# Software Engineering Manager
**Role:** Software Engineering Manager · **Level:** Manager
**Company:** [Nordstrom](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/nordstrom)
**Difficulty:** High
**Salary:** US$160000 - US$220000
**Experience:** 7 - 15
**Timeline:** ~14 days
This interview process for a Software Engineering Manager at Nordstrom is designed to assess leadership capabilities, technical acumen, strategic thinking, and cultural fit. Candidates will be evaluated on their ability to lead teams, drive technical excellence, manage projects, and contribute to Nordstrom's innovative and customer-centric environment.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/nordstrom/manager-software-engineering-manager
---
## Overall evaluation

- Leadership & People Management
- Technical Acumen
- Strategic Thinking & Business Acumen
- Communication & Collaboration
- Cultural Fit

## Questions asked

- Tell me about a time you had to lead a team through a significant technical challenge.
- How do you foster a culture of psychological safety and inclusivity within your team?
- Describe your approach to hiring and retaining top engineering talent.
- How do you balance the needs of your team with the broader goals of the organization?
- What are your strategies for managing underperforming team members?
- How do you ensure your team delivers high-quality software on time?
- Describe a situation where you had to influence stakeholders to adopt a new technology or process.
- How do you stay current with emerging technologies and assess their potential impact on the business?
- What is your philosophy on continuous improvement for both individuals and the team?
- How do you handle disagreements or conflicts within your team?
- Tell me about a project where you had to make a significant trade-off between speed and quality.
- How do you delegate tasks effectively and empower your team members?
- What are the key metrics you use to measure team performance and success?
- How do you approach career development and mentorship for your engineers?
- Describe your experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and their application in a retail environment.

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Thoroughly review Nordstrom's mission, values, and recent news.
- Understand Nordstrom's technology stack and its role in the retail industry.
- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
- Brush up on leadership principles, team building, and performance management.
- Familiarize yourself with common software engineering management challenges and best practices.
- Practice articulating your technical vision and strategy.
- Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers about the role, team, and company culture.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Company & Leadership Foundation","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Deep dive into Nordstrom's business, culture, and technology. Understand their customer base, competitive landscape, and recent strategic initiatives. Review common leadership frameworks and best practices for managing engineering teams. Focus on understanding the STAR method for behavioral interviews.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Nordstrom's business & culture, leadership frameworks, STAR method."}
- {"title":"Technical Deep Dive","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Refresh core software engineering principles, system design concepts, and architectural patterns relevant to e-commerce and large-scale applications. Practice articulating technical strategies and problem-solving approaches. Prepare for questions related to managing technical debt and driving innovation.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Software engineering principles, system design, technical strategy."}
- {"title":"Behavioral & Situational Practice","longDescription":"Weeks 5-6: Focus on behavioral and situational questions. Prepare specific examples of your leadership experience, conflict resolution, team motivation, and project management successes. Practice mock interviews with peers or mentors to refine your responses and delivery.","shortDescription":"Weeks 5-6: Behavioral questions, leadership scenarios, mock interviews."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"Seattle, WA","differences":{"tips":["Research Nordstrom's presence and initiatives in this specific region.","Be prepared to discuss how you would tailor your leadership style to the local team and business needs.","Highlight any experience working with diverse teams or in multicultural environments."],"interviewFocus":["Understanding of local market dynamics and customer base.","Experience with specific regional technology stacks or vendors.","Adaptability to local business practices and regulations."],"commonQuestions":["How do you handle a team member who is consistently underperforming?","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 innovation within your team?","What are your strategies for managing remote or hybrid teams effectively?","How do you stay updated with the latest technology trends relevant to retail?"]}}
- {"location":"Remote","differences":{"tips":["Emphasize your experience in e-commerce and digital retail.","Be ready to discuss specific examples of how you've improved team velocity or product quality.","Showcase your understanding of Nordstrom's digital strategy and how you can contribute."],"interviewFocus":["Understanding of e-commerce best practices and challenges.","Experience with cloud-native architectures and microservices.","Ability to drive digital transformation initiatives."],"commonQuestions":["How do you manage stakeholder expectations across different departments?","Describe your experience with agile methodologies and how you've adapted them.","How do you balance technical debt with new feature development?","What is your approach to performance reviews and career development for your engineers?","How do you ensure the security and scalability of the systems your team builds?"]}}

## Round 1: HR Screening & Introduction
**Type:** HR Screening · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 30 min
Initial screening by HR to assess basic qualifications and cultural fit.
The initial HR screening is conducted by a recruiter to assess your overall fit for the role and Nordstrom's culture. They will discuss your background, career aspirations, and motivation for applying. This round also covers salary expectations and logistical details.
**Interviewers look for:** Enthusiasm for Nordstrom.; Clear communication.; Basic understanding of leadership principles.; Alignment with company values.
**Evaluation criteria:** Initial assessment of communication skills.; Understanding of the role and Nordstrom's business.; Cultural alignment.; Motivation for the role.
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of clear leadership vision.; Inability to articulate technical strategy.; Poor communication or interpersonal skills.; Failure to demonstrate cultural fit.; Lack of experience in managing engineering teams.
## Questions

- Tell me about yourself and your career journey.
- Why are you interested in Nordstrom and this Software Engineering Manager role?
- What are your salary expectations?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses as a leader?

## Preparation tips

- Research Nordstrom's mission, values, and recent achievements.
- Be prepared to articulate why you are interested in this specific role and company.
- Have a clear understanding of your salary expectations.
- Practice your elevator pitch about your experience and skills.

