# Manager 1
**Role:** Software Engineering Manager · **Level:** T25
**Company:** [eBay](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/ebay)
**Difficulty:** High
**Salary:** US$180000 - US$250000
**Experience:** 8 - 15
**Timeline:** ~4 days
The Software Engineering Manager (T25) interview at eBay is designed to assess leadership potential, technical acumen, and strategic thinking. Candidates are evaluated on their ability to manage teams, drive technical projects, and contribute to eBay's overall engineering vision. The process typically involves multiple rounds, including behavioral, technical, and system design interviews, culminating in a final hiring manager discussion.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/ebay/t25-software-engineering-manager
---
## Overall evaluation

- Core Competencies

## Questions asked

- Tell me about your leadership style.
- How do you handle underperforming team members?
- Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders without direct authority.
- Walk me through a complex system you designed or managed.
- How do you balance technical debt with feature delivery?
- What are your strategies for fostering innovation within an engineering team?
- How do you ensure your team is aligned with the company's strategic goals?
- Describe a situation where you had to make a difficult trade-off in a project.
- How do you motivate your team during challenging times?
- What is your experience with hiring and onboarding engineers?

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Thoroughly review your resume and be prepared to discuss every project and experience in detail.
- Understand eBay's mission, values, and recent business developments.
- Research common software engineering management interview questions and practice your answers.
- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
- Brush up on system design principles and be ready to discuss architectural trade-offs.
- Familiarize yourself with Agile methodologies and best practices.
- Think about your leadership philosophy and how you foster a positive team culture.
- Prepare questions to ask the interviewer about the role, team, and company culture.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Foundation & Behavioral Preparation","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Deep dive into eBay's business, products, and recent news. Review your career history, identifying key achievements and leadership experiences. Start researching common SEM interview questions, focusing on leadership, team management, and technical strategy. Begin practicing STAR method for behavioral questions.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: eBay business research, resume review, behavioral question practice (STAR method)."}
- {"title":"Technical & System Design Preparation","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Focus on technical aspects. Refresh your knowledge of system design principles, scalability, and distributed systems. Practice system design case studies relevant to e-commerce. Review common technical challenges faced by engineering managers and how to address them. Prepare to discuss your experience with Agile methodologies and project management.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: System design, scalability, Agile methodologies, technical problem-solving."}
- {"title":"Mock Interviews & Final Polish","longDescription":"Week 5: Mock interviews with peers or mentors, focusing on both behavioral and technical rounds. Refine your answers and delivery. Prepare insightful questions to ask the interviewers. Finalize your understanding of eBay's culture and values.","shortDescription":"Week 5: Mock interviews, question preparation, cultural alignment."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"San Jose, USA","differences":{"tips":["Highlight your experience in building and mentoring high-performing engineering teams.","Provide specific examples of how you've driven technical strategy and delivered results.","Be prepared to discuss your approach to conflict resolution and performance management.","Showcase your understanding of eBay's business and how engineering contributes to it.","Demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences."],"interviewFocus":["Emphasis on leadership and people management skills.","Assessment of strategic thinking and business alignment.","Evaluation of experience with scaling teams and processes.","Focus on cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management."],"commonQuestions":["Describe 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?","Tell me about a complex technical challenge your team faced and how you guided them through it.","What is your experience with Agile methodologies and how do you foster an Agile culture?","How do you measure the success of your team and individual engineers?","Describe your approach to performance management and career development for your team members.","How do you stay updated with the latest technology trends and encourage innovation 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 balance the need for speed with the need for quality in software development?","What are your strategies for attracting and retaining top engineering talent?"]}}
- {"location":"Remote/Hybrid","differences":{"tips":["Share specific examples of how you've successfully managed remote or hybrid teams.","Emphasize your ability to build strong relationships and foster team cohesion virtually.","Discuss your strategies for effective remote communication and collaboration.","Be prepared to talk about your experience with cloud-native architectures and DevOps practices.","Showcase your understanding of how to maintain productivity and engagement in a distributed workforce."],"interviewFocus":["Assessment of experience managing remote and hybrid teams.","Evaluation of communication and collaboration strategies in distributed environments.","Focus on adaptability and resilience in managing diverse teams.","Understanding of challenges and best practices for remote work."],"commonQuestions":["How do you foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement in a remote or hybrid environment?","Describe your experience managing distributed teams and the challenges associated with it.","How do you ensure effective communication and collaboration across different time zones?","What are your strategies for onboarding new team members remotely?","How do you handle performance issues with remote employees?","Tell me about a time you had to adapt your leadership style to a new environment or team structure.","How do you delegate tasks effectively to ensure accountability in a distributed setting?","What tools and processes do you use to manage project timelines and deliverables with remote teams?","How do you promote psychological safety and inclusivity within a remote team?","Describe your experience with cloud technologies and their impact on software development."]}}

## Round 1: Recruiter Screen
**Type:** HR/Recruiter Screen · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 45 min
Initial screening to assess cultural fit, motivation, and basic qualifications.
This initial round is conducted by an HR representative or recruiter to assess your overall fit for the role and eBay's culture. They will delve into your background, career aspirations, and motivation for applying. Expect questions about your leadership style, team management experience, and how you handle common workplace scenarios. This is also an opportunity for you to learn more about the role and the company.
**Interviewers look for:** Evidence of strong leadership and people management skills.; Ability to articulate a clear technical vision.; Demonstrated experience in driving projects to successful completion.; Understanding of how to build and motivate high-performing teams.
**Evaluation criteria:** Leadership potential; Communication clarity; Problem-solving approach; Team management philosophy
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of clear leadership vision.; Inability to articulate technical strategy.; Poor communication skills.; Difficulty in managing team conflicts or performance issues.; Lack of alignment with eBay's culture and values.
## Questions

- Tell me about yourself and your career progression.
- Why are you interested in this Software Engineering Manager role at eBay?
- Describe your leadership philosophy.
- How do you handle conflict within a team?

