# Software Engineering Manager
**Role:** Software Engineering Manager · **Level:** VP Enginerring
**Company:** [MakeMyTrip](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/makemytrip)
**Difficulty:** Very High
**Salary:** US$180000 - US$250000
**Experience:** 10 - 15
**Timeline:** ~14 days
The Software Engineering Manager interview at MakeMyTrip for a VP Engineering level role is a comprehensive process designed to assess leadership capabilities, technical depth, strategic thinking, and people management skills. It evaluates a candidate's ability to lead and scale engineering teams, drive technical vision, and contribute to the overall business objectives of the company.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/makemytrip/vp-enginerring-software-engineering-manager
---
## Overall evaluation

- Leadership & People Management
- Technical Acumen & Strategy
- Communication & Collaboration
- Business Acumen & Execution

## Questions asked

- Describe your leadership philosophy and how you build and motivate engineering teams.
- Walk me through a significant technical challenge you faced as a leader and how you overcame it.
- How do you balance the need for innovation with the demands of delivering on business goals?
- Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision that impacted your team. What was the outcome?
- How do you foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement within your engineering organization?
- What is your approach to managing underperforming engineers?
- Describe your experience with scaling engineering teams and processes.
- How do you stay current with technology trends and ensure your team is leveraging the right tools and practices?
- Tell me about a time you had to influence stakeholders outside of your direct control. How did you approach it?
- What are your strategies for managing technical debt?
- How do you ensure effective communication and collaboration between different engineering teams and with other departments?
- What is your vision for the future of engineering at MakeMyTrip?
- How do you handle conflict within your team or between teams?
- Describe a time you failed. What did you learn from it?
- How do you prioritize competing demands from product, engineering, and business stakeholders?

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Deeply understand MakeMyTrip's business, products, and market position.
- Review your past projects and identify key leadership challenges and successes.
- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
- Brush up on system design principles, scalability, and distributed systems.
- Understand modern software development methodologies and best practices.
- Think about your leadership philosophy and how you build and motivate teams.
- Be ready to discuss your vision for engineering at MakeMyTrip.
- Practice articulating complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Research common interview questions for Engineering Managers at the VP level.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Company & Self-Assessment","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Deep dive into MakeMyTrip's business model, competitive landscape, recent news, and technology stack. Understand their mission, values, and strategic goals. Review your own career history, identifying key leadership achievements and challenges. Prepare detailed STAR stories for common leadership and management scenarios.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Research MakeMyTrip, review your career, prepare STAR stories."}
- {"title":"Technical Leadership & System Design","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Focus on technical leadership and system design. Refresh your knowledge of scalable architectures, microservices, cloud technologies (AWS/Azure/GCP), CI/CD, and DevOps practices. Practice designing complex systems and discussing trade-offs. Prepare to talk about your experience in managing technical debt and driving architectural decisions.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Technical leadership, system design, scalability, architecture."}
- {"title":"People Management & Team Building","longDescription":"Weeks 5-6: Concentrate on people management and organizational development. Study best practices in hiring, onboarding, performance management, career development, conflict resolution, and fostering a positive engineering culture. Prepare to discuss your approach to building high-performing teams and mentoring engineers.","shortDescription":"Weeks 5-6: People management, team building, culture, performance."}
- {"title":"Strategy & Business Acumen","longDescription":"Week 7: Focus on strategic thinking and business acumen. Understand how engineering aligns with business objectives. Prepare to discuss strategic planning, roadmap prioritization, budget management, and cross-functional collaboration. Practice articulating your vision for the engineering organization.","shortDescription":"Week 7: Strategic thinking, business alignment, vision, cross-functional collaboration."}
- {"title":"Final Preparation & Mock Interviews","longDescription":"Week 8: Mock interviews and final review. Conduct mock interviews with peers or mentors, focusing on all aspects covered. Refine your answers, ensure clarity and conciseness. Review your notes and prepare any questions you want to ask the interviewers.","shortDescription":"Week 8: Mock interviews, final review, prepare questions."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"India","differences":{"tips":["Research MakeMyTrip's presence and strategy in the Indian market.","Be prepared to discuss your experience with managing distributed teams if applicable.","Highlight any experience working with cross-functional teams in a global or regional setting.","Showcase your understanding of the challenges and opportunities specific to the Indian e-commerce and travel tech sectors."],"interviewFocus":["Understanding of the Indian tech landscape and competitive environment.","Ability to adapt leadership style to diverse cultural contexts.","Experience with scaling teams in a rapidly growing market.","Familiarity with local hiring trends and compensation benchmarks."],"commonQuestions":["How do you handle conflicts within your team, especially between senior engineers?","Describe a time you had to make a difficult trade-off between technical debt and feature delivery. What was your thought process?","How do you foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning within your team?","In a high-pressure situation with tight deadlines, how do you prioritize tasks and manage team morale?","What are your strategies for attracting and retaining top engineering talent in the current market?"]}}
- {"location":"Global (excluding India)","differences":{"tips":["Emphasize your experience with remote team management and collaboration tools.","Be ready to discuss how you ensure effective communication and alignment across distributed teams.","Highlight any experience working with international teams or in a global company.","Showcase your ability to adapt to different work cultures and time zones."],"interviewFocus":["Experience in managing globally distributed teams.","Proficiency in remote collaboration tools and strategies.","Ability to foster a cohesive team culture across different locations and time zones.","Understanding of international engineering best practices and compliance."],"commonQuestions":["How do you manage remote engineering teams and ensure productivity and collaboration?","Describe your experience with implementing agile methodologies in a distributed environment.","What are your strategies for building a strong engineering culture across different time zones?","How do you handle performance management for remote employees?","Discuss a time you had to influence stakeholders in different geographical locations. What was your approach?"]}}

