Scale Engineer

Senior Manager

Software Engineering ManagerGrade 12High

This interview process is designed to assess candidates for a Senior Software Engineering Manager position at Cisco, specifically at Grade 12. It evaluates technical leadership, people management, strategic thinking, and execution capabilities.

Rounds·5

Timeline·~14d

Experience·8 - 15 yrs

Comp band·US$180000 - US$250000

Interview time·255 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Leadership presence and communication style
  • Ability to articulate vision and strategy
  • Confidence and poise

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Deeply understand Cisco's mission, values, and current business priorities.
  2. Review your past projects and identify key achievements, challenges, and lessons learned.
  3. Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
  4. Brush up on common software engineering management topics such as agile methodologies, SDLC, CI/CD, and cloud technologies.
  5. Research the specific product areas or business units you would be managing.
  6. Understand Cisco's organizational structure and key leaders.
  7. Practice articulating your leadership philosophy and management style.
  8. Be prepared to discuss your approach to innovation, risk-taking, and failure.
  9. Network with current Cisco employees in similar roles to gain insights.
  10. Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers about the role, team, and company culture.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 04 phases

01 / 04
01

Phase 01 of 04

Company & Self-Assessment

Weeks 1-2: Cisco Business Strategy, Market Analysis, Career Achievements Outline.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on understanding Cisco's business strategy, market position, and recent performance. Review company reports, press releases, and investor relations materials. Familiarize yourself with Cisco's product portfolio and key technologies. Begin outlining your career achievements and identifying STAR-method examples related to leadership, technical problem-solving, and team management.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Describe your leadership philosophy and how you foster a high-performing team culture.
  • Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision that impacted your team. What was the outcome?
  • How do you balance the need for innovation with the demands of delivering on existing commitments?
  • Describe your experience with managing budgets and resource allocation for engineering projects.
  • How do you stay current with emerging technologies and ensure your team does as well?
  • Walk me through a complex technical problem you or your team faced and how you approached its resolution.
  • How do you handle underperforming team members?
  • Describe your approach to talent acquisition and retention.
  • How do you ensure effective communication and collaboration within your team and with other departments?
  • Tell me about a time you had to influence stakeholders or senior leadership to adopt your team's technical direction.
  • What are your strategies for managing technical debt?
  • How do you foster diversity and inclusion within your engineering teams?
  • Describe a time you failed. What did you learn from it?
  • How do you prioritize competing demands and manage your team's workload?
  • What are your thoughts on the future of software development and the role of engineering managers?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

01 / 02

Location

Global (Remote/Hybrid Focus)

Interview focus

Remote team management strategiesCross-cultural communicationBuilding trust and cohesion in distributed teamsLeveraging technology for collaborationManaging performance and engagement in a hybrid environment

Common questions

  • How do you handle underperforming teams in a remote setting?
  • Describe a time you had to adapt your management style for a geographically distributed team.
  • What are the key challenges and benefits of managing a hybrid workforce in your experience?
  • How do you foster innovation and collaboration within a remote or hybrid engineering team?
  • What tools and strategies do you use to ensure effective communication and project visibility across different time zones?

Tips

  • Highlight your experience with global teams and diverse workforces.
  • Be prepared to discuss specific examples of successful remote project delivery.
  • Emphasize your understanding of asynchronous communication best practices.
  • Showcase your ability to create inclusive environments for all team members, regardless of location.
  • Research Cisco's global presence and remote work policies.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

DSA

Coding questions at Cisco.

Frequently reported on Cisco loops

View all at Cisco

Other guides

More at Cisco.