# Software Engineering Manager
**Role:** Software Engineering Manager · **Level:** L8
**Company:** [Asana](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/asana)
**Difficulty:** High
**Salary:** US$180000 - US$250000
**Experience:** 8 - 15
**Timeline:** ~4 days
Asana's Software Engineering Manager (L8) interview process is designed to assess leadership potential, technical depth, strategic thinking, and people management skills. Candidates are evaluated on their ability to lead teams, drive technical excellence, foster a positive culture, and contribute to Asana's overall product vision.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/asana/l8-software-engineering-manager
---
## Overall evaluation

- Leadership & People Management
- Technical Excellence
- Strategic Thinking & Business Acumen
- Communication & Culture Fit

## Questions asked

- Describe your leadership philosophy.
- How do you motivate and inspire your team?
- Tell me about a time you had to manage a difficult stakeholder.
- How do you handle underperforming engineers?
- What is your approach to career development for your team members?
- Describe a challenging technical problem your team faced and how you guided them to a solution.
- How do you foster innovation within your team?
- How do you prioritize competing demands and allocate resources effectively?
- What are your strategies for building a strong and inclusive team culture?
- How do you stay current with technology trends and ensure your team is adopting best practices?
- Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision that impacted your team.
- How do you measure the success of your team and your own effectiveness as a manager?

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Deeply understand Asana's mission, values, and product.
- Review common software engineering management interview questions, focusing on leadership, strategy, and people management.
- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
- Brush up on system design principles and scalability concepts relevant to managing engineering teams.
- Familiarize yourself with Agile methodologies and project management best practices.
- Think about your leadership philosophy and how you foster a positive and productive team environment.
- Consider how you would handle common management challenges like performance issues, conflict resolution, and career development.
- Research Asana's engineering culture and recent technical blog posts or announcements.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Company & Self-Assessment","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Focus on Asana's company culture, mission, values, and product. Understand their target market and competitive landscape. Review your own career history and identify key leadership experiences and accomplishments. Begin preparing STAR method examples for common behavioral questions related to leadership, team building, and conflict resolution.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Asana's business, your career, behavioral prep (STAR)."}
- {"title":"Technical Management & Strategy","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Deep dive into software engineering management principles. Study system design, scalability, architecture, and best practices. Review common technical interview questions for managers, focusing on how you would guide a team through technical challenges. Practice articulating your technical vision and strategy.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Technical management principles, system design, technical strategy."}
- {"title":"People Management & Leadership","longDescription":"Weeks 5-6: Focus on people management and leadership. Prepare for questions on performance management, career development, hiring, onboarding, and fostering a positive team culture. Practice articulating your approach to motivating engineers and resolving team conflicts. Consider how you would handle difficult conversations.","shortDescription":"Weeks 5-6: People management, leadership, team culture, conflict resolution."}
- {"title":"Mock Interviews & Refinement","longDescription":"Week 7: Mock interviews. Practice with peers or mentors, focusing on both behavioral and technical management scenarios. Get feedback on your communication, clarity, and the structure of your answers. Refine your STAR examples and ensure they are concise and impactful.","shortDescription":"Week 7: Mock interviews and feedback."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"Remote","differences":{"tips":["Highlight experience with remote team building and engagement.","Be prepared to discuss specific examples of managing distributed teams.","Showcase familiarity with collaboration and project management software."],"interviewFocus":["Remote team management strategies","Cross-time zone collaboration","Digital communication tools proficiency"],"commonQuestions":["How do you handle underperforming engineers in a remote setting?","Describe a time you had to adapt your leadership 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","differences":{"tips":["Emphasize experience in building strong team cohesion in person.","Provide examples of successful in-person collaboration and problem-solving.","Discuss strategies for mentoring and developing engineers within a physical workspace."],"interviewFocus":["In-office team dynamics","Cross-functional collaboration within an office","Balancing individual and team goals"],"commonQuestions":["How do you foster innovation and creativity within a co-located engineering team?","Describe your approach to managing stakeholder relationships in a fast-paced office environment.","How do you balance individual contributor growth with team project delivery in an office setting?"]}}

## Round 1: Recruiter Screen
**Type:** Recruiter Screen · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 45 min
Initial screening to assess cultural fit and basic qualifications.
This initial round with a recruiter or HR representative focuses on assessing your overall fit for the role and Asana's culture. They will explore your background, motivations for applying, and high-level management philosophy. Expect behavioral questions designed to understand your leadership style, team management experience, and how you handle common workplace scenarios.
**Interviewers look for:** Clear communication; Structured thinking; Empathy and self-awareness; Proactive approach to challenges
**Evaluation criteria:** Leadership potential; Communication skills; Problem-solving approach; Understanding of management principles
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of clear leadership vision; Inability to articulate technical strategy; Poor people management skills; Difficulty handling conflict or difficult conversations; Not demonstrating alignment with Asana's values
## Questions

- Tell me about your experience as a manager.
- Why are you interested in Asana?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses as a leader?
- How do you handle conflict within a team?

