# Manager II
**Role:** Software Engineering Manager · **Level:** M3
**Company:** [Databricks](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/databricks)
**Difficulty:** High
**Salary:** US$180000 - US$250000
**Experience:** 8 - 15
**Timeline:** ~21 days
The Software Engineering Manager (Manager II, M3) interview at Databricks is a comprehensive process designed to assess leadership potential, technical depth, people management skills, and strategic thinking. Candidates are evaluated on their ability to build and lead high-performing teams, drive technical excellence, and contribute to the company's overall vision. The process typically involves multiple rounds, including behavioral interviews, technical discussions, and a system design component tailored for management roles.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/databricks/m3-software-engineering-manager
---
## Overall evaluation

- Leadership & People Management
- Technical Acumen
- Strategic Thinking
- Communication & Collaboration

## Questions asked

- Tell me about a time you had to manage a significant technical debt issue. How did you prioritize and address it with your team?
- How do you balance the need for innovation with the demands of delivering on product roadmaps?
- Describe your experience in managing engineers with different levels of experience and skill sets.
- How do you foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement within your team?
- Walk me through a challenging project where you had to influence stakeholders outside of your direct team. What was your approach?
- How do you measure the success of your team and your own effectiveness as a manager?
- Tell me about a time you failed as a manager. What did you learn from it?
- How do you delegate tasks effectively to empower your team members?
- What are your strategies for ensuring code quality and technical excellence within your team?
- Describe your experience with performance reviews and providing constructive feedback.
- How do you handle disagreements within your team regarding technical approaches?
- What is your approach to building a diverse and inclusive engineering team?
- How do you stay technically relevant while managing a team?
- Describe a situation where you had to make a difficult trade-off between feature velocity and system stability.
- How do you manage the career growth of your direct reports?

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Deeply understand Databricks' mission, values, and products.
- Review your past experiences and identify key accomplishments related to leadership, team building, technical strategy, and problem-solving.
- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
- Brush up on system design principles, focusing on scalability, reliability, and distributed systems, from a management perspective.
- Understand common software development methodologies and how to optimize them.
- Research current trends in cloud computing, big data, and AI/ML.
- Practice articulating your leadership philosophy and management style.
- Be ready to discuss your approach to hiring, performance management, and career development.
- Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers about the role, team, and company.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Foundation & Behavioral Prep","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Focus on understanding Databricks' business, products, and culture. Review your resume and identify key leadership and technical achievements. Start preparing STAR method stories for common behavioral questions related to leadership, conflict resolution, and team building. Familiarize yourself with Databricks' tech stack and industry.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Company research, resume review, STAR method prep, tech stack overview."}
- {"title":"System Design & Technical Strategy","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Deep dive into system design principles relevant to management. Practice designing scalable systems, focusing on architectural trade-offs, team organization for development, and operational considerations. Review distributed systems concepts and cloud architecture patterns. Prepare to discuss how you would lead a team through a system design process.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: System design principles (management focus), distributed systems, cloud architecture."}
- {"title":"People Management & Final Polish","longDescription":"Week 5: Focus on people management and leadership philosophies. Prepare to discuss your approach to hiring, onboarding, performance management, career development, conflict resolution, and fostering a positive team culture. Practice articulating your vision for a high-performing engineering team. Refine your answers and prepare questions for the interviewers.","shortDescription":"Week 5: People management, leadership philosophy, hiring, performance, culture, Q&A prep."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"Remote/Hybrid","differences":{"tips":["Highlight experience managing distributed or hybrid teams effectively.","Showcase your ability to build strong relationships and foster collaboration across different geographies.","Be prepared to discuss how you attract and retain talent in your specific region."],"interviewFocus":["Emphasis on leadership and people management in a remote or hybrid work environment.","Questions may probe deeper into cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management, especially in distributed teams.","Understanding of local market talent pool and competitive landscape for hiring."],"commonQuestions":["How do you handle underperforming engineers on your team?","Describe a time you had to make a difficult decision that impacted your team. What was the outcome?","How do you foster a culture of innovation and psychological safety within your team?","Tell me about a complex technical challenge your team faced and how you guided them through it.","How do you balance delivering on short-term goals with long-term strategic objectives?","Describe your experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and how you've leveraged them for your teams.","How do you approach performance reviews and career development for your engineers?","Tell me about a time you had to manage conflict within your team or with stakeholders.","How do you ensure your team stays up-to-date with the latest technologies and best practices?","What is your experience with agile methodologies and how do you adapt them to your team's needs?"]}}
- {"location":"On-site (e.g., San Francisco Bay Area)","differences":{"tips":["Emphasize your experience in building and scaling engineering teams in a fast-paced, co-located setting.","Provide examples of how you've fostered strong team cohesion and collaboration in an office environment.","Be ready to discuss your strategies for engaging with the local tech ecosystem."],"interviewFocus":["Focus on building and scaling teams in a competitive, high-growth urban tech hub.","Questions may delve into managing team dynamics in a co-located environment and leveraging local tech community resources.","Understanding of the local regulatory environment and its impact on hiring and team management."],"commonQuestions":["How do you handle underperforming engineers on your team?","Describe a time you had to make a difficult decision that impacted your team. What was the outcome?","How do you foster a culture of innovation and psychological safety within your team?","Tell me about a complex technical challenge your team faced and how you guided them through it.","How do you balance delivering on short-term goals with long-term strategic objectives?","Describe your experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and how you've leveraged them for your teams.","How do you approach performance reviews and career development for your engineers?","Tell me about a time you had to manage conflict within your team or with stakeholders.","How do you ensure your team stays up-to-date with the latest technologies and best practices?","What is your experience with agile methodologies and how do you adapt them to your team's needs?"]}}

