# Senior Manager
**Role:** Software Engineering Manager · **Level:** L7
**Company:** [Deliveroo](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/deliveroo)
**Difficulty:** High
**Salary:** US$170000 - US$220000
**Experience:** 8 - 15
**Timeline:** ~14 days
This interview process is designed to assess candidates for a Software Engineering Manager (L7) role at Deliveroo. It evaluates technical leadership, people management, strategic thinking, and execution capabilities.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/deliveroo/l7-software-engineering-manager
---
## Overall evaluation

- Technical Acumen
- People Leadership
- Strategic & Execution
- Communication & Culture

## Questions asked

- Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult technical decision that impacted your team. What was the outcome?
- How do you foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within your team?
- Describe your approach to managing underperforming engineers.
- How do you balance technical debt with delivering new features?
- Walk me through a challenging project you led from inception to delivery. What were the key challenges and how did you overcome them?
- How do you mentor and develop the careers of your engineers?
- Describe a time you had to manage a conflict within your team or with another team. How did you resolve it?
- How do you ensure your team is aligned with the company's strategic goals?
- What are your key metrics for measuring team success and productivity?
- How do you stay current with new technologies and industry trends?
- Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn from it?
- How do you handle competing priorities from different stakeholders?
- Describe your experience with hiring and building high-performing engineering teams.
- What is your philosophy on code reviews and quality assurance?
- How do you delegate tasks effectively?
- What are the biggest challenges facing software engineering managers today?
- How would you onboard a new engineer into your team?
- Describe a time you had to influence without direct authority.
- How do you promote diversity and inclusion within your team?
- What are your thoughts on technical debt and how do you manage it?

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Deeply understand Deliveroo's mission, values, and business strategy.
- Review common software engineering management challenges and best practices.
- Prepare STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) examples for behavioral questions.
- Brush up on system design principles and scalability concepts.
- Familiarize yourself with agile methodologies and project management frameworks.
- Understand how to measure and improve team performance and engineering metrics.
- Research Deliveroo's engineering blog and recent company news.
- Practice articulating your leadership philosophy and management style.
- Be ready to discuss your approach to hiring, onboarding, and retaining talent.
- Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers about the role, team, and company.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Foundation & Behavioral Preparation","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Focus on understanding Deliveroo's business, culture, and engineering challenges. Review core software engineering principles, data structures, algorithms, and system design fundamentals. Study common management frameworks and leadership theories. Prepare STAR examples for common behavioral questions related to leadership, conflict resolution, and team building.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Deliveroo business & culture, core SWE principles, system design basics, management frameworks, behavioral prep (STAR)."}
- {"title":"Technical Depth & People Management","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Deep dive into system design and architecture, focusing on scalability, reliability, and distributed systems. Practice case studies and design problems relevant to e-commerce or food delivery platforms. Refine your approach to people management, including hiring, performance reviews, coaching, and career development. Prepare specific examples for these areas.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Advanced system design, scalability, distributed systems, people management strategies (hiring, performance, coaching)."}
- {"title":"Strategy, Execution & Mock Interviews","longDescription":"Week 5: Focus on strategic thinking, business acumen, and execution. Understand how to align engineering efforts with business goals, prioritize effectively, and drive projects to completion. Practice articulating your vision and strategy for a software engineering team. Prepare for questions about stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration. Conduct mock interviews.","shortDescription":"Week 5: Strategic thinking, business alignment, prioritization, execution, stakeholder management, mock interviews."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"Remote/Hybrid","differences":{"tips":["Highlight experience with remote or hybrid team leadership.","Provide specific examples of how you've successfully managed distributed teams.","Showcase your understanding of the challenges and best practices for remote work.","Be prepared to discuss your approach to fostering team cohesion and engagement virtually.","Familiarize yourself with Deliveroo's approach to hybrid and remote work."],"interviewFocus":["Remote team management strategies","Cross-time zone collaboration","Building trust and psychological safety in a distributed team","Tools for remote collaboration and project management","Cultural adaptation for distributed teams"],"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 are the key challenges and benefits of managing a distributed engineering team at Deliveroo?","How do you foster a strong team culture and collaboration in a hybrid or remote environment?","What tools and strategies do you use to ensure effective communication and project visibility with a distributed team?"]}}
- {"location":"London (Office-based)","differences":{"tips":["Emphasize your experience in managing teams within a physical office space.","Provide examples of successful collaboration with co-located product, design, and business teams.","Discuss your approach to fostering a positive and productive office environment.","Be ready to talk about how you leverage in-person interactions for team building and problem-solving.","Understand Deliveroo's office culture and how you would contribute to it."],"interviewFocus":["On-site collaboration and communication","Stakeholder management within a central hub","Driving technical excellence in a co-located environment","Cross-functional team integration","Performance management in a traditional office setup"],"commonQuestions":["How do you manage stakeholder expectations with engineering teams based in London?","Describe your experience working with product and design teams located in our main office.","How do you ensure alignment between engineering teams and business objectives in a central office environment?","What are your strategies for driving innovation and technical excellence within a co-located team?","How do you handle performance reviews and career development for engineers in a traditional office setting?"]}}

