# Manager 1
**Role:** Software Engineering Manager · **Level:** L5
**Company:** [Deliveroo](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/deliveroo)
**Difficulty:** Hard
**Salary:** US$150000 - US$200000
**Experience:** 5 - 10
**Timeline:** ~14 days
This interview process is designed to assess candidates for a Software Engineering Manager (L5) role at Deliveroo. It evaluates technical leadership, people management skills, strategic thinking, and cultural fit.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/deliveroo/l5-software-engineering-manager
---
## Overall evaluation

- Technical Acumen
- People Management
- Strategic & Business Acumen
- Cultural Fit & Communication

## Questions asked

- Tell me about a time you had to manage a conflict within your team. How did you resolve it?
- How do you prioritize competing demands from different stakeholders?
- Describe your approach to performance management and career development for your engineers.
- Walk me through a complex system you designed or significantly contributed to. What were the trade-offs?
- How do you foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within your team?
- Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision that impacted your team. What was the outcome?
- How do you ensure your team stays aligned with the company's strategic goals?
- What is your experience with hiring and onboarding new engineers?
- How do you handle technical debt and ensure the long-term health of the codebase?
- Describe a time you failed. What did you learn from it?

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Understand Deliveroo's mission, values, and engineering culture.
- Review common Software Engineering Manager interview questions, focusing on behavioral and situational examples.
- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for each competency.
- Brush up on system design principles and be ready to discuss architectural trade-offs.
- Think about your leadership philosophy and how you develop and mentor engineers.
- Be prepared to discuss your experience with agile methodologies and project management.
- Research Deliveroo's tech stack and recent engineering blog posts.
- Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers about the role, team, and company.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Foundation & Behavioral Prep","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Deep dive into Deliveroo's company culture, values, and recent engineering initiatives. Review core software engineering principles, data structures, algorithms, and system design concepts. Focus on understanding scalability, reliability, and performance trade-offs. Practice behavioral questions related to leadership, team management, and conflict resolution using the STAR method.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Company research, core SWE principles, system design basics, behavioral prep (STAR)."}
- {"title":"People Management & System Design","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Focus on people management aspects. Study common challenges in managing engineering teams, such as performance reviews, career development, hiring, and fostering psychological safety. Prepare examples of how you've handled difficult conversations, motivated teams, and built high-performing teams. Practice system design scenarios relevant to Deliveroo's scale and business.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: People management strategies, team building, performance management, advanced system design."}
- {"title":"Mock Interviews & Final Review","longDescription":"Week 5: Mock interviews with peers or mentors, focusing on both technical and managerial aspects. Refine answers to behavioral questions and practice articulating your thought process for system design problems. Prepare specific questions to ask the interviewers. Final review of Deliveroo's engineering blog and any recent news.","shortDescription":"Week 5: Mock interviews, refining answers, preparing questions, final company/tech review."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"Remote","differences":{"tips":["Highlight experience with remote work tools and methodologies.","Provide specific examples of successfully managing distributed teams.","Emphasize your ability to create an inclusive and engaging remote work culture."],"interviewFocus":["Remote team management strategies","Cross-time zone collaboration","Building trust and psychological safety in a virtual environment"],"commonQuestions":["How do you handle underperforming engineers in a remote setting?","Describe a time you had to manage a conflict between engineers working across different time zones.","What tools and strategies do you use to foster collaboration in a distributed team?"]}}
- {"location":"Hybrid","differences":{"tips":["Showcase experience in managing hybrid teams.","Provide examples of how you've ensured equitable opportunities for all team members.","Discuss your strategies for effective communication across different office locations."],"interviewFocus":["Hybrid work model management","Stakeholder management across locations","Balancing in-office and remote team member needs"],"commonQuestions":["How do you manage stakeholder expectations with teams located in different offices?","Describe your experience with hybrid work models and ensuring fairness between in-office and remote employees.","How do you foster a sense of team unity when members are geographically dispersed?"]}}
- {"location":"London","differences":{"tips":["Emphasize your ability to build strong interpersonal relationships.","Provide examples of successful in-person team events and their impact.","Discuss your approach to navigating local office culture and dynamics."],"interviewFocus":["In-office team dynamics","Local stakeholder engagement","Leveraging co-location for collaboration"],"commonQuestions":["How do you build strong relationships with engineers in a co-located environment?","Describe how you facilitate in-person team building activities.","How do you manage local office politics and dynamics?"]}}

## Round 1: HR Screening Call
**Type:** HR Screening · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Initial call with HR to assess basic qualifications, motivation, and cultural fit.
This initial screening call with a recruiter aims to understand your background, career aspirations, and motivation for applying to Deliveroo. They will assess your communication skills, cultural fit, and basic qualifications for the role. It's also an opportunity for you to learn more about the company and the specific role.
**Interviewers look for:** Enthusiasm for Deliveroo; Clear communication; Alignment with company values; Basic understanding of the role
**Evaluation criteria:** Communication skills; Cultural alignment; Motivation and enthusiasm; Understanding of Deliveroo's values
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of clear communication; Inability to provide specific examples; Poor cultural fit; Lack of enthusiasm for the role or company
## Questions

- Tell me about yourself and your career journey.
- Why are you interested in Deliveroo and this specific role?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses as a manager?
- What are your salary expectations?

