Scale Engineer

Senior Specialist Developer

Software EngineerKHard

This interview process is for a Senior Specialist Developer (Level K) position at BNY Mellon, focusing on assessing technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and cultural fit for a senior role within the engineering team.

Rounds·4

Timeline·~14d

Experience·6 - 10 yrs

Comp band·US$140000 - US$180000

Interview time·210 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Technical Proficiency: Depth of knowledge in relevant programming languages, frameworks, and tools.
  • Problem-Solving Ability: Aptitude for analyzing complex problems and devising effective solutions.
  • System Design & Architecture: Understanding of designing scalable, reliable, and maintainable systems.
  • Behavioral & Cultural Fit: Alignment with BNY Mellon's values, teamwork, and communication skills.
  • Leadership & Mentorship: Potential to guide and mentor junior team members.
  • Communication Skills: Clarity and effectiveness in explaining technical concepts and ideas.

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Thoroughly review core computer science concepts: data structures, algorithms, operating systems, and databases.
  2. Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.
  3. Study system design principles and common architectural patterns (microservices, event-driven, etc.).
  4. Prepare to discuss your past projects in detail, highlighting your contributions and technical challenges.
  5. Research BNY Mellon's business, values, and recent technological advancements.
  6. Prepare STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) answers for behavioral questions.
  7. Understand cloud computing concepts (AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) if applicable to the role.
  8. Brush up on your chosen programming language(s) and any specific frameworks mentioned in the job description.
  9. Be ready to discuss your experience with testing, CI/CD, and DevOps practices.
  10. Prepare 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 & Algorithms

Weeks 1-2: DSA Fundamentals & Practice (LeetCode Easy/Medium).

Weeks 1-2: Focus on Data Structures and Algorithms. Cover arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash tables, sorting, searching, dynamic programming, and greedy algorithms. Practice problems on LeetCode (Easy/Medium).

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Describe a challenging project you worked on and your role in it.
  • How would you design a system for [specific problem, e.g., a URL shortener, a social media feed]?
  • Tell me about a time you disagreed with a technical decision. How did you handle it?
  • What are the trade-offs between monolithic and microservices architectures?
  • How do you ensure the quality and testability of your code?
  • Explain the concept of eventual consistency.
  • What is your experience with cloud platforms like AWS or Azure?
  • How do you approach performance optimization?
  • Describe a situation where you had to mentor a junior developer.
  • What are your thoughts on the future of FinTech?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 03 locations

01 / 03

Location

New York

Interview focus

Deep dive into distributed systems and microservices architecture.Emphasis on cloud-native technologies (AWS, Azure, GCP).Assessment of leadership potential and team collaboration.Understanding of financial industry regulations and their impact on technology.Problem-solving using advanced data structures and algorithms.

Common questions

  • Describe a complex technical challenge you faced and how you overcame it.
  • How do you approach designing scalable and resilient systems?
  • Tell me about a time you had to mentor junior engineers. What was your approach?
  • What are your thoughts on the current state of cloud computing and its impact on financial services?
  • How do you ensure code quality and maintainability in a large project?

Tips

  • Be prepared to discuss specific cloud services and their use cases.
  • Highlight experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
  • Showcase leadership examples and mentoring experiences.
  • Research BNY Mellon's technology stack and recent innovations.
  • Practice explaining complex technical concepts clearly and concisely.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

DSA

Coding questions at BNY Mellon.

Frequently reported on BNY Mellon loops

View all at BNY Mellon

Other guides

More at BNY Mellon.