# Software Engineering Manager
**Role:** Software Engineering Manager · **Level:** Senior Manager
**Company:** [Avito](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/avito)
**Difficulty:** High
**Salary:** US$180000 - US$250000
**Experience:** 8 - 15
**Timeline:** ~14 days
This interview process is designed to assess candidates for a Senior Manager, Software Engineering role at Avito. It evaluates technical leadership, people management, strategic thinking, and execution capabilities.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/avito/senior-manager-software-engineering-manager
---
## Overall evaluation

- Technical Acumen
- People Leadership
- Strategic & Business Acumen
- Communication & Influence
- Cultural Fit & Drive

## Questions asked

- Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision that impacted your team. What was the outcome?
- How do you foster innovation within your engineering teams?
- Describe your approach to managing underperforming engineers.
- How do you balance delivering on short-term goals with long-term strategic objectives?
- Walk me through a complex technical challenge your team faced and how you led them through it.
- How do you ensure your team stays aligned with the company's overall product vision?
- What is your philosophy on building and scaling engineering teams?
- Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders outside of your direct control. How did you approach it?
- How do you measure the success of your engineering team?
- What are the key qualities you look for when hiring engineers for your team?
- How do you handle conflict within your team or between teams?
- Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn from it?
- How do you stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends?

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Thoroughly review Avito's mission, values, and recent product developments.
- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
- Brush up on software development best practices, agile methodologies, and modern technology stacks relevant to Avito.
- Understand common challenges in managing engineering teams, including hiring, retention, performance, and motivation.
- Think about your leadership philosophy and how you foster a positive and productive team environment.
- Be ready to discuss your experience with strategic planning, roadmap development, and cross-functional collaboration.
- Familiarize yourself with common system design principles and be prepared to discuss architectural decisions.
- Prepare questions to ask the interviewers about the role, team, and company culture.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Foundation & Self-Assessment","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Deep dive into Avito's business, products, and engineering culture. Review your career history, identifying key achievements and leadership examples. Prepare STAR stories for common behavioral questions related to leadership, conflict resolution, and team building.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Avito research, career review, STAR stories preparation."}
- {"title":"People Management Mastery","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Focus on people management principles. Study topics like performance management, coaching, delegation, hiring best practices, and fostering psychological safety. Review your experience in these areas and prepare specific examples.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: People management principles, coaching, hiring, psychological safety."}
- {"title":"Technical Leadership & Architecture","longDescription":"Weeks 5-6: Enhance your understanding of technical leadership and system design. Review architectural patterns, scalability considerations, and common technical challenges. Prepare to discuss how you guide technical decisions and mentor engineers.","shortDescription":"Weeks 5-6: Technical leadership, system design, architectural patterns, scalability."}
- {"title":"Strategic Planning & Business Acumen","longDescription":"Week 7: Concentrate on strategic thinking and business acumen. Understand how engineering aligns with business goals. Prepare to discuss roadmap planning, prioritization, and cross-functional collaboration with product and other departments.","shortDescription":"Week 7: Strategic thinking, business alignment, roadmap planning, cross-functional collaboration."}
- {"title":"Final Polish & Mock Interviews","longDescription":"Week 8: Final preparation. Conduct mock interviews focusing on all aspects. Refine your answers, practice articulating your thoughts clearly and concisely. Prepare insightful questions for the interviewers.","shortDescription":"Week 8: Mock interviews, refining answers, preparing questions."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"Remote/Global","differences":{"tips":["Highlight experience with remote collaboration tools and strategies.","Be prepared to discuss how you foster a positive team culture without physical proximity.","Emphasize your ability to manage and motivate engineers in a global context."],"interviewFocus":["Remote team management strategies","Cross-cultural communication","Building team cohesion in a distributed environment"],"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 are the key challenges of managing engineering teams across different time zones, and how do you mitigate them?"]}}
- {"location":"Moscow","differences":{"tips":["Showcase your understanding of the local tech talent landscape.","Provide examples of successful collaboration with local business partners.","Discuss your approach to building a strong, localized team identity."],"interviewFocus":["Local market understanding","Stakeholder management with local business units","Onboarding and integration into local office culture"],"commonQuestions":["How do you ensure alignment between engineering teams and local business stakeholders?","Describe your experience with local hiring practices and talent acquisition in this region.","How do you manage the integration of new hires into an established local team culture?"]}}

## Round 1: HR Screening Call
**Type:** HR Screening · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 30 min
Initial screening call with HR to assess motivation, cultural fit, and basic qualifications.
This initial screening call with an HR Recruiter aims to understand your background, career aspirations, and motivation for applying to Avito. It also serves to assess your cultural fit and provide an overview of the company and the role. Expect questions about your experience, why you're interested in this specific position, and your salary expectations.
**Interviewers look for:** Enthusiasm for the role and Avito; Clear and concise communication; Alignment with Avito's core values; Basic understanding of management principles
**Evaluation criteria:** Communication skills; Cultural alignment; Motivation and enthusiasm; Basic understanding of the role
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of clear communication; Inability to provide specific examples using STAR method; Appearing unmotivated or disengaged; Poor cultural fit
## Questions

- Tell me about yourself and your career journey.
- Why are you interested in this Software Engineering Manager role at Avito?
- What are your salary expectations?
- What do you know about Avito?
- Describe your ideal work environment.

