Scale Engineer

Software Engineering Manager

Software Engineering ManagerManager 2High

This interview process is designed to assess candidates for a Software Engineering Manager (Manager 2) role at Akamai. It evaluates technical leadership, people management skills, strategic thinking, and cultural fit within Akamai's fast-paced and innovative environment.

Rounds·4

Timeline·~14d

Experience·8 - 15 yrs

Comp band·US$180000 - US$250000

Interview time·225 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Technical Acumen: Depth of understanding in relevant technologies, ability to guide technical decisions.
  • Leadership & People Management: Ability to inspire, mentor, and develop engineers; conflict resolution skills.
  • Strategic Thinking: Alignment of team's work with business goals, long-term planning.
  • Execution & Delivery: Track record of delivering projects on time and with quality.
  • Communication & Collaboration: Clarity in communication, ability to work effectively with stakeholders.
  • Cultural Fit: Alignment with Akamai's values, proactiveness, and ownership.

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Deep dive into Akamai's products, services, and company culture.
  2. Review your past projects and identify key achievements, challenges, and learnings.
  3. Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
  4. Brush up on software development best practices, architectural patterns, and agile methodologies.
  5. Understand common management challenges and how you would address them.
  6. Practice articulating your leadership philosophy and management style.
  7. Research current industry trends and how they might impact Akamai.
  8. Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers about the role, team, and company.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 05 phases

01 / 05
01

Phase 01 of 05

Company and Role Immersion

Weeks 1-2: Akamai's business, products, culture, and job requirements.

Weeks 1-2: Akamai Overview & Company Culture. Focus on understanding Akamai's mission, values, business units, key products (CDN, security, edge computing), and recent news. Familiarize yourself with Akamai's engineering culture and leadership principles. Review the job description thoroughly and map your experience to the requirements.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Tell me about your leadership philosophy.
  • Describe a time you had to make a difficult decision that impacted your team. What was the outcome?
  • How do you motivate your team during challenging times?
  • What is your approach to performance management and career development for your engineers?
  • How do you handle conflict within your team?
  • Describe a project where you had to manage significant technical debt. How did you prioritize and address it?
  • How do you ensure your team stays aligned with the company's strategic goals?
  • What are your strategies for attracting and retaining top engineering talent?
  • Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn from it?
  • How do you foster innovation and continuous improvement within your team?
  • Describe your experience with agile methodologies and how you've adapted them.
  • How do you balance the needs of your team with the demands of the business?
  • What are your strengths and weaknesses as a manager?
  • Why Akamai?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

01 / 02

Location

Global

Interview focus

Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor engineering teams.Proven track record of successfully delivering complex software projects.Strong understanding of software development lifecycle and best practices.Experience in hiring, performance management, and team building.Strategic thinking and ability to align technical execution with business objectives.Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.Cultural fit with Akamai's values of innovation, collaboration, and customer focus.

Common questions

  • Describe a time you had to manage a conflict within your team. How did you resolve it?
  • How do you foster innovation and creativity within an engineering team?
  • Tell me about a challenging project you managed from inception to completion. What were the key challenges and how did you overcome them?
  • How do you balance technical debt with delivering new features?
  • What are your strategies for attracting and retaining top engineering talent?
  • How do you ensure your team is aligned with the company's strategic goals?
  • Describe your experience with agile methodologies and how you've adapted them to your team's needs.
  • How do you handle underperforming team members?
  • What is your approach to performance reviews and career development for your engineers?
  • How do you stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends?

Tips

  • Be prepared to discuss specific examples from your past experience that demonstrate leadership and problem-solving skills.
  • Understand Akamai's business and technology stack to tailor your answers.
  • Showcase your ability to think strategically and connect technical decisions to business outcomes.
  • Emphasize your experience in building and developing high-performing teams.
  • Be ready to discuss your approach to managing technical challenges and trade-offs.
  • Prepare questions for the interviewer that demonstrate your engagement and interest in the role and Akamai.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

Expand a step for evaluation criteria, sample questions, and prep notes.

DSA

Coding questions at Akamai.

Frequently reported on Akamai loops

View all at Akamai

Other guides

More at Akamai.