Scale Engineer

Software Engineering Manager

Software Engineering ManagerL2High

This interview process is designed to assess candidates for a Software Engineering Manager (L2) position at Niantic. It evaluates technical leadership, people management skills, project execution, and alignment with Niantic's values and culture, particularly in the context of augmented reality and location-based experiences.

Rounds·5

Timeline·~14d

Experience·5 - 10 yrs

Comp band·US$170000 - US$220000

Interview time·240 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Technical depth and breadth relevant to Niantic's products (AR, mobile, backend, game development).
  • Ability to architect and oversee complex technical solutions.
  • Understanding of software development lifecycle and best practices.

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Deeply understand Niantic's products (e.g., Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite) and their technical underpinnings.
  2. Review common software engineering management interview topics: team building, performance reviews, conflict resolution, project management, technical strategy.
  3. Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
  4. Research Niantic's company culture, mission, and recent news.
  5. Brush up on distributed systems, mobile development, and AR/VR concepts if relevant to your background.
  6. Practice articulating your leadership philosophy and management style.
  7. Be ready to discuss your approach to technical decision-making and architectural oversight.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 05 phases

01 / 05
01

Phase 01 of 05

People Management Foundations

Weeks 1-2: People Management Fundamentals (Team building, performance, feedback, conflict resolution).

Weeks 1-2: Focus on foundational people management skills. Review concepts of team building, motivation, performance management, feedback delivery, and conflict resolution. Study common HR and management frameworks. Read articles and books on effective leadership.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Describe a time you had to manage a difficult stakeholder relationship. How did you handle it?
  • How do you balance the need for technical excellence with the pressure to deliver features quickly?
  • Tell me about a time you had to make a significant technical decision that was unpopular with your team. How did you manage it?
  • How do you foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement within your team?
  • Describe your process for hiring and onboarding new engineers.
  • How do you handle underperforming team members?
  • What is your experience with managing distributed or remote teams?
  • How do you ensure your team is aligned with the company's strategic goals?
  • Tell me about a project that failed. What did you learn from it?
  • How do you stay updated with the latest technologies and trends in software development, particularly in AR/VR?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

01 / 02

Location

Remote/Global

Interview focus

Remote team management strategiesCross-cultural communicationAdaptability to different work environments

Common questions

  • How do you handle performance issues with remote team members?
  • Describe a time you had to adapt your management style for a geographically distributed team.
  • What are the unique challenges of managing AR/VR development teams, and how do you address them?

Tips

  • Highlight experience with distributed teams and collaboration tools.
  • Be prepared to discuss strategies for fostering team cohesion remotely.
  • Emphasize understanding of Niantic's global presence and diverse workforce.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

Expand a step for evaluation criteria, sample questions, and prep notes.

DSA

Coding questions at Niantic.

Frequently reported on Niantic loops

View all at Niantic

Other guides

More at Niantic.