Scale Engineer

Software Engineering Manager

Software Engineering ManagerL5High

This interview process is designed to assess candidates for the Software Engineering Manager (L5) role at Notion. It evaluates technical leadership, people management, strategic thinking, and cultural fit.

Rounds·5

Timeline·~14d

Experience·5 - 10 yrs

Comp band·US$170000 - US$220000

Interview time·270 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Technical depth and breadth
  • Problem-solving skills
  • System design capabilities
  • Understanding of software development lifecycle

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Deeply understand Notion's mission, values, and product.
  2. Review common software engineering management interview questions, focusing on people, strategy, and execution.
  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 trade-offs.
  5. Familiarize yourself with agile methodologies and best practices.
  6. Think about your leadership philosophy and how you foster a positive team culture.
  7. Understand how to manage conflict, provide feedback, and drive performance.
  8. Be prepared to discuss your experience with scaling teams and processes.
  9. Research Notion's engineering blog and recent company news.
  10. Practice articulating your thought process clearly and concisely.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 04 phases

01 / 04
01

Phase 01 of 04

Company & Foundational Knowledge

Weeks 1-2: Notion culture, values, product. Core SE principles. STAR method for behavioral questions.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on Notion's product, mission, and values. Understand the company culture and recent developments. Review core software engineering principles and best practices. Begin preparing STAR method examples for common behavioral questions related to leadership, conflict resolution, and team building.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • 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 psychological safety within your team?
  • Describe your approach to performance management and career development for your engineers.
  • How do you handle underperformance on your team?
  • Walk me through a complex technical challenge your team faced and how you led them through it.
  • How do you prioritize competing demands and manage your team's roadmap?
  • Describe a time you had to manage a conflict between team members. How did you resolve it?
  • How do you stay updated on industry trends and ensure your team is adopting relevant technologies?
  • What is your philosophy on giving and receiving feedback?
  • How do you balance the needs of your team with the broader goals of the organization?
  • Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn from it?
  • How do you delegate tasks effectively?
  • How do you measure the success of your team?
  • Describe your experience with hiring and onboarding new engineers.
  • How do you foster innovation and creativity within your team?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 03 locations

01 / 03

Location

Remote

Interview focus

Remote team management strategiesCross-functional collaboration in a distributed environmentBuilding trust and psychological safety remotelyEffective communication strategies for remote teams

Common questions

  • How do you handle performance issues with a direct report in a remote setting?
  • Describe a time you had to manage a conflict between engineers on your team.
  • What are your strategies for fostering collaboration and innovation in a distributed team?
  • How do you ensure alignment with company-wide goals when your team is remote?
  • What tools and processes do you use to track team progress and identify bottlenecks in a remote environment?

Tips

  • Highlight experience with remote team leadership and tools.
  • Provide specific examples of how you've successfully managed remote engineers.
  • Emphasize your ability to foster a strong team culture despite geographical distance.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

DSA

Coding questions at Notion.

Frequently reported on Notion loops

View all at Notion

Other guides

More at Notion.