## Round 0: HR / Recruiter Screen
**Type:** HR / Recruiter Screen · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 30 min
Assesses cultural fit, motivation, and logistical aspects.
This is typically the first or last round, conducted by HR. It's a chance to discuss your background, motivations, and career goals in more detail. The focus is on assessing your cultural fit with Databricks, understanding your expectations regarding compensation and work environment, and answering any questions you might have about the company or the role. They want to ensure you align with the company's values and that the role is a good mutual fit.
**Interviewers look for:** Alignment with Databricks' core values (e.g., customer focus, innovation, integrity, collaboration).; Positive attitude and enthusiasm for the role and company.; Strong communication and interpersonal skills.; Genuine interest in Databricks' mission and technology.; Good questions that demonstrate engagement and thoughtfulness.
**Evaluation criteria:** Assessing cultural fit and alignment with Databricks' values.; Evaluating communication and interpersonal skills.; Understanding candidate's motivations and career aspirations.; Providing an opportunity for the candidate to ask questions.
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of cultural fit.; Inability to demonstrate core values.; Poor alignment with Databricks' mission.; Negative attitude or lack of enthusiasm.; Poor communication or interpersonal skills.; Inability to articulate how they would contribute to the team culture.
## Questions

- Why are you interested in Databricks and this specific role?
- What are your salary expectations?
- How do you handle ambiguity or changing priorities?
- What are you looking for in your next role and team environment?

## Preparation tips

- Research Databricks' core values and mission.
- Be prepared to talk about why you're interested in Databricks specifically.
- Think about your career aspirations and how this role fits into them.
- Prepare thoughtful questions about the company culture, team dynamics, and growth opportunities.
- Be enthusiastic and authentic in your responses.

## Round 1: Hiring Manager Interview
**Type:** Behavioral / People Management · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 45 min
Focuses on leadership, people management, and team building experience.
This initial round focuses on your experience as a people manager and leader. The interviewer will delve into your past roles, focusing on how you've built, managed, and grown engineering teams. Expect questions about your leadership philosophy, how you handle performance issues, motivate your team, foster collaboration, and manage conflicts. They will look for concrete examples of your successes and learnings in people management.
**Interviewers look for:** Evidence of strong people management skills.; A clear and consistent leadership philosophy.; Ability to inspire and mentor engineers.; Empathy and strong communication skills.; Proactive approach to team development and problem-solving.
**Evaluation criteria:** Assessing leadership potential and management style.; Evaluating ability to motivate and develop engineers.; Understanding of people management best practices.; Assessing communication and interpersonal skills.
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of clear leadership vision.; Inability to articulate a coherent management philosophy.; Poor examples of people management or conflict resolution.; Insufficient technical depth to guide a team.; Difficulty in demonstrating strategic thinking.; Poor communication or collaboration skills.
## Questions

- Describe your approach to hiring engineers. What qualities do you look for?
- Tell me about a time you had to give difficult feedback to an engineer. How did you approach it?
- How do you balance the needs of your team with the demands of the business?
- What is your philosophy on career development for engineers?

