Software Engineering Manager
Expedia is looking for a seasoned Software Engineering Manager at the SVP level to lead and inspire a team of talented engineers. This role is critical in driving technical strategy, fostering innovation, and ensuring the successful delivery of high-quality software solutions that impact millions of travelers worldwide. The ideal candidate will possess a strong blend of technical expertise, leadership acumen, and a deep understanding of the travel industry.
5
~6 days
15 - 20 yrs
US$280000 - US$350000
315 min
Overall Evaluation Criteria
Leadership & Technical Vision
People & Stakeholder Management
Technical Depth & Execution
Preparation Tips
Study Plan
Company & Industry Immersion
Weeks 1-2: Expedia business & strategy, travel tech trends, career review.
Weeks 1-2: Deep dive into Expedia's business, products, and technology stack. Understand the company's strategic goals and recent performance. Research the travel tech industry landscape, key competitors, and emerging trends. Review your career history and identify key leadership experiences and technical achievements relevant to an SVP role.
Leadership & People Management
Weeks 3-4: Leadership principles, people management, STAR examples, stakeholder management.
Weeks 3-4: Focus on leadership and people management. Prepare examples using the STAR method for situations involving team building, conflict resolution, performance management, mentoring, and fostering a positive culture. Study common leadership frameworks and best practices. Review your experience in cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management.
Technical Strategy & Vision
Weeks 5-6: System design, architecture, technical strategy, innovation, business impact.
Weeks 5-6: Concentrate on technical depth and strategic thinking. Refresh your knowledge on system design, architecture, scalability, reliability, and DevOps practices. Prepare to discuss your approach to technical debt, innovation, and long-term technical vision. Think about how technology can drive business value in the travel industry.
Commonly Asked Questions
Location-Based Differences
Seattle, USA
Interview Focus
Common Questions
How do you handle a major production incident impacting a critical customer-facing feature in a distributed system?
Describe a time you had to make a difficult trade-off between technical debt and feature delivery. What was your process and outcome?
How do you foster a culture of psychological safety and continuous learning within your engineering teams?
In a global team setting, how do you ensure alignment on technical standards and best practices across different time zones and cultures?
What are your strategies for identifying and nurturing high-potential engineers for future leadership roles?
Tips
London, UK
Interview Focus
Common Questions
How do you manage the complexities of scaling a platform to accommodate rapid user growth in emerging markets?
Describe your experience in building and leading remote-first engineering teams.
What are the key considerations when designing for internationalization and localization at scale?
How do you approach performance management and career development for engineers in a distributed global team?
Tell me about a time you had to influence stakeholders across different business units to adopt a new technical strategy.
Tips
Bangalore, India
Interview Focus
Common Questions
How do you balance the need for rapid innovation with maintaining system stability and reliability?
Describe your approach to architecting highly available and fault-tolerant systems.
What are your strategies for managing technical debt and ensuring long-term maintainability?
How do you foster a culture of ownership and accountability within your engineering teams?
Tell me about a significant technical challenge you faced and how you overcame it.
Tips
Process Timeline
Interview Rounds
5-step process with detailed breakdown for each round
HR & Cultural Fit Assessment
Initial screening by HR to assess leadership experience, cultural fit, and alignment with the role.
This initial round is conducted by a senior member of the HR or Talent Acquisition team. The focus is on assessing your overall leadership experience, people management philosophy, cultural fit with Expedia, and alignment with the strategic objectives of the role. You'll be asked to share examples of your leadership journey, how you build and develop teams, and your approach to managing people and fostering a positive work environment. This is also an opportunity for you to learn more about Expedia's culture, values, and the specifics of the role.
What Interviewers Look For
Evaluation Criteria
Questions Asked
Can you walk me through your career progression and highlight key leadership experiences?
Describe your approach to building and scaling engineering teams.
How do you foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning within your teams?
Tell me about a time you had to manage a difficult employee situation. How did you handle it?
