Scale Engineer

Senior Software Engineer

Software EngineerL5Hard

The Senior Software Engineer (L5) interview at Deliveroo is a comprehensive process designed to assess a candidate's technical expertise, problem-solving abilities, system design skills, and cultural fit within the company. It typically involves multiple rounds, including HR screening, technical interviews focusing on data structures and algorithms, a system design interview, and a final managerial or behavioral interview. The goal is to identify engineers who can independently tackle complex problems, mentor junior engineers, and contribute to the architectural direction of our products.

Rounds·4

Timeline·~14d

Experience·5 - 10 yrs

Comp band·US$120000 - US$150000

Interview time·180 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Problem-solving skills
  • Algorithmic thinking
  • Data structure knowledge
  • Code quality and efficiency

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Review fundamental data structures and algorithms (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps, sorting, searching).
  2. Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or Coderbyte, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.
  3. Study system design concepts: load balancing, caching, databases, message queues, microservices, API design.
  4. Prepare to discuss your past projects in detail, focusing on your contributions, challenges, and learnings.
  5. Understand Deliveroo's business, technology stack, and engineering culture.
  6. Practice explaining your thought process clearly and concisely.
  7. Prepare questions to ask the interviewer about the role, team, and company.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 05 phases

01 / 05
01

Phase 01 of 05

Data Structures and Algorithms Fundamentals

Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Basic Algorithms. Practice 2-3 problems/day. Big O.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures (Arrays, Linked Lists, Stacks, Queues, Hash Tables) and basic algorithms (Sorting, Searching, Recursion). Practice 2-3 problems per day. Understand time and space complexity (Big O notation).

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Given a list of user activities, design a system to find the most active users in the last hour.
  • How would you design a real-time notification system for a food delivery app?
  • Explain the difference between process and thread. When would you use one over the other?
  • Describe a situation where you had to deal with a production issue. What was your approach?
  • How do you approach mentoring junior engineers?
  • What are the trade-offs of using a microservices architecture compared to a monolith?
  • Design a rate limiter for an API.
  • Tell me about a time you disagreed with a technical decision. How did you handle it?
  • How would you optimize a database query that is running slowly?
  • What are your thoughts on test-driven development (TDD)?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

01 / 02

Location

London

Interview focus

Deep understanding of distributed systems and microservices architecture.Experience with high-traffic, large-scale applications.Proficiency in specific programming languages and frameworks relevant to Deliveroo's tech stack (e.g., Java, Python, Go, Node.js).Ability to lead technical discussions and mentor junior engineers.

Common questions

  • How would you design a URL shortening service like bit.ly?
  • Discuss a challenging technical problem you faced and how you solved it.
  • Explain the trade-offs between different database technologies (SQL vs. NoSQL).
  • How do you ensure the scalability and reliability of a distributed system?
  • Describe your experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure).

Tips

  • Familiarize yourself with Deliveroo's engineering blog and open-source contributions.
  • Be prepared to discuss your contributions to significant projects and their impact.
  • Understand the challenges of operating in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.
  • Highlight experience with A/B testing and data-driven decision-making.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

DSA

Coding questions at Deliveroo.

Frequently reported on Deliveroo loops

View all at Deliveroo

Other guides

More at Deliveroo.