## Preparation tips

- Research Asana's mission, values, and culture.
- Prepare your career narrative and key accomplishments.
- Practice answering behavioral questions using the STAR method.
- Be ready to articulate why you are interested in Asana and this specific role.

## Round 2: Technical & Strategy Interview
**Type:** Technical & Strategy Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Assesses technical leadership, system design, and strategic thinking.
This round focuses on your technical leadership and strategic thinking. You'll discuss your experience in guiding engineering teams through complex technical challenges, making architectural decisions, and ensuring code quality and scalability. Expect questions about system design, technical strategy, and how you foster technical excellence within a team.
**Interviewers look for:** Deep technical understanding; Strategic thinking; Ability to mentor engineers; Pragmatic approach to technical challenges
**Evaluation criteria:** Technical leadership; System design and architecture knowledge; Problem-solving skills; Ability to guide technical direction
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of strategic technical vision; Inability to articulate technical decisions; Poor understanding of system design principles; Difficulty in guiding a team through technical challenges; Not demonstrating a proactive approach to technical debt
## Questions

- Describe a complex system you helped design or manage. What were the key challenges and decisions?
- How do you ensure your team writes high-quality, maintainable code?
- What is your approach to managing technical debt?
- How do you balance innovation with delivering on existing commitments?

## Preparation tips

- Review system design principles and common architectural patterns.
- Prepare examples of technical challenges you've overcome as a manager.
- Think about how you set technical direction and mentor engineers.
- Be ready to discuss your approach to technical debt and code quality.

## Round 3: People Management Interview
**Type:** People Management Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Focuses on people management, coaching, and team development.
This round delves into your people management and leadership capabilities. You'll be asked about your experience in hiring, onboarding, performance management, career development, and fostering a positive team environment. Prepare to share specific examples of how you've coached, mentored, and supported your team members.
**Interviewers look for:** Empathy; Strong communication; Problem-solving in people-related issues; Ability to develop talent
**Evaluation criteria:** People management skills; Coaching and mentoring abilities; Conflict resolution; Team building and culture development
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to provide concrete examples of people management; Lack of empathy or understanding of team dynamics; Poor conflict resolution skills; Difficulty in fostering a positive team culture; Not demonstrating effective coaching and development strategies
## Questions

- Tell me about a time you had to coach an underperforming engineer. What was the outcome?
- How do you approach career development for your team members?
- Describe a situation where you had to resolve a conflict between team members.
- How do you foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement within your team?

## Preparation tips

- Prepare detailed examples of your people management experiences using the STAR method.
- Think about your philosophy on performance reviews, feedback, and career growth.
- Consider how you build trust and psychological safety within a team.
- Be ready to discuss how you handle underperformance and difficult conversations.

## Round 4: Leadership & Strategy Interview
**Type:** Leadership & Strategy Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Evaluates strategic thinking, business acumen, and product sense.
In this round, you'll meet with a senior leader to discuss your strategic thinking, business acumen, and product sense. The focus is on how you align engineering efforts with business goals, understand customer needs, and collaborate with other departments. Be prepared to discuss your vision for the team and how you contribute to the broader company objectives.
**Interviewers look for:** Big-picture thinking; Customer empathy; Ability to influence stakeholders; Data-driven decision making
**Evaluation criteria:** Strategic thinking; Business acumen; Product sense; Cross-functional collaboration
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of strategic alignment with company goals; Poor understanding of business objectives; Inability to connect technical decisions to business impact; Difficulty in prioritizing based on business value; Not demonstrating strong cross-functional collaboration skills
## Questions

- How do you ensure your team's work aligns with Asana's overall business strategy?
- Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders outside of engineering.
- What is your approach to product development and understanding customer needs?
- How would you prioritize projects with competing business objectives?

## Preparation tips

- Understand Asana's business model and strategic priorities.
- Think about how engineering decisions impact business outcomes.
- Prepare examples of successful cross-functional collaborations.
- Articulate your vision for an engineering team and its contribution to product success.

## Round 5: Cultural Fit & Final Interview
**Type:** Cultural Fit & Final Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Final discussion to assess cultural fit and mutual alignment.
This final round is often with your potential peer managers or the hiring manager. It's a chance for both sides to ask final questions and ensure a good mutual fit. The focus is on cultural alignment, collaboration, and your overall approach to management within the Asana context. They'll be looking for how you'd integrate into the existing management team.
**Interviewers look for:** Authenticity; Enthusiasm; Collaborative spirit; Alignment with Asana's values
**Evaluation criteria:** Cultural alignment; Values fit; Collaboration style; Overall enthusiasm and potential
**Common rejection reasons:** Poor cultural fit; Lack of alignment with Asana's core values; Inability to demonstrate collaborative spirit; Negative attitude or lack of enthusiasm; Failure to articulate a compelling vision
## Questions

- What are Asana's core values, and how do you embody them?
- How do you approach collaboration with other engineering managers?
- What are you most excited about regarding this role and Asana?
- Do you have any questions for me?

## Preparation tips

- Reflect on Asana's core values and how they resonate with you.
- Prepare questions to ask the interviewer about the team, culture, and challenges.
- Be yourself and showcase your personality and passion for management.
- Think about how you contribute to a positive and collaborative work environment.