## Round 2: Hiring Manager Interview
**Type:** Leadership & People Management Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
In-depth discussion on leadership experience, team management, and people development.
This interview focuses on your leadership and people management skills. The hiring manager will delve into your experience managing engineering teams, including hiring, performance management, conflict resolution, and fostering a positive team environment. Expect behavioral questions requiring specific examples.
**Interviewers look for:** Demonstrated experience in leading and growing engineering teams.; Ability to handle difficult conversations and manage performance.; Strategic thinking about team development and project execution.; Empathy and strong interpersonal skills.
**Evaluation criteria:** Leadership effectiveness.; Team management strategies.; Conflict resolution skills.; Ability to motivate and develop engineers.; Problem-solving approach in team contexts.
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to provide specific examples of leadership.; Lack of strategic thinking.; Poor conflict resolution skills.; Difficulty in managing team dynamics.; Failure to demonstrate impact.
## Questions

- Describe a time you had to manage an underperforming engineer. What steps did you take?
- How do you foster a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing within your team?
- Tell me about a challenging project you led. What were the obstacles, and how did you overcome them?
- How do you approach career development and provide feedback to your team members?
- Describe a time you had to resolve a conflict between team members.

## Preparation tips

- Prepare detailed examples using the STAR method for common leadership scenarios (e.g., managing underperformance, resolving conflict, motivating a team).
- Think about your leadership philosophy and how you build high-performing teams.
- Be ready to discuss your approach to career development and mentorship.
- Consider how you foster innovation and collaboration.

## Round 3: Technical Deep Dive with Senior Engineer
**Type:** Technical & System Design Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Evaluation of technical depth, system design capabilities, and architectural thinking.
This round assesses your technical expertise and ability to guide a team technically. You'll discuss system design, architecture, technical challenges, and best practices. The interviewer will probe your understanding of scalability, reliability, and maintainability, and how you make technical decisions.
**Interviewers look for:** Strong grasp of software engineering principles.; Experience in designing and scaling complex systems.; Ability to mentor engineers on technical challenges.; Pragmatic approach to technology choices.; Understanding of the full software development lifecycle.
**Evaluation criteria:** Technical leadership and decision-making.; System design and architecture.; Understanding of software development best practices.; Ability to guide technical direction.; Problem-solving and debugging skills.
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of technical depth in relevant areas.; Inability to design scalable and robust systems.; Poor understanding of software development lifecycle.; Difficulty in articulating technical decisions.; Not aligning technical solutions with business needs.
## Questions

- Design a recommendation system for Nordstrom.com.
- How would you approach migrating a monolithic application to microservices?
- Discuss a time you had to deal with significant technical debt. How did you manage it?
- What are your thoughts on CI/CD and how would you implement it for a new team?
- How do you ensure the quality and reliability of the software your team produces?

## Preparation tips

- Review common system design patterns and architectural principles.
- Be prepared to discuss trade-offs in technical decisions.
- Think about how you mentor engineers on technical topics.
- Familiarize yourself with technologies relevant to Nordstrom's e-commerce platform.
- Practice explaining complex technical concepts clearly.

## Round 4: Director/Senior Director Interview
**Type:** Strategic Thinking & Business Acumen Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 45 min
Assessment of strategic thinking, business alignment, and stakeholder management skills.
This interview focuses on your strategic thinking, business acumen, and ability to align technology with business objectives. You'll discuss how you set technical direction, manage stakeholders, and contribute to the broader organizational goals. Expect questions about your vision for the team and how you drive impact.
**Interviewers look for:** Ability to think strategically and connect technology to business outcomes.; Experience in managing cross-functional relationships.; Proactive approach to identifying opportunities and risks.; Adaptability and a forward-thinking mindset.
**Evaluation criteria:** Strategic thinking and planning.; Business acumen.; Stakeholder management.; Ability to influence and drive change.; Alignment with company strategy.
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of strategic vision.; Inability to align technical initiatives with business goals.; Poor stakeholder management.; Resistance to feedback or new ideas.; Not demonstrating a growth mindset.
## Questions

- How do you prioritize competing demands from different stakeholders?
- Describe your process for developing a technical roadmap for your team.
- How do you ensure your team's work directly contributes to Nordstrom's business goals?
- What is your vision for the future of engineering at Nordstrom?
- Tell me about a time you had to influence senior leadership on a technical decision.

## Preparation tips

- Understand Nordstrom's business strategy and how technology supports it.
- Prepare examples of how you've driven strategic initiatives or influenced business decisions.
- Think about how you measure success beyond just technical metrics.
- Be ready to discuss your long-term vision for an engineering team.

## Round 5: Peer Interview
**Type:** Team Fit & Behavioral Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Assessment of cultural fit, collaboration style, and team dynamics.
This round often involves meeting with potential peers or team members. The focus is on assessing your collaboration style, cultural fit, and how you would integrate into the existing team dynamics. It's also an opportunity for you to ask questions about the day-to-day work and team culture.
**Interviewers look for:** Demonstration of Nordstrom's core values.; Positive attitude and enthusiasm.; Ability to collaborate effectively.; Curiosity and willingness to learn.; Alignment with the team's working style.
**Evaluation criteria:** Cultural alignment.; Teamwork and collaboration potential.; Growth mindset.; Problem-solving approach.; Overall fit with the team and company.
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of alignment with Nordstrom's core values.; Poor cultural fit with the team or company.; Inability to demonstrate a growth mindset.; Negative attitude or lack of enthusiasm.; Failure to ask thoughtful questions.
## Questions

- How do you approach collaboration with other engineers and teams?
- What are your thoughts on work-life balance and how do you maintain it?
- Describe a time you had to adapt to a change in project direction.
- What are you passionate about in software engineering?
- What kind of team environment do you thrive in?

## Preparation tips

- Reflect on Nordstrom's values and how your own values align.
- Be prepared to discuss how you work collaboratively.
- Think about what you look for in a team and what you contribute.
- Prepare questions that help you understand the team's dynamics and challenges.