## Round 1: HR Screening Call
**Type:** HR Screening · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Initial screening to assess basic qualifications, motivation, and cultural fit.
This initial screening call with an HR representative or recruiter aims to assess your overall fit for the role and Deliveroo. They will discuss your background, motivations for applying, and high-level understanding of the Software Engineering Manager position. Expect questions about your career aspirations, why you're interested in Deliveroo, and your salary expectations. This is also an opportunity for you to ask initial questions about the company and the role.
**Interviewers look for:** Clear and concise communication; Ability to explain technical concepts simply; Logical thinking process; Enthusiasm for the role and company; Alignment with Deliveroo's values
**Evaluation criteria:** Communication skills; Technical understanding; Problem-solving approach; Cultural fit
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of clear communication; Inability to articulate technical concepts effectively; Poor understanding of system design principles; Lack of experience in managing teams; Inability to provide specific examples for behavioral questions
## Questions

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

## Preparation tips

- Research Deliveroo's mission, values, and recent news.
- Prepare a concise summary of your career journey and key achievements.
- Be ready to articulate why you are interested in this specific role and company.
- Have a clear understanding of your salary expectations.
- Prepare questions to ask the interviewer about the role, team, and company culture.

## Round 2: People Management Interview
**Type:** People Management & Leadership Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Assesses people management, leadership skills, and strategic thinking through behavioral questions.
This round focuses on your people management and leadership capabilities. The interviewer, typically your potential direct manager or a senior engineering manager, will delve into your experience managing teams, developing talent, handling performance issues, and fostering a positive team culture. Expect behavioral questions that require you to share specific examples using the STAR method.
**Interviewers look for:** Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor engineers; Clear vision for team growth and development; Sound judgment in decision-making; Ability to handle complex management scenarios; Proactive approach to team challenges
**Evaluation criteria:** People management skills; Strategic thinking; Problem-solving ability; Leadership potential; Communication clarity
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of strategic thinking; Inability to articulate a clear vision for a team; Poor understanding of people management principles; Difficulty in providing concrete examples of leadership; Weak problem-solving skills
## 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 trust within your team?
- Tell me about a time you had to resolve a conflict between team members.
- How do you approach career development and mentorship for your engineers?
- What is your strategy for hiring and onboarding new engineers?
- How do you balance the needs of your team with the demands of the business?

## Preparation tips

- Prepare detailed STAR method examples for managing teams, conflict resolution, performance management, and career development.
- Think about your leadership philosophy and how you motivate engineers.
- Be ready to discuss how you build and scale engineering teams.
- Consider how you handle difficult conversations and feedback.
- Understand how to align team goals with broader business objectives.

## Round 3: Technical Deep Dive & System Design
**Type:** Technical & System Design Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Evaluates technical depth, system design capabilities, and architectural thinking.
This technical interview focuses on your system design, architecture, and technical leadership skills. You'll be asked to design a system or solve a complex technical problem, demonstrating your ability to think about scalability, reliability, performance, and maintainability. The interviewer will assess your technical depth and your ability to guide a team through technical challenges.
**Interviewers look for:** Ability to design scalable and reliable systems; Understanding of trade-offs in technical decisions; Knowledge of distributed systems and cloud technologies; Experience with operational best practices; Ability to guide a team through complex technical challenges
**Evaluation criteria:** System design and architecture; Technical depth; Scalability and performance considerations; Operational excellence; Problem-solving approach
**Common rejection reasons:** Weak technical design skills; Inability to think about scalability and distributed systems; Poor understanding of operational aspects; Lack of strategic technical vision; Difficulty in explaining technical trade-offs
## Questions