What are your expectations regarding compensation and career growth at Expedia?
Preparation Tips
Common Reasons for Rejection
Technical Architecture & Strategy
In-depth technical discussion focusing on system design, architecture, scalability, and technical strategy.
This round involves a deep dive into your technical expertise and strategic thinking. You will be expected to discuss complex system designs, architectural decisions, scalability challenges, and your approach to technical debt and innovation. The interviewers will assess your ability to lead technical direction, mentor engineers on technical matters, and make sound architectural choices that align with business goals. Expect scenario-based questions and discussions about past technical challenges and solutions.
What Interviewers Look For
Evaluation Criteria
Questions Asked
Design a scalable and highly available booking system for a global travel platform.
How would you approach migrating a monolithic application to a microservices architecture?
Describe a time you had to make a significant technical trade-off. What factors did you consider, and what was the outcome?
What are your strategies for ensuring the reliability and performance of critical systems?
How do you stay current with emerging technologies and evaluate their potential impact on the business?
Preparation Tips
Common Reasons for Rejection
Product & Business Alignment
Assessment of collaboration with Product Management, understanding of product strategy, and business acumen.
This round focuses on your ability to collaborate with Product Management and drive product success through technology. You'll discuss your understanding of the product development lifecycle, how you partner with product leaders, and how you ensure technology initiatives align with and enable product strategy. Expect questions about prioritizing features, managing roadmaps from a technical perspective, and driving innovation that meets customer needs. Your business acumen and ability to think strategically about the product will be key.
What Interviewers Look For
Evaluation Criteria
Questions Asked
How do you partner with Product Management to define and execute a technology roadmap that supports product goals?
Describe a time you disagreed with a product decision. How did you handle it, and what was the outcome?
How do you ensure your engineering teams understand and are motivated by the product vision?
What are the key metrics you track to measure the success of a product from an engineering perspective?
How do you balance the need for new features with maintaining the quality and stability of existing products?
Preparation Tips
Common Reasons for Rejection
Executive Vision & Leadership
Final strategic discussion with senior executive focusing on vision, organizational leadership, and executive presence.
This is typically the final technical and strategic round, conducted by a very senior executive, potentially the CTO or VP of Engineering. The focus is on your high-level vision for the engineering organization, your strategic planning capabilities, and your ability to lead and mentor other engineering leaders. You'll be expected to articulate your long-term vision, discuss how you would structure and grow the organization, and demonstrate executive presence. This is your opportunity to showcase your strategic leadership and impact at the highest level.
What Interviewers Look For
Evaluation Criteria
Questions Asked
What is your vision for the engineering organization at Expedia over the next 3-5 years?
How would you structure and grow an engineering organization of this size to meet future business demands?
Describe your experience in managing and developing other engineering leaders (Directors, VPs).
How do you ensure accountability and drive results across multiple engineering teams and leaders?
What are the biggest challenges facing engineering leaders in the travel tech industry today, and how would you address them?
Preparation Tips
Common Reasons for Rejection
Team & Manager Fit
Discussion with the hiring manager or a peer to assess team fit, motivation, and mutual expectations.
This round is often with the hiring manager or a peer manager. It's a chance to discuss your motivations for joining Expedia, your understanding of the company's mission, and how you see yourself contributing. It's also an opportunity for you to ask more in-depth questions about the team, the day-to-day responsibilities, and the broader organizational context. The focus is on ensuring a good mutual fit between you and the team/company.
What Interviewers Look For
Evaluation Criteria
Questions Asked
What excites you most about this opportunity at Expedia?
How do you see your skills and experience contributing to our team's success?
What are your long-term career goals, and how does this role fit into them?
What questions do you have for me about the team, the role, or Expedia?
How do you handle ambiguity and changing priorities?
Preparation Tips
Common Reasons for Rejection
Commonly Asked DSA Questions
Frequently asked coding questions at Expedia