## Round 1: HR & Cultural Fit
**Type:** HR / Recruiter Screen · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Assess cultural fit, motivation, and basic qualifications.
This initial round is typically conducted by HR or a recruiter to assess your overall fit with the company culture, your motivation for applying, and to cover logistical aspects. They will delve into your background, career aspirations, and understanding of MakeMyTrip. This is also an opportunity for you to learn more about the role and the company. Be prepared to discuss your strengths, weaknesses, career goals, and why you are interested in MakeMyTrip.
**Interviewers look for:** Alignment with MakeMyTrip's values; Strong communication and interpersonal skills; Genuine interest in the role and company; Proactive engagement; Thoughtful questions
**Evaluation criteria:** Cultural fit; Communication skills; Motivation and enthusiasm; Alignment with company values; Candidate's questions
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of alignment with company values.; Poor communication or interpersonal skills.; Inability to articulate past experiences effectively.; Lack of enthusiasm or engagement.; Not asking thoughtful questions.
## Questions

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

## Preparation tips

- Research MakeMyTrip's mission, vision, and values.
- Prepare to talk about your career journey and aspirations.
- Be ready to explain why you are interested in this specific role and company.
- Practice articulating your strengths and how they align with the role.
- Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer about the role, team, and company culture.

## Round 2: People Management & Team Development
**Type:** People Management & Leadership · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Assess people management, team development, conflict resolution, and culture building.
This round focuses on your ability to manage, mentor, and develop engineering teams. You'll be asked about your approach to hiring, performance management, career development, conflict resolution, and fostering a positive team culture. The interviewer wants to understand how you build and lead effective teams, motivate individuals, and handle challenging people-related situations. Be prepared with specific examples of how you've supported your team's growth and success.
**Interviewers look for:** Empathetic leadership; Ability to mentor and grow engineers; Effective conflict resolution; Strategies for building high-performing teams; Focus on employee well-being and development
**Evaluation criteria:** People management skills; Team building and development; Conflict resolution; Performance management; Mentorship capabilities; Cultural contribution
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to manage and develop people effectively.; Poor conflict resolution skills.; Lack of empathy or understanding of team dynamics.; Failure to foster a positive team culture.; Difficulty in hiring and retaining talent.; Micromanagement or lack of delegation.
## Questions

- Tell me about a time you had to manage an underperforming engineer. What steps did you take?
- How do you foster a culture of psychological safety and open communication within your team?
- Describe your process for career development and mentorship for your team members.

## Preparation tips

- Prepare examples of how you've hired, onboarded, and mentored engineers.
- Think about how you handle performance issues and provide feedback.
- Be ready to discuss your strategies for conflict resolution.
- Highlight your experience in fostering a collaborative and inclusive team environment.
- Understand how to delegate effectively and empower your team.

## Round 3: System Design & Architecture
**Type:** System Design & Architecture · **Difficulty:** Very High · **Duration:** 60 min
Assess technical depth, system design, scalability, and architectural decision-making.
This round assesses your technical depth and ability to architect and scale complex systems. You will likely be asked to design a system from scratch or discuss the architecture of a system you have previously worked on. The focus will be on scalability, reliability, performance, and maintainability. Be prepared to discuss trade-offs, justify your design choices, and demonstrate a strong understanding of distributed systems, databases, caching, and other relevant technologies.
**Interviewers look for:** Architectural vision; Deep understanding of distributed systems; Ability to make sound technical trade-offs; Experience with scaling challenges; Pragmatic approach to technology adoption
**Evaluation criteria:** System design capabilities; Scalability and performance understanding; Architectural decision-making; Problem-solving approach; Technical depth
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of strategic technical depth.; Inability to design scalable and resilient systems.; Poor understanding of trade-offs in system design.; Weak problem-solving skills.; Inability to articulate technical decisions clearly.
## Questions

- Design a scalable system for [e.g., MakeMyTrip's flight booking engine].
- How would you handle a sudden surge in traffic for our platform?
- Discuss the trade-offs between monolithic and microservices architectures.

## Preparation tips

- Review system design principles and common patterns.
- Practice designing scalable systems (e.g., social media feed, URL shortener, e-commerce platform).
- Be prepared to discuss trade-offs in your design.
- Understand concepts like CAP theorem, eventual consistency, and distributed transactions.
- Refresh knowledge on databases, caching strategies, message queues, and load balancing.

## Round 3: Business Acumen & Stakeholder Management
**Type:** Business Acumen & Cross-functional Collaboration · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Assess business understanding, strategic alignment, and cross-functional collaboration.
This round involves an interview with a business leader, such as a Product Head or a Business Unit Head. The focus is on your understanding of the business, your ability to align engineering strategy with business goals, and your experience in cross-functional collaboration. You'll be expected to discuss how you prioritize engineering efforts based on business impact, manage stakeholder expectations, and contribute to the overall success of the business unit. Expect questions about your experience with product development, go-to-market strategies, and driving business growth through technology.
**Interviewers look for:** Understanding of business drivers; Ability to connect engineering to business outcomes; Strategic planning skills; Effective collaboration with non-technical stakeholders; Pragmatic decision-making
**Evaluation criteria:** Business acumen; Strategic thinking; Cross-functional collaboration; Decision-making; Problem-solving in a business context
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to handle ambiguity.; Poor strategic alignment with business goals.; Lack of cross-functional collaboration experience.; Weak decision-making under pressure.; Failure to demonstrate business impact.
## Questions

- How do you prioritize engineering projects based on business impact?
- Describe a time you worked closely with a product team to launch a new feature. What was your role?
- How do you ensure your engineering team understands and contributes to the company's business goals?

## Preparation tips

- Understand MakeMyTrip's business objectives and key performance indicators.
- Prepare examples of how you've driven business impact through engineering initiatives.
- Think about how you collaborate with product management and other business functions.
- Be ready to discuss prioritization frameworks and how you make trade-offs based on business value.
- Showcase your ability to think strategically about market trends and customer needs.

## Round 4: Executive Leadership & Vision
**Type:** Executive Leadership Interview · **Difficulty:** Very High · **Duration:** 60 min
Focus on high-level strategy, leadership philosophy, and vision.
This round is typically conducted by senior leadership, such as the CTO or VP of Engineering. The focus is on high-level strategic thinking, leadership philosophy, and overall vision. Candidates will be expected to discuss their approach to building and scaling engineering organizations, managing complex technical challenges, and aligning engineering efforts with business objectives. Expect questions about your leadership style, how you foster innovation, manage talent, and drive technical strategy.
**Interviewers look for:** Visionary leadership; Strategic decision-making; Ability to inspire and mentor; Strong communication and influencing skills; Business understanding
**Evaluation criteria:** Leadership potential; Strategic thinking; Problem-solving approach; Communication clarity; Cultural alignment
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of clear leadership vision.; Inability to articulate strategic technical direction.; Poor people management skills or lack of empathy.; Failure to demonstrate business acumen.; Weak communication or influencing skills.; Inability to handle complex technical challenges.; Poor cultural fit.
## Questions

- Describe your leadership philosophy and how you build and motivate engineering teams.
- What is your vision for the future of engineering at MakeMyTrip?
- How do you balance innovation with execution?

## Preparation tips

- Articulate your leadership philosophy clearly.
- Prepare examples of strategic initiatives you've led.
- Be ready to discuss your vision for engineering at MakeMyTrip.
- Understand the company's strategic goals and how engineering contributes.