# Software Engineering Manager
**Role:** Software Engineering Manager · **Level:** Software Engineering Manager II
**Company:** [AppFolio](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/appfolio)
**Difficulty:** High
**Salary:** US$170000 - US$220000
**Experience:** 5 - 10
**Timeline:** ~14 days
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.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/appfolio/software-engineering-manager-ii-software-engineering-manager
---
## Overall evaluation

- Technical Acumen
- People Management
- Strategic & Execution
- Cultural Alignment

## Questions 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?

## Preparation tips

### lists

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

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Management Fundamentals & Behavioral Preparation","longDescription":"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.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Management fundamentals, agile, team dynamics, conflict resolution, performance management. Read 'The Manager's Path', 'Radical Candor'. Prepare STAR examples."}
- {"title":"Technical Leadership & System Design","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Dive into technical leadership and system design. Review distributed systems concepts, scalability patterns, microservices architecture, and cloud technologies relevant to AppFolio's stack. Practice system design case studies and be ready to discuss your experience designing and scaling complex systems. Consider resources like 'Designing Data-Intensive Applications' by Martin Kleppmann.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Technical leadership, system design, scalability, distributed systems. Practice case studies. Read 'Designing Data-Intensive Applications'."}
- {"title":"Strategy & Business Acumen","longDescription":"Week 5: Focus on strategic thinking and business acumen. Understand how engineering aligns with business goals. Prepare to discuss your experience with roadmap planning, cross-functional collaboration, and driving product initiatives. Research AppFolio's business model and recent company news.","shortDescription":"Week 5: Strategic thinking, business acumen, roadmap planning, cross-functional collaboration. Research AppFolio's business."}
- {"title":"Final Preparation & Mock Interviews","longDescription":"Week 6: Final review and mock interviews. Consolidate your preparation, refine your STAR stories, and conduct mock interviews with peers or mentors. Focus on articulating your leadership philosophy and demonstrating cultural fit. Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers.","shortDescription":"Week 6: Final review, mock interviews, refine STAR stories, prepare questions for interviewers."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"Remote/Hybrid","differences":{"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."],"interviewFocus":["Remote team management strategies","Cross-timezone collaboration","Building trust and engagement in a distributed workforce"],"commonQuestions":["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?"]}}
- {"location":"On-site (e.g., San Diego, CA)","differences":{"tips":["Provide examples of how you've created a positive and productive office environment.","Discuss your strategies for effective in-person communication and feedback.","Showcase your ability to build strong relationships within a physical workspace."],"interviewFocus":["On-site team dynamics","In-person collaboration and mentorship","Office-based project execution"],"commonQuestions":["How do you foster innovation and collaboration in a co-located engineering environment?","Describe your approach to managing team dynamics and interpersonal conflicts in an office setting.","How do you leverage in-person interactions to accelerate project delivery and team cohesion?"]}}

## Round 1: Recruiter Screen
**Type:** HR Screening · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 30 min
Initial call with HR to assess basic qualifications, motivation, and cultural fit.
This initial screening call with a recruiter or HR representative is designed to assess your overall fit for the role and the company. They will discuss your background, career goals, and motivations for applying to AppFolio. It's also an opportunity for you to learn more about the company culture, the role, and the interview process. Be prepared to talk about your management experience and why you're interested in this specific opportunity.
**Interviewers look for:** Enthusiasm for AppFolio; Clear and concise communication; Alignment with company values; Basic understanding of the role
**Evaluation criteria:** Communication skills; Cultural alignment; Motivation for the role; Understanding of AppFolio's business
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of clear communication; Inability to provide specific examples; Poor cultural fit; Lack of strategic thinking
## Questions

- Tell me about your background and experience in software engineering management.
- Why are you interested in this Software Engineering Manager role at AppFolio?
- What are your salary expectations?
- What do you know about AppFolio and our products?

## Preparation tips

- Research AppFolio's mission, values, and products.
- Prepare your elevator pitch about your experience and career goals.
- Be ready to discuss why you are interested in this specific role and company.
- Have questions prepared about the company culture, team, and role.

## Round 2: System Design & Technical Deep Dive
**Type:** Technical Interview / System Design · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Assess technical depth, system design skills, and ability to architect scalable solutions.
This round focuses on your technical expertise and system design capabilities. You'll be asked to discuss your experience with designing, building, and scaling complex software systems. Expect questions about architectural patterns, trade-offs, performance optimization, and distributed systems. You might be asked to whiteboard a system design or discuss a past project in detail.
**Interviewers look for:** Strong understanding of software architecture; Ability to design scalable and reliable systems; Sound technical judgment; Clear articulation of technical concepts
**Evaluation criteria:** Technical depth and breadth; System design and architecture; Problem-solving approach; Ability to think about scalability and performance
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of structured problem-solving; Inability to articulate technical decisions; Weak system design skills; Poor understanding of scalability
## Questions

- Design a system like Twitter's news feed.
- How would you design a distributed caching system?
- Discuss the trade-offs between monolithic and microservices architectures.
- How do you approach performance optimization in a large-scale application?