## Preparation tips

- Be prepared to discuss your career journey and why you are interested in this specific role at eBay.
- Have clear examples of your leadership and management experience ready.
- Research eBay's values and culture to demonstrate alignment.
- Prepare questions to ask about the role, team, and company.

## Round 2: Technical & System Design
**Type:** Technical Interview / System Design · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Assesses technical depth, system design skills, and architectural thinking.
This round focuses on your technical expertise and system design capabilities. You will likely be asked to design a system from scratch or discuss the architecture of a complex system you have worked on. Expect questions related to scalability, performance, reliability, and trade-offs. The interviewer will assess your ability to think critically about technical challenges and make sound architectural decisions.
**Interviewers look for:** Ability to design scalable and robust systems.; Deep understanding of software development principles and best practices.; Proficiency in identifying and mitigating technical risks.; Experience in guiding teams through complex technical challenges.
**Evaluation criteria:** Technical depth and breadth; System design capabilities; Problem-solving skills; Understanding of software architecture
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of depth in technical problem-solving.; Inability to articulate system design trade-offs.; Poor understanding of scalability and performance considerations.; Weak approach to managing technical debt.; Difficulty in explaining complex technical concepts clearly.
## Questions

- Design a URL shortening service like bit.ly.
- How would you design a notification system for a large-scale application?
- Discuss the trade-offs between SQL and NoSQL databases for a specific use case.
- How would you optimize the performance of a web application experiencing high traffic?

## Preparation tips

- Review system design concepts (e.g., databases, caching, load balancing, APIs).
- Practice designing common systems (e.g., social media feed, e-commerce platform).
- Be prepared to discuss trade-offs and justify your design choices.
- Brush up on data structures and algorithms, as they may be relevant to system design.

## Round 3: Hiring Manager Interview
**Type:** Managerial Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Focuses on leadership, people management, strategic thinking, and execution.
This round is with the hiring manager, who will assess your leadership capabilities, management style, and strategic thinking. You'll discuss your experience in managing teams, driving projects, and contributing to business objectives. Expect in-depth behavioral questions and scenarios designed to evaluate your decision-making, problem-solving, and people management skills. This is also your chance to understand the team's challenges and opportunities.
**Interviewers look for:** Proven ability to lead and mentor engineering teams.; Experience in setting technical direction and strategy.; Demonstrated success in delivering complex projects.; Strong communication and interpersonal skills.; Ability to foster a positive and productive team environment.
**Evaluation criteria:** Leadership effectiveness; People management skills; Strategic thinking and planning; Execution and delivery track record; Cross-functional collaboration
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to provide concrete examples of leadership.; Poor delegation skills.; Difficulty in managing team dynamics and conflicts.; Lack of strategic thinking or business acumen.; Failure to demonstrate impact and results.
## Questions

- Describe a time you had to manage a significant technical challenge with your team. What was your approach?
- How do you set goals and measure success for your engineering team?
- Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision that impacted your team. How did you handle it?
- How do you foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning within your team?
- What are your strategies for attracting and retaining top engineering talent?

## Preparation tips

- Prepare detailed examples of your leadership successes and challenges.
- Think about how you align technical strategy with business goals.
- Be ready to discuss your approach to performance management, career development, and team building.
- Understand the specific challenges and opportunities for the team you would be managing.

## Round 4: Senior Leadership Interview
**Type:** Executive/Senior Leadership Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 45 min
Final discussion with senior leadership to assess strategic thinking and overall fit.
This final round is typically with a Director or VP of Engineering. The focus is on your strategic thinking, leadership vision, and ability to influence at a higher level. They will assess how you align engineering efforts with business objectives and your potential to contribute to the broader organizational strategy. Be prepared to discuss your long-term vision for engineering teams and your approach to driving significant impact.
**Interviewers look for:** Ability to think strategically and connect engineering efforts to business outcomes.; Strong communication and influencing skills with senior stakeholders.; Demonstrated experience in driving significant technical or organizational change.; Alignment with eBay's long-term vision and values.
**Evaluation criteria:** Strategic alignment; Leadership vision; Business acumen; Executive presence; Cultural alignment with senior leadership
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of alignment with senior leadership's vision.; Inability to demonstrate strategic impact at a higher level.; Poor communication with senior stakeholders.; Concerns about overall leadership potential and fit for the organization.; Insufficient experience in driving large-scale initiatives.
## Questions

- What is your long-term vision for an engineering organization like ours?
- How would you prioritize engineering initiatives to maximize business impact?
- Describe a time you had to influence senior leadership on a technical decision.
- What are the biggest challenges facing engineering leaders today, and how do you address them?

## Preparation tips

- Understand eBay's overall business strategy and market position.
- Be prepared to discuss your vision for engineering leadership and its role in achieving business goals.
- Articulate how you would drive innovation and growth within the engineering organization.
- Showcase your ability to influence and collaborate with senior leadership.