Scale Engineer

Software Engineering Manager

Software Engineering ManagerSoftware Engineering Manager IIHigh

The Software Engineering Manager II interview at AppFolio is designed to assess a candidate's technical leadership, people management skills, strategic thinking, and ability to drive execution within a fast-paced environment. It evaluates how candidates build and lead high-performing engineering teams, foster a positive engineering culture, and contribute to the company's overall technical vision and business objectives.

Rounds·5

Timeline·~14d

Experience·5 - 10 yrs

Comp band·US$170000 - US$220000

Interview time·240 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Technical depth and breadth
  • Problem-solving and critical thinking
  • System design and architecture understanding
  • Ability to mentor and develop engineers

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Deeply understand AppFolio's mission, values, and products.
  2. Review common software engineering management challenges and best practices.
  3. Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
  4. Brush up on system design principles and scalability concepts.
  5. Think about your leadership philosophy and how you foster team growth.
  6. Be ready to discuss your experience with hiring, performance reviews, and career development.
  7. Understand AppFolio's engineering culture and how you would contribute to it.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 04 phases

01 / 04
01

Phase 01 of 04

Management Fundamentals & Behavioral Preparation

Weeks 1-2: Management fundamentals, agile, team dynamics, conflict resolution, performance management. Read 'The Manager's Path', 'Radical Candor'. Prepare STAR examples.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on foundational management principles. Study topics like agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban), team dynamics, conflict resolution, and performance management frameworks. Read books like 'The Manager's Path' by Camille Fournier and 'Radical Candor' by Kim Scott. Begin preparing STAR method examples for common management scenarios.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Tell me about a time you had to manage a difficult stakeholder relationship. How did you handle it?
  • Describe your process for hiring and onboarding new engineers.
  • How do you foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement within your team?
  • Walk me through a complex technical project you led from conception to delivery.
  • How do you balance technical debt with new feature development?
  • What is your approach to performance management, including addressing underperformance?
  • Describe a time you had to make a difficult decision that impacted your team. What was the outcome?
  • How do you stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends?
  • What are your strategies for motivating and retaining top engineering talent?
  • How do you ensure your team's work aligns with the company's strategic objectives?
  • Describe a situation where you had to resolve a conflict within your team.
  • How do you delegate tasks effectively and empower your team members?
  • What are your thoughts on code reviews and quality assurance processes?
  • How do you handle ambiguity and changing priorities?
  • What are your career aspirations, and how does this role fit into them?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

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Location

Remote/Hybrid

Interview focus

Remote team management strategiesCross-timezone collaborationBuilding trust and engagement in a distributed workforce

Common questions

  • How do you handle performance issues with a direct report in a remote setting?
  • Describe a time you had to adapt your management style for a distributed team.
  • What tools and strategies do you use to ensure effective communication and collaboration across different time zones?

Tips

  • Highlight experience with remote or hybrid team leadership.
  • Be prepared to discuss specific tools and techniques for remote collaboration.
  • Emphasize your ability to foster a strong team culture regardless of location.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

DSA

Coding questions at AppFolio.

Frequently reported on AppFolio loops

View all at AppFolio

Other guides

More at AppFolio.