- Design a system for [e.g., a food delivery tracking system, an order management system].
- How would you ensure the scalability and reliability of a high-traffic e-commerce platform?
- Describe your experience with microservices architecture. What are the pros and cons?
- How do you approach managing technical debt?
- What are your thoughts on CI/CD and DevOps practices?
- How would you diagnose and resolve a performance bottleneck in a distributed system?

## Preparation tips

- Review system design principles, common architectural patterns, and distributed systems concepts.
- Practice designing systems for scalability, availability, and fault tolerance.
- Familiarize yourself with cloud technologies (AWS, GCP, Azure) and their services.
- Understand database design, caching strategies, and message queues.
- Be prepared to discuss trade-offs and justify your design choices.
- Think about how you would guide your team in making technical decisions.

## Round 4: Senior Leadership Interview
**Type:** Strategic & Leadership Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Focuses on strategic thinking, business alignment, and leadership vision with senior management.
This interview with a senior leader (Director or VP of Engineering) assesses your strategic thinking, business acumen, and ability to align engineering efforts with company goals. You'll discuss how you prioritize work, manage stakeholders, drive execution, and contribute to the overall engineering strategy. This is a high-level discussion about your impact and vision.
**Interviewers look for:** Ability to think strategically about the engineering function; Understanding of business objectives and how engineering supports them; Effective communication with non-technical stakeholders; Strong prioritization and decision-making skills; Proven track record of delivering complex projects
**Evaluation criteria:** Strategic thinking; Business acumen; Stakeholder management; Prioritization and planning; Execution and delivery
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of strategic vision for the engineering function; Inability to align engineering with business goals; Poor stakeholder management skills; Difficulty in prioritizing effectively; Lack of experience in managing multiple teams or projects
## Questions

- How do you align engineering priorities with business objectives?
- Describe a time you had to manage conflicting priorities from different business units.
- What is your approach to building and maintaining a strong engineering culture?
- How do you measure the success of your engineering team and its impact on the business?
- What is your vision for the future of software engineering at Deliveroo?
- How do you foster innovation within your team?

## Preparation tips

- Understand Deliveroo's business model, market position, and strategic priorities.
- Think about how engineering can drive business value and innovation.
- Prepare examples of how you've successfully managed stakeholders and communicated with leadership.
- Practice articulating your vision for an engineering team and its contribution to the company.
- Be ready to discuss your approach to resource allocation and strategic planning.

## Round 5: Peer/Team Collaboration Interview
**Type:** Cultural Fit & Collaboration Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Assesses cultural fit, collaboration skills, and team dynamics with peers.
This round often involves meeting with potential peers or team members. The focus is on assessing your collaboration style, how you interact with others, and your overall cultural fit within Deliveroo. Expect questions about teamwork, collaboration, and how you handle different working styles. This is also a great opportunity for you to gauge the team dynamics and ask questions about day-to-day work.
**Interviewers look for:** Demonstration of Deliveroo's core values; Ability to collaborate effectively; Positive attitude and enthusiasm; Good communication and interpersonal skills; Alignment with the team's working style
**Evaluation criteria:** Cultural fit; Collaboration skills; Problem-solving approach; Communication style; Alignment with Deliveroo's values
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of alignment with company values; Poor cultural fit; Inability to demonstrate collaboration; Negative attitude; Lack of enthusiasm for Deliveroo's mission
## Questions

- How do you approach collaboration with other engineering teams?
- Describe a time you had a disagreement with a colleague. How did you resolve it?
- What do you value most in a team environment?
- How do you give and receive feedback?
- What are your thoughts on pair programming or collaborative coding?

## Preparation tips

- Reflect on Deliveroo's company values and how your own values align.
- Prepare examples of successful collaboration and teamwork.
- Be ready to discuss how you handle disagreements and different perspectives.
- Showcase your ability to be a supportive and collaborative team member.
- Ask questions about team dynamics, collaboration tools, and day-to-day work.