## Preparation tips

- Review system design principles (e.g., scalability, availability, consistency).
- Study common architectural patterns (e.g., microservices, event-driven architecture).
- Practice designing systems for various scenarios (e.g., social media feed, URL shortener).
- Be prepared to discuss trade-offs in your design choices.
- Refresh knowledge on databases, caching, load balancing, and message queues.

## Round 3: People Management & Leadership
**Type:** People Management & Leadership Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Assess people management, leadership skills, team building, and conflict resolution abilities.
This interview focuses on your people management and leadership capabilities. You'll be asked behavioral questions designed to understand how you build, manage, and develop engineering teams. Expect questions about hiring, performance reviews, career development, conflict resolution, and fostering a positive team environment. Use the STAR method to provide specific examples.
**Interviewers look for:** Proven ability to lead and mentor engineers; Effective communication and interpersonal skills; Empathy and understanding of team dynamics; Strategies for fostering a positive team culture
**Evaluation criteria:** People management skills; Leadership style; Team building and development; Conflict resolution; Performance management
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to provide concrete examples of leadership; Poor conflict resolution skills; Lack of empathy or people-centric approach; Difficulty in managing performance
## Questions

- Describe a time you had to manage an underperforming engineer. What steps did you take?
- How do you foster a culture of psychological safety and inclusivity on your team?
- Tell me about a time you had to resolve a conflict between team members.
- How do you approach career development for your engineers?
- Describe your process for giving and receiving feedback.

## Preparation tips

- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method for common management scenarios (hiring, firing, conflict, motivation, feedback).
- Reflect on your leadership philosophy and management style.
- Think about how you foster psychological safety and inclusivity.
- Be ready to discuss how you handle underperformance and difficult conversations.
- Consider how you develop engineers' careers.

## Round 4: Strategic & Execution Focus
**Type:** Managerial / Strategic Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 45 min
Assess strategic thinking, business acumen, execution capabilities, and cross-functional collaboration.
This interview focuses on your strategic thinking, business acumen, and ability to drive execution. You'll discuss how you align engineering efforts with business objectives, manage roadmaps, prioritize initiatives, and collaborate with other departments (Product, Sales, Marketing). The interviewer wants to understand your vision for an engineering team and how you contribute to the broader company goals.
**Interviewers look for:** Ability to align engineering with business strategy; Proactive approach to problem-solving; Strong communication and influencing skills; Track record of successful project delivery
**Evaluation criteria:** Strategic thinking; Business acumen; Cross-functional collaboration; Execution and delivery; Problem-solving at a higher level
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of strategic vision; Poor alignment with business goals; Inability to influence stakeholders; Weak execution and delivery track record
## Questions

- How do you ensure your team's roadmap aligns with the company's strategic goals?
- Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders outside of engineering to adopt your technical vision.
- How do you prioritize competing demands and manage your team's workload effectively?
- What is your approach to managing technical debt?
- How do you measure the success of your engineering team?

## Preparation tips

- Understand AppFolio's business model, market position, and strategic priorities.
- Prepare examples of how you've driven strategic initiatives and delivered results.
- Think about how you balance short-term execution with long-term vision.
- Be ready to discuss your experience with cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management.
- Consider how you measure success for your team and projects.

## Round 5: Senior Leadership Interview
**Type:** Executive / Final Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 45 min
Final discussion with senior leadership to assess overall fit, vision, and executive presence.
This final interview is typically with a senior leader (Director, VP, or even CTO) to assess your overall leadership potential, strategic alignment, and cultural fit at a higher level. They will want to understand your vision for engineering, your leadership philosophy, and how you see yourself contributing to AppFolio's future success. This is also your chance to ask high-level strategic questions.
**Interviewers look for:** Strong leadership potential; Alignment with AppFolio's long-term vision; Ability to inspire and lead at a higher level; Cultural congruence with senior management
**Evaluation criteria:** Leadership vision; Executive presence; Cultural alignment with senior leadership; Overall fit for the company's direction
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of alignment with senior leadership vision; Poor cultural fit at the executive level; Inability to articulate a compelling vision; Lack of executive presence
## Questions

- What is your vision for a high-performing engineering team at AppFolio?
- How do you see yourself contributing to AppFolio's long-term success?
- What are the biggest challenges facing engineering leaders today, and how do you address them?
- Describe a time you had to lead through significant organizational change.

## Preparation tips

- Reiterate your understanding of AppFolio's mission and long-term goals.
- Articulate your leadership vision and how it aligns with the company's direction.
- Be prepared to discuss your career aspirations and how you see yourself growing within AppFolio.
- Ask insightful questions about the company's future, challenges, and opportunities.
- Demonstrate executive presence and confidence.