## Preparation tips

- Research Deliveroo's mission, values, and recent news.
- Prepare your 'elevator pitch' about your experience and career goals.
- Be ready to discuss why you are interested in this specific role and company.
- Prepare questions about the role, team, and company culture.

## Round 2: Technical Deep Dive
**Type:** Technical Interview · **Difficulty:** Hard · **Duration:** 60 min
Assess technical skills through coding challenges and system design.
This round focuses on your technical expertise. You'll be asked to solve coding problems and discuss system design scenarios. The interviewer will assess your ability to break down complex problems, design robust solutions, and articulate your thought process, considering factors like scalability, performance, and maintainability.
**Interviewers look for:** Strong technical fundamentals; Structured approach to problem-solving; Ability to design scalable and reliable systems; Clear communication of technical concepts
**Evaluation criteria:** Technical problem-solving; System design capabilities; Understanding of software architecture; Ability to think through trade-offs
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of technical depth; Inability to articulate technical solutions clearly; Poor problem-solving approach; Weak system design skills
## Questions

- Design a URL shortening service like bit.ly.
- Implement a function to find the k-th largest element in an unsorted array.
- How would you design a notification system for a large-scale application?
- Given a large log file, how would you find the IP addresses that accessed the server most frequently?

## Preparation tips

- Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode (focus on Medium/Hard).
- Review system design concepts (databases, caching, load balancing, APIs, microservices).
- Prepare to discuss trade-offs in your designs.
- Think about common distributed systems challenges.

## Round 3: People & Strategy Interview
**Type:** Managerial Interview · **Difficulty:** Hard · **Duration:** 60 min
Assess people management, leadership, and strategic thinking skills.
This round focuses on your people management and leadership capabilities. You'll discuss your experience in building, managing, and mentoring engineering teams. Expect behavioral questions about handling challenging situations, motivating engineers, and driving team performance. You'll also discuss your strategic approach to team development and project execution.
**Interviewers look for:** Proven ability to lead and grow teams; Effective communication and empathy; Strategic mindset; Experience in performance management and hiring
**Evaluation criteria:** People management philosophy; Leadership effectiveness; Conflict resolution skills; Strategic planning and execution; Mentorship and coaching abilities
**Common rejection reasons:** Poor people management skills; Inability to handle team conflicts; Lack of strategic thinking; Failure to demonstrate leadership qualities
## Questions

- Describe a time you had to manage an underperforming engineer. What steps did you take?
- How do you foster a culture of psychological safety and inclusivity on your team?
- Tell me about a time you had to deliver difficult feedback to a team member.
- How do you balance the need for innovation with the need for stability and reliability?
- Walk me through your process for hiring engineers.

## Preparation tips

- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method for managing teams, resolving conflicts, and developing engineers.
- Think about your leadership philosophy and how you foster a positive team culture.
- Be ready to discuss your experience with hiring, performance reviews, and career pathing.
- Consider how you align team goals with broader business objectives.

## Round 4: VP/Director Level Interview
**Type:** Senior Leadership Interview · **Difficulty:** Hard · **Duration:** 60 min
Final discussion with senior leadership on strategy, vision, and organizational impact.
This final round is with a senior leader (e.g., VP of Engineering) to assess your strategic thinking, leadership vision, and overall fit with the company's direction. You'll discuss your approach to managing larger initiatives, influencing stakeholders, and contributing to the engineering organization's strategy. This is also your opportunity to ask high-level questions about the company's future.
**Interviewers look for:** Strategic vision; Strong leadership presence; Ability to influence and inspire; Alignment with Deliveroo's long-term goals
**Evaluation criteria:** Vision and strategic alignment; Leadership presence; Decision-making at a higher level; Ability to influence and drive change; Cultural alignment with senior leadership
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of alignment with senior leadership; Inability to articulate a clear vision; Poor strategic thinking; Mismatch in leadership style with senior management
## Questions

- What is your vision for a high-performing engineering team at Deliveroo?
- How would you approach scaling our engineering organization to meet future demands?
- Describe a time you had to influence senior stakeholders to adopt a new technical direction.
- What are the biggest challenges facing engineering leaders today, and how do you address them?

## Preparation tips

- Understand Deliveroo's business strategy and how engineering contributes to it.
- Prepare to discuss your long-term vision for an engineering team.
- Think about how you would influence and collaborate with other senior leaders.
- Be ready to discuss your experience in driving significant technical or organizational change.