What is the interview process for Software Engineer at BNY Mellon?

This interview process is for a Lead Developer position at BNY Mellon, focusing on assessing technical leadership, problem-solving skills, and experience in guiding development teams. The level is I, indicating a mid-to-senior level role.

How many interview rounds does BNY Mellon have for Software Engineer?

BNY Mellon has 4 interview rounds for the Software Engineer position: HR Screening Call, Coding and Algorithms Interview, System Design Interview, Leadership and Management Interview.

Lead Developer (I) at BNY Mellon - Interview Guide

Evaluation

What they measure.

Technical proficiency in relevant programming languages and frameworks.
System design and architectural thinking.
Problem-solving and analytical abilities.
Leadership potential and team collaboration skills.
Communication and interpersonal skills.
Understanding of software development lifecycle and best practices.
Adaptability and learning agility.

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

Thoroughly review your resume and be prepared to discuss every project and responsibility in detail.
Brush up on core computer science concepts: data structures, algorithms, operating systems, and databases.
Practice coding problems, focusing on efficiency and clarity.
Prepare for system design questions, thinking about scalability, reliability, and trade-offs.
Research BNY Mellon's business, values, and recent news to tailor your answers.
Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
Understand common leadership scenarios and how you would approach them.
Be ready to discuss your experience with cloud technologies (AWS, Azure, GCP) and DevOps practices.
Familiarize yourself with the specific technologies mentioned in the job description.
Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer about the role, team, and company culture.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 04 phases

01 / 04

01

Phase 01 of 04

Data Structures and Algorithms

Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Algorithms. Practice coding and complexity analysis.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps) and algorithms (sorting, searching, dynamic programming, graph traversal). Practice implementing these in your primary programming language. Review Big O notation for time and space complexity analysis.

Questions

Commonly asked.

Describe a time you had to lead a team through a significant technical challenge. What was your approach, and what was the outcome?
How do you ensure the quality and maintainability of code produced by your team?
Walk me through the design of a scalable and resilient system you've worked on.
How do you handle disagreements within your team regarding technical direction?
Tell me about a time you had to mentor a junior developer. What was your strategy?
What are your strategies for managing technical debt while delivering new features?
How do you stay current with emerging technologies and encourage your team to do the same?
Describe a situation where you had to influence stakeholders to adopt a new technology or process.
What are your thoughts on microservices vs. monolithic architectures in the context of financial services?
How do you approach performance optimization in a distributed system?
Explain your experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
How do you foster a culture of innovation within your team?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 03 locations

01 / 03

Location

London

Interview focus

Leadership and team managementMentorship and guidanceUnderstanding of financial regulations (London)Adaptability to hybrid work models (New York)Technical debt managementCloud-native technologies (Dublin)

Common questions

How would you handle a conflict within your team regarding technical direction?
Describe a time you had to mentor a junior developer. What was your approach?
In our London office, there's a strong emphasis on regulatory compliance. How do you ensure your team's work adheres to financial regulations like MiFID II or GDPR?
What are your strategies for fostering a collaborative environment in a hybrid work setting, common in our New York hub?
How do you prioritize technical debt reduction while still delivering new features?
Discuss your experience with cloud-native architectures, particularly relevant for our teams leveraging AWS in our Dublin site.

Tips

Highlight instances where you've successfully led a team through complex projects.
Be prepared to discuss your mentoring philosophy and provide specific examples.
For London, research current financial regulations relevant to our business.
For New York, emphasize your experience with remote and hybrid team collaboration tools and strategies.
Showcase your ability to balance innovation with maintainability.
For Dublin, be ready to discuss your practical experience with AWS services and microservices architecture.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

Med

HR Screening · 45 min · HR Recruiter

This initial round is conducted by an HR representative to assess your overall fit with BNY Mellon's culture and values. They will discuss your career aspirations, motivation for applying, and provide an overview of the company and the role. Expect questions about your background, strengths, weaknesses, and why you are interested in BNY Mellon. This is also an opportunity for you to ask initial questions about the company and the recruitment process.

What they look for

Clear and concise communication.Positive attitude.Basic alignment with company values.Genuine interest in the position.

Evaluation

Communication skills
Basic understanding of role-relevant technologies
Cultural fit
Enthusiasm for the role and company

Sample questions

Tell me about yourself.
Behavioral
Why are you interested in this role at BNY Mellon?
BehavioralMotivation
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Behavioral
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
BehavioralCareer Goals
Describe a challenging situation you faced at work and how you overcame it.
BehavioralProblem Solving

Prep for this round

01Research BNY Mellon's mission, values, and recent achievements.
02Prepare to talk about your career goals and how this role aligns with them.
03Practice answering common behavioral questions using the STAR method.
04Be ready to articulate why you want to work at BNY Mellon.
05Prepare a few questions to ask the recruiter about the company culture, team, or the next steps in the process.

Common rejection reasons

×Lack of clear communication.
×Inability to articulate technical decisions.
×Poor understanding of fundamental concepts.
×Negative attitude towards feedback.

Hard

Technical Interview (Coding) · 60 min · Senior Software Engineer / Tech Lead

This round focuses on your core technical skills, particularly in data structures and algorithms. You will be given one or two coding problems to solve, typically on a shared online editor. The interviewer will assess your ability to understand the problem, devise an efficient solution, write clean code, and explain your reasoning. Expect questions that test your knowledge of arrays, strings, trees, graphs, dynamic programming, and sorting/searching algorithms. You'll also be asked about the time and space complexity of your solutions.