## Preparation tips

- Research Avito's mission, values, and recent news.
- Prepare to articulate why you are interested in this role and Avito.
- Be ready to discuss your salary expectations.
- Practice concise answers to common behavioral questions.

## Round 2: Technical & System Design Deep Dive
**Type:** Technical & System Design Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Assesses technical leadership, system design capabilities, and problem-solving skills.
This round focuses on your technical leadership and system design skills. You will be asked to discuss your experience in architecting complex systems, making technical trade-offs, and guiding engineering teams through technical challenges. Expect scenario-based questions and potentially a live coding or system design exercise.
**Interviewers look for:** Strong understanding of software development lifecycle; Ability to design scalable and robust systems; Sound judgment in technical decision-making; Experience mentoring engineers on technical growth
**Evaluation criteria:** Technical leadership capabilities; Problem-solving approach; System design and architecture knowledge; Ability to guide technical discussions
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of technical depth; Inability to articulate technical solutions clearly; Poor system design thinking; Weak problem-solving skills
## Questions

- Design a system like Twitter's news feed.
- How would you approach migrating a monolithic application to microservices?
- Describe a challenging technical problem you solved as a manager. What was your role?
- How do you ensure code quality and maintainability within your team?
- What are your thoughts on CI/CD and DevOps practices?

## Preparation tips

- Review system design principles (scalability, reliability, availability).
- Practice designing common systems (e.g., URL shortener, social media feed).
- Be prepared to discuss your experience with various technology stacks and architectural patterns.
- Think about how you mentor engineers on technical skills and career development.

## Round 3: People Leadership & Strategy Interview
**Type:** Managerial & Behavioral Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Evaluates people management skills, leadership style, strategic thinking, and behavioral competencies.
This interview focuses on your people management philosophy, leadership style, and strategic thinking. You'll discuss how you build, manage, and develop high-performing teams, handle conflicts, set strategic direction, and collaborate with other departments. Expect behavioral questions and scenario-based challenges related to team dynamics and project execution.
**Interviewers look for:** Proven ability to lead, mentor, and grow engineering teams; Effective strategies for performance management and feedback; Capacity for strategic planning and execution; Strong collaboration and communication skills
**Evaluation criteria:** People management effectiveness; Team building and development strategies; Conflict resolution skills; Strategic thinking and planning; Cross-functional collaboration
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to provide concrete examples of people management; Poor conflict resolution strategies; Lack of strategic vision; Difficulty in demonstrating leadership impact
## Questions

- Describe your approach to performance management and career development for your team members.
- Tell me about a time you had to manage a conflict within your team. How did you resolve it?
- How do you set technical direction and priorities for your team?
- Describe your experience collaborating with Product Management and other departments.
- How do you foster a culture of accountability and ownership within your team?

## Preparation tips

- Prepare specific examples of how you've managed teams, resolved conflicts, and driven projects.
- Think about your leadership philosophy and how you foster a positive team culture.
- Be ready to discuss your experience with strategic planning, roadmap development, and cross-functional collaboration.
- Consider how you handle difficult conversations and performance issues.

## Round 4: Executive & Strategic Alignment
**Type:** Executive & Strategic Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 45 min
Final discussion with senior leadership to assess strategic vision and overall fit.
This final interview is with a senior leader (VP of Engineering or CTO) to assess your strategic thinking, leadership vision, and overall fit within the company's executive team. You'll discuss your long-term goals, how you see yourself contributing to Avito's success, and your perspective on the future of technology and engineering management.
**Interviewers look for:** Alignment with Avito's long-term vision; Strong leadership presence and strategic thinking; Ability to inspire and lead at a higher level; Cultural compatibility with the executive team
**Evaluation criteria:** Strategic vision and alignment; Leadership philosophy; Decision-making capabilities; Cultural fit with senior leadership
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of alignment with senior leadership vision; Poor strategic decision-making; Inability to articulate a compelling vision; Mismatch in leadership style with senior management
## Questions

- What is your vision for a high-performing engineering organization?
- How do you see technology evolving in the next 5 years, and how should Avito adapt?
- Describe a time you had to lead significant organizational change.
- What are your long-term career aspirations?
- Do you have any questions for me about the company's strategy or future?

## Preparation tips

- Understand Avito's long-term strategy and business goals.
- Be prepared to articulate your vision for an engineering organization.
- Think about how your leadership style aligns with senior leadership.
- Prepare thoughtful questions about the company's future and strategic direction.