By Meta Careers
Most people who hear the words “solutions engineering” immediately think sales and support. But here at Facebook, it means something entirely different. Facebook’s Solutions Engineering (SE) team is unique in that it merges engineering and business into one team focused on building technical solutions to address the business challenges of clients. It requires strategic problem solving, creativity and technical prowess. We caught up with Facebook Solutions Engineers Qile H., Seb H. and Serign J. to demystify this role and dive into the opportunities for growth and impact on the Solutions Engineering team. Here’s what they have to say.
What makes Solutions Engineering different from traditional engineering at Facebook?
Serign J. & and Seb H.
“My team is at the intersection of engineering work and businesses, with the main difference being how we go about deciding what to build. As solutions engineers, we spend a lot of time understanding the challenges of a business, and then using this insight to provide the right solutions to address these challenges. Sometimes this means architecting entirely new products and other times, it means recommending the right tools that already exist. As a result, we don’t have a product manager overseeing our work and driving the direction of our solutions; our direction comes directly from the clients.” —Serign J., Solutions Engineering Manager
“Solutions engineers at Facebook operate in small teams within the larger Facebook organization. We work on several short-term projects at a given time. It keeps things interesting, and every day is different. I typically refer to engineers on the SE team as the first mile and last mile engineers; we get to decide if a project is worthwhile to hand over to a dedicated product team to build out further, or if it shouldn’t be pursued. We have a lot of autonomy and we take on a lot of responsibility in deciding what solutions Facebook builds.” —Seb H., Solutions Engineering Manager
Where have you driven the most impact in Solutions Engineering?
“I see the most impact when the solution I build is implemented and I’m able to solve my client’s problems. I feel lucky to have the opportunity to see the whole business cycle from start to finish—from how the problem began, to how we ultimately solve it. Knowing that my team’s solutions actually make a difference is really empowering.” —Qile H., Solutions Engineer
Serign J., Solutions Engineering Manager
“Small businesses are a huge part of every community across the world, and they are at the heart of our work as Solutions Engineers. On a personal level, both my mom and my sisters are SMB owners, so our focus on finding solutions that empower SMBs really resonates with me. I’ve see this impact come to life at various events, where SMBs have expressed how they’ve been able to pursue their dreams and build their own companies because of Facebook’s tools and resources.” —Serign J., Solutions Engineering Manager
Can you give an example of the solutions you build?
Qile H., Solutions Engineer (Art by Sophie Roach through the Facebook Artist in Residence Program)
“I work with two verticals: retail, and luxury and specialty retail. One of our luxury clients relies heavily on offline transactions. This was an initial challenge because results and conversion rates from offline transactions are difficult to measure. It’s hard to attribute in-store purchases to advertisements, but we’ve been able to build solutions to help Global Sales Organizations better track and attribute conversions for products purchased at brick-and-mortar stores. I love playing the consulting role to help clients determine which solution is most suited to address a particular issue.” —Qile H., Solutions Engineer
“I manage the US ecommerce and travel verticals for solutions engineering. As a manager, my job is to remove roadblocks on both the engineering and business side to help my team develop viable solutions for clients. One project I’m particularly proud of is my team’s work on developing the first prototype for dynamic advertisements for travel, travel ads, which connects consumers with services that are valuable to them—like finding a hotel or transportation for a trip.” —Seb H., Solutions Engineering Manager
“For SMBs, when they would get stuck and need help, they would have to go to the online support hub where they could view a general list of the most frequently asked questions. Our team worked on making this list dynamic and applying machine learning, so each SMB would see a list personalized specifically to their needs and what they do. We’re able to tailor these lists to our advertisers specific needs and challenges, providing solutions that are seemingly custom while remaining scalable.” —Serign J., Solutions Engineering Manager
Can you describe your work life balance at Facebook?
“Facebook gives a lot of respect to work life balance. Before joining Facebook in New York, I was working in Chicago, and my family was looking to make a move. I relocated in part due to personal reasons, but also because New York had more job opportunities for me and my husband. Facebook made the relocation so easy for me. They provided great support and a relocation package that took care of almost everything. The transition was completely seamless.
Not only that, but three months ago I returned from maternity leave. It’s not an easy transition, even with all of Facebook’s resources. I owe it all to my manager and team for making my return as smooth as possible. There were times where I would have to stay at home with my baby because my husband would have to leave the house. My team was completely supportive of me working from home whenever I needed, and even today, they always encourage me to do whatever necessary to better manage my work life balance.” —Qile H., Solutions Engineer
What advice would you give to prospective candidates?
Seb H., Solutions Engineering Manager
“To be a solutions engineer, it doesn’t matter what engineering background you hold or where you are in your career—what matters is your mindset. This is the role you take when you’re ready to decide for yourself what you want to build. Solutions engineering is not a good fit for those who want to feel comfortable in their day-to-day. If you have an innate curiosity to know why something is being built, and a strong desire to create solutions, this is the role for you.” —Seb H., Solutions Engineering Manager
See here for opportunities with our Solutions Engineering team.
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