## Preparation tips

- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method for common management scenarios.
- Articulate your leadership style and philosophy clearly.
- Be ready to discuss your approach to hiring, performance reviews, and career development.
- Think about how you foster a positive and inclusive team culture.

## Round 2: Technical Deep Dive / System Design
**Type:** System Design & Technical Strategy · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Evaluates technical leadership, system design, and strategic thinking.
This round assesses your technical leadership and strategic thinking. You'll likely be presented with a system design problem or a complex technical scenario. The focus is not just on finding a solution, but on how you would lead your team to design, build, and operate such a system. Expect to discuss architectural trade-offs, scalability, reliability, and how you would guide your team's technical direction.
**Interviewers look for:** Strong understanding of software architecture and design patterns.; Ability to think critically about complex technical problems.; Experience in making sound technical decisions and trade-offs.; Capacity to guide a team through technical challenges.; Familiarity with cloud technologies and distributed systems.
**Evaluation criteria:** Assessing technical depth and breadth.; Evaluating system design and architectural skills.; Understanding of distributed systems and scalability.; Ability to guide technical strategy and decision-making.; Problem-solving and analytical skills.
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of strategic thinking.; Inability to connect technical decisions to business goals.; Poor understanding of system design principles at scale.; Difficulty in articulating trade-offs.; Weak problem-solving skills.; Inability to lead a team through complex technical challenges.
## Questions

- Design a real-time notification system for a large-scale application.
- How would you architect a data processing pipeline for a petabyte-scale data warehouse?
- Describe a time you had to make a significant technical decision that had long-term implications. What was your process?
- How do you ensure the reliability and availability of the systems your team builds?

## Preparation tips

- Review system design fundamentals, focusing on scalability, availability, and performance.
- Practice designing distributed systems, databases, and APIs.
- Think about how you would involve your team in the design process.
- Be prepared to discuss trade-offs and justify your design choices.
- Consider how you would manage technical debt and ensure code quality.

## Round 3: Senior Leadership Interview
**Type:** Strategic Thinking & Business Acumen · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 45 min
Assesses strategic thinking, business alignment, and cross-functional collaboration.
This round focuses on your strategic thinking, business acumen, and ability to align your team's work with the company's broader goals. You'll discuss how you set vision, prioritize initiatives, manage resources, and collaborate with other departments like Product Management. The interviewer wants to understand how you operate at a higher level and contribute to the company's success.
**Interviewers look for:** A clear vision for the team and its contribution to the company.; Ability to think strategically and connect technical work to business outcomes.; Experience in collaborating with product management, design, and other functions.; Strong communication and influencing skills.; Understanding of the broader business context.
**Evaluation criteria:** Assessing strategic thinking and business acumen.; Evaluating ability to align team goals with company objectives.; Understanding of product development lifecycle.; Assessing cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management.; Communication with senior leadership.
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to articulate a clear vision.; Lack of alignment with company strategy.; Poor cross-functional collaboration examples.; Difficulty in demonstrating business acumen.; Weak communication with senior leadership.; Failure to inspire confidence in strategic decision-making.
## Questions

- How do you prioritize features when there are competing demands from different stakeholders?
- Describe a time you had to influence a product decision. What was your approach?
- How do you measure the success of your team beyond just code delivery?
- What is your vision for the future of data engineering and AI, and how would your team contribute?

## Preparation tips

- Understand Databricks' business strategy and market position.
- Prepare examples of how you've driven strategic initiatives and achieved business impact.
- Think about how you partner with Product Management and other stakeholders.
- Be ready to discuss your approach to resource allocation and roadmap planning.
- Articulate your vision for the team and its future contributions.