risks early, in writing.
- Designs for operability (safe change, predictable failures, observability).
Typical responsibilities
Section titled “Typical responsibilities”- Requirements discovery and structuring
- Data modeling (base model)
- Business rules and automation (logic model)
- Integrations (APIs / data flows)
Evaluation rubric (signals)
Section titled “Evaluation rubric (signals)”| Dimension | Signals |
|---|---|
| Thinking (structured) | Reframes ambiguity into a clear problem statement; asks the right questions; explains trade-offs. |
| Autonomy with ownership | Manages dependencies and risks; communicates blockers early; ships scoped outcomes. |
| Modeling and correctness | Clean base model; explicit and testable rules; deliberate edge cases. |
| Communication | Writes clearly (problem, context, decision, next steps); aligns on scope and acceptance criteria. |
| Production mindset | Designs for operability; avoids functional legacy; prefers strong defaults and minimal exceptions. |
Interview / evaluation loop
Section titled “Interview / evaluation loop”- Screen (30 min): problem framing + communication
- Modeling exercise (60–90 min): requirements → base model → rules (walkthrough)
- Deep dive (60 min): trade-offs, edge cases, integration thinking
- Team fit (30 min): feedback, autonomy, collaboration style
Red flags
Section titled “Red flags”- Starts building before aligning on requirements
- “Just tell me what to do” mindset
- Rigid mental models (“this is how it’s always done”)
- Optimizes for appearance over correctness and operability
- Poor written communication in a remote-first setup
Growth expectations
Section titled “Growth expectations”We expect progression from:
- Guided: learns patterns, asks good questions, delivers with support
- Independent: owns scoped outcomes end-to-end
- Trusted: drives decisions, prevents issues, mentors others
Onboarding and growth path
Section titled “Onboarding and growth path”The first months are designed to teach the platform and the modeling mindset, then increase real-world contribution.
| Phase | Focus | Expected outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| Guided | Fundamentals + modeling mindset | Learn Thinkwise fundamentals, practice modeling/T-SQL, ship small scoped changes. |
| Supervised | Real delivery with reviews | Contribute to real work with review; build confidence in production-ready delivery. |
| Increasing ownership | End-to-end responsibility | Take scoped work independently; drive clarity and decisions with minimal supervision. |
Candidate profile
Section titled “Candidate profile”We look for people who are naturally curious, structured in their thinking, and motivated to grow through real project work.
- Strong analytical and logical reasoning
- Interest in data modeling, business process understanding, and system design
- Basic to intermediate SQL knowledge (T-SQL is a plus — we’ll help you deepen it)
- Clear, structured communication — especially in writing
- Self-management and accountability in a remote-first setup
You don’t need to know Thinkwise yet — we’ll teach you. What matters most is how you approach problems, communicate your thinking, and show up consistently.
Career progression
Section titled “Career progression”As your skills and ownership grow, you may:
- Deepen specialization in modeling, logic design, or integrations
- Lead scoped work, client interactions, or internal tools
- Grow toward Solution Architect, Lead Engineer, or product-technical roles
- Help refine our methods and tooling