What they look for

Clean, efficient, and well-structured code.Logical and systematic approach to problem-solving.Clear explanation of thought process and trade-offs.Ability to handle follow-up questions and edge cases.Understanding of algorithmic complexity.

Evaluation

Proficiency in coding.
Knowledge of data structures and algorithms.
Problem-solving approach.
Code clarity and efficiency.
Ability to analyze time and space complexity.

Sample questions

Given an array of integers, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum.
ArrayDynamic ProgrammingAlgorithm
Implement a function to check if a binary tree is a valid Binary Search Tree.
TreeRecursionAlgorithm
Find the k-th smallest element in a Binary Search Tree.
TreeBSTAlgorithm
Given a string, find the length of the longest substring without repeating characters.
StringSliding WindowAlgorithm
Design and implement a data structure that supports insert, delete, search, and getRandom in O(1) average time.
Data StructureHash MapArrayAlgorithm

Prep for this round

01Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or AlgoExpert.
02Focus on understanding the underlying data structures and algorithms.
03Practice explaining your thought process out loud as you code.
04Pay attention to code style, variable naming, and comments.
05Be prepared to discuss edge cases and constraints.
06Review Big O notation for analyzing algorithm efficiency.

Common rejection reasons

×Inability to solve coding problems efficiently.
×Poor understanding of data structures and algorithms.
×Code quality issues (e.g., lack of comments, poor variable naming).
×Difficulty explaining thought process.
×Not handling edge cases or constraints.

Hard

Technical Interview (System Design) · 60 min · Senior Staff Engineer / Architect

This round evaluates your ability to design complex, scalable, and reliable software systems. You'll be presented with a high-level problem (e.g., design a URL shortener, a social media feed, or a distributed cache) and expected to break it down, discuss various components, data storage options, APIs, and potential bottlenecks. The focus is on your architectural thinking, understanding of distributed systems principles, and ability to make informed trade-offs.

What they look for

Ability to design complex systems from scratch.Knowledge of architectural patterns and components.Consideration of non-functional requirements.Clear articulation of design decisions and trade-offs.Pragmatic approach to problem-solving.

Evaluation

System design capabilities.
Understanding of distributed systems.
Scalability and performance considerations.
Reliability and fault tolerance.
Trade-off analysis.
API design.

Sample questions

Design a system like Twitter's news feed.
System DesignScalabilityDistributed Systems
How would you design a rate limiter for an API?
System DesignAPI DesignScalability
Design a distributed key-value store.
System DesignDistributed SystemsDatabases
How would you design a system to handle real-time analytics for millions of users?
System DesignScalabilityReal-time
Design a URL shortening service like bit.ly.
System DesignScalabilityDatabases

Prep for this round

01Study common system design patterns and concepts (e.g., load balancing, caching, databases, message queues).
02Practice designing systems like Twitter, Instagram, Uber, etc.
03Understand the trade-offs between different technologies and approaches.
04Consider non-functional requirements like scalability, availability, latency, and consistency.
05Be prepared to draw diagrams and explain your design choices clearly.
06Review BNY Mellon's technology stack and consider how it might apply.

Common rejection reasons

×Inability to design scalable and reliable systems.
×Poor understanding of distributed systems concepts.
×Lack of consideration for trade-offs.
×Not addressing requirements like availability, latency, and consistency.
×Weak communication of design choices.

Hard

Managerial / Leadership Interview · 45 min · Engineering Manager / Director

This round focuses on your leadership capabilities, team management experience, and strategic thinking. The interviewer will delve into your experience leading development teams, mentoring engineers, handling conflicts, and driving projects to completion. Expect questions about your leadership style, how you foster collaboration, manage performance, and make critical technical decisions. They will also assess your ability to align technical strategy with business goals.

What they look for

Demonstrated leadership qualities.Ability to motivate and guide a team.Experience in making technical and strategic decisions.Effective communication and interpersonal skills.Proactive approach to problem-solving and team development.

Evaluation

Leadership and team management abilities.
Mentorship and coaching skills.
Strategic thinking and decision-making.
Conflict resolution.
Communication and influence.
Project oversight.

Sample questions

Describe your leadership style and how you adapt it to different team members.
LeadershipBehavioral
How do you handle a situation where team members have conflicting technical opinions?
LeadershipConflict ResolutionBehavioral
Tell me about a time you had to deliver difficult feedback to a team member.
LeadershipPerformance ManagementBehavioral
How do you foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement within your team?
LeadershipTeam DevelopmentBehavioral
What is your approach to project planning and execution as a lead?
LeadershipProject ManagementBehavioral

Prep for this round

01Prepare specific examples of your leadership experience using the STAR method.
02Think about your leadership philosophy and how you motivate teams.
03Be ready to discuss how you handle underperformance or conflicts within a team.
04Consider how you delegate tasks and empower team members.
05Prepare examples of strategic technical decisions you've made.
06Understand how to balance team needs with project deadlines and business objectives.

Common rejection reasons

×Lack of leadership experience or potential.
×Poor conflict resolution skills.
×Inability to articulate strategic vision.
×Difficulty managing team dynamics or performance.
×Poor stakeholder management.

DSA

Coding questions at BNY Mellon.

Frequently reported on BNY Mellon loops

View all at BNY Mellon

Lead Developer

What they measure.

How to prepare.

Data Structures and Algorithms

System Design

Behavioral and Leadership

Technology Stack and Questions

Commonly asked.

Regional differences.

London

New York

Dublin

Round-by-round.

Coding questions at BNY Mellon.

More at BNY Mellon.