# Software Engineering Manager
**Role:** Software Engineering Manager · **Level:** L3
**Company:** [Rokt](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/rokt)
**Difficulty:** High
**Salary:** US$180000 - US$220000
**Experience:** 5 - 10
**Timeline:** ~14 days
This interview process is designed to assess candidates for a Software Engineering Manager (L3) position at Rokt. It evaluates technical leadership, people management skills, strategic thinking, and cultural fit.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/rokt/l3-software-engineering-manager
---
## Overall evaluation

- Technical Acumen
- People Management
- Strategic & Business Impact
- Cultural Fit

## Questions asked

- Tell me about a time you had to manage a difficult stakeholder relationship.
- How do you foster a culture of innovation and psychological safety within your team?
- Describe your approach to performance management and career development for your engineers.
- Walk me through a complex technical challenge your team faced and how you led them through it.
- How do you balance technical debt with delivering new features?
- What is your experience with agile methodologies and how do you ensure your team adheres to them?
- How do you prioritize work for your team when faced with competing demands?
- Describe a time you had to make a difficult decision that impacted your team.
- How do you stay current with technology trends and ensure your team does as well?
- What are your strategies for attracting and retaining top engineering talent?

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Understand Rokt's mission, values, and products.
- Review common software engineering management interview questions.
- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
- Brush up on system design principles and scalability concepts.
- Think about your leadership philosophy and how you develop engineers.
- Be ready to discuss your experience with agile methodologies and project management.
- Research current trends in e-commerce and marketing technology.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Company & Foundational Knowledge","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Deep dive into Rokt's business, products, and engineering culture. Understand the company's challenges and opportunities. Review core software engineering principles and best practices. Familiarize yourself with common leadership frameworks and management theories.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Rokt business, engineering principles, leadership frameworks."}
- {"title":"People Management Skills","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Focus on people management. Study topics like hiring, performance reviews, career development, conflict resolution, and motivating teams. Prepare behavioral examples using the STAR method for each of these areas.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: People management skills, STAR method examples."}
- {"title":"Technical Leadership & System Design","longDescription":"Weeks 5-6: Concentrate on technical leadership and system design. Review distributed systems, scalability, microservices architecture, and cloud technologies. Practice system design case studies and be prepared to discuss architectural decisions.","shortDescription":"Weeks 5-6: System design, scalability, distributed systems."}
- {"title":"Strategic & Business Acumen","longDescription":"Week 7: Prepare for strategic and business-oriented questions. Think about how engineering aligns with business goals, product strategy, and market trends. Practice articulating your vision and influencing stakeholders.","shortDescription":"Week 7: Strategic thinking, business alignment, stakeholder management."}
- {"title":"Final Preparation & Mock Interviews","longDescription":"Week 8: Mock interviews focusing on all aspects covered. Refine your answers, practice clear and concise communication, and ensure you can articulate your leadership philosophy effectively. Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers.","shortDescription":"Week 8: Mock interviews, communication refinement, question preparation."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"Remote","differences":{"tips":["Highlight experience with remote collaboration tools and methodologies.","Provide specific examples of successfully managing distributed teams.","Emphasize your ability to communicate effectively across different cultures and time zones."],"interviewFocus":["Remote team management strategies","Cross-time zone collaboration","Building trust and psychological safety in a distributed environment"],"commonQuestions":["How do you handle underperforming engineers in a remote setting?","Describe a time you had to manage a conflict between team members in different time zones.","What are your strategies for fostering team cohesion and collaboration remotely?"]}}
- {"location":"Sydney","differences":{"tips":["Showcase experience in high-growth or startup environments.","Quantify the impact of your team's work on business objectives.","Demonstrate a proactive approach to problem-solving and continuous improvement."],"interviewFocus":["Agile methodologies and rapid iteration","Scaling engineering practices","Driving innovation and product impact"],"commonQuestions":["How do you balance the needs of a fast-paced startup environment with the need for robust engineering practices?","Describe your experience with scaling engineering teams and infrastructure in a growing company.","How do you foster innovation and experimentation within a team?"]}}

## Round 1: HR Screening Call
**Type:** HR Screening · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 30 min
Initial screening to assess background, motivation, and cultural fit.
This initial screening call with HR aims to understand your background, career aspirations, and motivation for applying to Rokt. They will assess your communication skills, cultural fit, and basic qualifications for the Software Engineering Manager role. Be prepared to discuss your resume and why you are interested in this specific opportunity.
**Interviewers look for:** Enthusiasm for the role and company; Clear communication; Alignment with Rokt's values; Basic understanding of management principles
**Evaluation criteria:** Communication skills; Cultural alignment; Motivation for the role and Rokt; Understanding of the role's responsibilities
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of clarity in communication; Inability to provide specific examples; Poor cultural fit; Lack of enthusiasm or engagement
## Questions

- Tell me about yourself and your career journey.
- Why are you interested in this Software Engineering Manager role at Rokt?
- What are your salary expectations?
- What do you know about Rokt?
- Describe your ideal work environment.

## Preparation tips

- Research Rokt's mission, values, and recent news.
- Prepare to articulate why you are interested in this role and company.
- Have specific examples ready to showcase your management experience.
- Be ready to discuss your salary expectations.
- Prepare questions to ask the recruiter about the role and company culture.

## Round 2: Technical Deep Dive & System Design
**Type:** Technical Interview - System Design · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Assesses technical depth, system design, and problem-solving skills.
This round focuses on your technical expertise and system design capabilities. You will be asked to discuss architectural choices, design scalable systems, and solve complex technical problems. The interviewer will assess your ability to think critically about technical challenges and lead technical direction.
**Interviewers look for:** Strong understanding of software architecture and design patterns; Ability to break down complex problems; Sound reasoning for technical decisions; Experience with scalable systems
**Evaluation criteria:** Technical depth and breadth; System design and architecture skills; Problem-solving methodology; Ability to lead technical discussions
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to articulate technical solutions clearly; Lack of depth in system design; Poor problem-solving approach; Not demonstrating leadership in technical decision-making
## Questions

- Design a system for [e.g., a ride-sharing service, a notification system, an e-commerce checkout].
- How would you scale a web application to handle millions of users?
- Discuss the trade-offs between microservices and a monolithic architecture.
- How do you approach debugging a complex production issue?
- What are your favorite design patterns and when would you use them?

## Preparation tips

- Review system design principles (scalability, reliability, availability).
- Practice designing common systems (e.g., URL shortener, social media feed).
- Understand trade-offs in different architectural patterns.
- Be prepared to discuss your experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure).
- Think about how you would guide a team through technical challenges.

## Round 3: People Management & Leadership
**Type:** People Management & