# Software Engineering Manager
**Role:** Software Engineering Manager · **Level:** Group Manager
**Company:** [Intuit](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/intuit)
**Difficulty:** High
**Salary:** US$180000 - US$250000
**Experience:** 8 - 15
**Timeline:** ~4 days
Intuit is looking for experienced Software Engineering Managers to lead and mentor high-performing engineering teams. This role involves a blend of technical leadership, people management, and strategic thinking to drive innovation and deliver high-quality software solutions.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/intuit/group-manager-software-engineering-manager
---
## Overall evaluation

- Leadership and Management
- Technical Excellence
- Business Acumen
- Communication and Collaboration
- Problem Solving and Decision Making

## Questions asked

- Describe a time you had to manage a conflict within your team. How did you resolve it?
- How do you foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within your team?
- Tell me about a challenging project you managed from inception to completion. What were the key challenges and how did you overcome them?
- How do you balance technical debt with delivering new features?
- What are your strategies for attracting and retaining top engineering talent?
- Describe your experience with Agile methodologies and how you've adapted them to your team's needs.
- How do you measure the success of your engineering team?
- Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision that impacted your team. What was the outcome?
- How do you stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends?
- What is your approach to performance management and career development for your engineers?
- How do you prioritize competing demands from different stakeholders?
- Describe a situation where you had to deliver under tight deadlines. What was your approach?
- How do you delegate tasks effectively to ensure team productivity and individual growth?
- What are your thoughts on building a psychologically safe environment for your team?
- Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn from it?
- How do you handle underperforming team members?
- What is your experience with cloud technologies and microservices architecture?
- How do you ensure the quality and scalability of the software produced by your team?
- Describe your process for onboarding new engineers.
- What are your strategies for fostering collaboration between engineering and other departments (e.g., Product, Design)?
- How do you manage technical roadmaps and ensure alignment with business objectives?
- Describe your approach to performance reviews and providing constructive feedback.
- Tell me about a time you had to influence stakeholders without direct authority.
- How do you promote a culture of accountability within your team?
- What are your key principles for effective team communication?
- How do you handle ambiguity and change within a project or organization?
- Describe your experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
- What are the most important qualities you look for in an engineer?
- How do you foster a learning culture and encourage professional development?
- What is your philosophy on building and maintaining strong relationships with your team members?

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Deeply understand Intuit's mission, values, and products.
- Review your past experiences and prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
- Brush up on your knowledge of software development best practices, agile methodologies, and system design principles.
- Understand common leadership and management frameworks.
- Research current trends in the FinTech industry and software engineering management.
- Prepare questions to ask the interviewers about the role, team, and company culture.
- Practice articulating your leadership philosophy and management style.
- Be ready to discuss your approach to building and scaling high-performing engineering teams.
- Familiarize yourself with Intuit's approach to innovation and customer obsession.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Company and Self-Assessment","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Focus on Intuit's business, products, and culture. Understand their mission, values, and strategic goals. Review your career history and identify key achievements and leadership experiences relevant to a Group Manager role. Begin preparing STAR stories for common behavioral questions related to leadership, team management, conflict resolution, and decision-making.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Intuit's business, products, culture. Career history review. STAR stories for leadership and team management."}
- {"title":"Technical and Methodological Foundations","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Deep dive into software engineering best practices, agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban), and system design principles. Refresh your knowledge on cloud computing, microservices, CI/CD, and DevOps. Prepare to discuss how you've applied these concepts in previous roles and how you would implement them at Intuit. Practice articulating your technical vision and strategy.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Software engineering best practices, agile, system design. Cloud, microservices, CI/CD, DevOps. Technical vision."}
- {"title":"Leadership and People Management","longDescription":"Weeks 5-6: Focus on leadership and people management. Study frameworks for performance management, career development, conflict resolution, and building high-performing teams. Prepare to discuss your leadership philosophy, how you foster innovation, and how you handle challenging people situations. Practice articulating your approach to stakeholder management and strategic planning.","shortDescription":"Weeks 5-6: Performance management, career development, conflict resolution, team building. Leadership philosophy. Stakeholder management."}
- {"title":"Mock Interviews and Final Preparation","longDescription":"Week 7: Mock interviews. Practice answering behavioral and situational questions with a focus on clarity, conciseness, and impact. Get feedback on your communication style and the effectiveness of your STAR stories. Refine your questions for the interviewers. Ensure you are comfortable discussing your salary expectations and career aspirations.","shortDescription":"Week 7: Mock interviews. Behavioral and situational questions. Communication refinement. Prepare questions."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"Mountain View, CA","differences":{"tips":["Research Intuit's presence and engineering culture in this specific region.","Be prepared to discuss your experience managing teams with diverse skill sets and backgrounds.","Highlight any experience you have working with or managing remote or distributed teams.","Understand the local job market and salary expectations for engineering managers."],"interviewFocus":["Understanding of local market talent pool and compensation benchmarks.","Familiarity with regional regulatory and compliance requirements.","Ability to adapt management style to diverse cultural backgrounds within the team.","Experience with distributed or remote team management if applicable to the location."],"commonQuestions":["Describe a time you had to manage a conflict within your team. How did you resolve it?","How do you foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within your team?","Tell me about a challenging project you managed from inception to completion. What were the key challenges and how did you overcome them?","How do you balance technical debt with delivering new features?","What are your strategies for attracting and retaining top engineering talent?","Describe your experience with Agile methodologies and how you've adapted them to your team's needs.","How do you measure the success of your engineering team?","Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision that impacted your team. What was the outcome?","How do you stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends?","What is your approach to performance management and career development for your engineers?"]}}
- {"location":"Plano, TX","differences":{"tips":["Tailor your answers to reflect Intuit's mission and values, emphasizing customer obsession.","Be ready to discuss your experience with scaling teams and managing complex projects.","Showcase your ability to drive results and foster a collaborative team environment.","Prepare examples that demonstrate your strategic thinking and business acumen."],"interviewFocus":["Understanding of the specific business challenges and opportunities relevant to this region.","Experience with scaling engineering teams in a high-growth environment.","Adaptability to different working styles and communication preferences.","Knowledge of local industry networks and talent acquisition channels."],"commonQuestions":["How do you prioritize competing demands from different stakeholders?","Describe a situation where you had to deliver under tight deadlines. What was your approach?","How do you delegate tasks effectively to ensure team productivity and individual growth?","What are your thoughts on building a psychologically safe environment for your team?","Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn from it?","How do you handle underperforming team members?","What is your experience with cloud technologies and microservices architecture?","How do you ensure the quality and scalability of the software produced by your team?","Describe your process for onboarding new engineers.","What are your strategies for fostering collaboration between engineering and other departments (e.g., Product, Design)?"]}}
- {"location":"San Diego, CA","differences":{"tips":["Familiarize yourself with Intuit's product portfolio and recent company announcements.","Highlight your experience in driving technical excellence and innovation.","Be prepared to discuss your leadership philosophy and how you empower your teams.","Showcase your ability to translate business needs into technical solutions."],"interviewFocus":["Understanding of Intuit's specific product lines and strategic priorities.","Experience in managing teams that contribute to core Intuit platforms.","Ability to articulate technical vision and strategy.","Demonstrated success in driving operational excellence."],"commonQuestions":["How do you manage technical roadmaps and ensure alignment with business objectives?","Describe your approach to performance reviews and providing constructive feedback.","Tell me about a time you had to influence stakeholders without direct authority.","How do you promote a culture of accountability within your team?","What are your key principles for effective team communication?","How do you handle ambiguity and change within a project or organization?","Describe your experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.","What are the most important qualities you look for in an engineer?","How do you foster a learning culture and encourage professional development?","What is your philosophy on building and maintaining strong relationships with your team members?"]}}

## Round 1: HR Screening
**Type:** HR Screening · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Initial screening by HR to assess cultural fit, motivation, and basic qualifications.
This initial screening round is conducted by an HR representative or recruiter to assess your overall fit for the role and Intuit. They will review your resume, discuss your career aspirations, and gauge your understanding of the company and the position. This is also an opportunity for you to learn more about the role and the interview process. Be prepared to talk about why you are interested in Intuit and this specific role.
**Interviewers look for:** Enthusiasm for Intuit's mission; Alignment with company values; Clear communication and articulation of career goals; Basic understanding of the role and responsibilities
**Evaluation criteria:** Cultural fit; Communication skills; Motivation for the role and Intuit
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of clear communication; Inability to provide specific examples of leadership; Poor understanding of team dynamics; Failure to demonstrate strategic thinking; Not aligning with Intuit's values
## Questions

- Tell me about yourself and your career journey.
- Why are you interested in Intuit?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses as a leader?
- Describe your ideal work environment.
- What are your salary expectations?

## Preparation tips

- Research Intuit's mission, values, and recent news.
- Prepare to articulate your career goals and why this role aligns with them.
- Be ready to discuss your strengths and weaknesses.
- Have questions prepared for the recruiter about the role, team, and company culture.

## Round 2: Technical Leadership and System Design
**Type:** Technical Deep Dive / System Design · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Assesses technical leadership, system design, architecture, and problem-solving skills.
This round focuses on your technical leadership and architectural capabilities. You will be asked to discuss your experience with designing, building, and scaling complex software systems. Expect questions on system design, architectural patterns, technology choices, and how you manage technical challenges and trade-offs. You might also be asked to whiteboard a solution to a technical problem.
**Interviewers look for:** Strong understanding of software architecture and design patterns; Ability to make sound technical decisions; Experience in scaling systems and managing technical debt; Capacity to guide and mentor engineers on technical matters; Strategic thinking regarding technology choices
**Evaluation criteria:** Technical depth and breadth; System design and architecture skills; Problem-solving abilities; Ability to lead technical initiatives
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of strategic thinking; Inability to articulate technical vision; Poor understanding of system design principles; Difficulty in managing technical challenges; Failure to demonstrate leadership in technical decision-making
## Questions

- Design a system for [e.g., a URL shortener, a social media feed, an e-commerce platform].
- How would you approach migrating a monolithic application to microservices?
- Discuss a time you had to make a significant technical trade-off. What was the decision and its impact?
- How do you ensure the security and reliability of the systems your team builds?
- What are your thoughts on test-driven development (TDD) and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD)?

## Preparation tips

- Review system design principles, common architectural patterns (microservices, event-driven), and scalability concepts.
- Practice designing systems for high availability, fault tolerance, and performance.
- Be prepared to discuss your experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
- Refresh your knowledge on databases, caching strategies, and API design.
- Think about how you would lead a team through complex technical decisions.

## Round 3: People Management and Leadership
**Type:** People Management and Leadership · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Assesses people management, team development, conflict resolution, and leadership skills.
This round focuses on your ability to lead, manage, and develop engineering teams. You'll be asked behavioral questions about your experience in hiring, performance management, career development, conflict resolution, and fostering a positive team culture. Be prepared to share specific examples of how you've successfully managed people and teams.
**Interviewers look for:** Proven ability to hire, mentor, and retain talent; Experience in fostering a positive and productive team culture; Skills in managing performance and addressing underperformance; Ability to resolve conflicts constructively; A clear and effective leadership philosophy
**Evaluation criteria:** People management skills; Team building and development; Conflict resolution; Performance management; Leadership philosophy
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to provide concrete examples of people management; Lack of empathy or understanding of team dynamics; Poor conflict resolution skills; Difficulty in motivating and developing engineers; Failure to demonstrate strategic people leadership
## Questions

- Describe your approach to performance management and career development for your engineers.
- Tell me about a time you had to handle an underperforming team member. What steps did you take?
- How do you foster a culture of psychological safety and trust within your team?
- Describe a situation where you had to resolve a conflict between team members. What was your approach?
- How do you attract and retain top engineering talent?

## Preparation tips

- Review common people management challenges and best practices.
- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method for situations involving hiring, firing, performance reviews, conflict resolution, and team motivation.
- Think about your leadership philosophy and how you empower your team members.
- Be ready to discuss how you foster diversity and inclusion within your team.
- Consider how you approach career development and mentorship for your engineers.

## Round 4: Strategic and Business Acumen
**Type:** Managerial / Strategic · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Evaluates strategic thinking, business acumen, stakeholder management, and decision-making.
This round assesses your strategic thinking, business acumen, and ability to influence stakeholders. You'll discuss how you align engineering efforts with business goals, manage priorities, and drive initiatives. Expect questions about your experience in product strategy, cross-functional collaboration, and how you make high-level decisions that impact the business.
**Interviewers look for:** Ability to align engineering strategy with business objectives; Experience in managing cross-functional relationships; Strong decision-making skills, especially under ambiguity; Capacity to influence and drive change; A clear vision for the team and its contribution to the company
**Evaluation criteria:** Strategic thinking; Business acumen; Stakeholder management; Decision-making; Vision and influence
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of strategic vision; Poor alignment with business goals; Inability to influence stakeholders; Weak decision-making skills; Not demonstrating a holistic understanding of the business
## Questions

- How do you ensure your team's roadmap is aligned with the company's strategic objectives?
- Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders from other departments (e.g., Product, Marketing) to achieve a common goal.
- How do you prioritize competing demands from different business units or product lines?
- What is your vision for the future of software engineering at Intuit?
- Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult business decision with incomplete information.

## Preparation tips

- Understand Intuit's business strategy, market position, and key challenges.
- Think about how engineering leadership contributes to overall business success.
- Prepare examples of how you've influenced stakeholders, managed competing priorities, and made strategic decisions.
- Be ready to discuss your vision for an engineering team and how it aligns with Intuit's goals.
- Consider how you measure success beyond just technical metrics, including business impact.