Scale Engineer

Software Engineering Manager

Software Engineering ManagerL6High

This interview process is designed to assess candidates for a Software Engineering Manager (L6) position at Niantic. It evaluates technical leadership, people management skills, strategic thinking, and cultural fit within Niantic's collaborative and innovative environment. The process involves multiple rounds focusing on different aspects of the role.

Rounds·4

Timeline·~14d

Experience·8 - 15 yrs

Comp band·US$180000 - US$250000

Interview time·195 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Technical depth and breadth
  • Problem-solving abilities
  • System design and architecture understanding
  • Ability to mentor and grow engineers

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Deeply understand Niantic's mission, values, and products (especially Pokémon GO, Ingress, Pikmin Bloom).
  2. Review common software engineering management interview questions focusing on leadership, team building, conflict resolution, and technical strategy.
  3. Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
  4. Brush up on system design principles and be ready to discuss architectural trade-offs.
  5. Understand common agile development practices and how to lead a team through them.
  6. Think about your leadership philosophy and how you foster a positive and productive team environment.
  7. Be prepared to discuss your experience with hiring, mentoring, and performance management.
  8. Research current trends in AR, mobile gaming, and location-based technologies.
  9. Consider how you would approach managing a team working on live-service games.
  10. Practice articulating your thought process clearly and concisely.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 04 phases

01 / 04
01

Phase 01 of 04

Company & Industry Immersion

Weeks 1-2: Niantic company/product research, AR/location tech, foundational SE principles.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on Niantic's company culture, mission, values, and product portfolio. Understand the history and impact of their key games. Research the AR and location-based technology landscape. Begin reviewing fundamental software engineering principles and common management frameworks.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Describe a time you had to make a difficult decision that impacted your team. What was the outcome?
  • How do you foster a culture of psychological safety within your team?
  • Walk me through a complex technical challenge your team faced and how you guided them to a solution.
  • How do you balance the needs of your team with the demands of stakeholders and product management?
  • Tell me about a time you had to manage a conflict between two engineers on your team.
  • What is your approach to performance management and career development for your team members?
  • How do you stay current with technology trends and ensure your team is adopting best practices?
  • Describe a situation where you had to deliver difficult feedback to an engineer.
  • How do you prioritize work for your team when faced with competing demands?
  • What are your thoughts on building and scaling engineering teams?
  • How would you handle an engineer who is consistently missing deadlines?
  • Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn from it?
  • How do you ensure your team is aligned with the company's strategic goals?
  • What are your strengths and weaknesses as a manager?
  • Why are you interested in Niantic and this specific role?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

01 / 02

Location

Remote/Distributed Teams

Interview focus

Remote team management strategiesCross-cultural communicationTools for distributed collaboration

Common questions

  • How do you handle underperforming engineers in a remote setting?
  • Describe a time you had to manage a conflict between team members located in different time zones.
  • What tools and strategies do you use to foster team cohesion and collaboration remotely?

Tips

  • Highlight experience with distributed teams and asynchronous communication.
  • Be prepared to discuss specific tools and platforms used for remote collaboration.
  • Emphasize your ability to build strong relationships and foster a positive team culture regardless of location.

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.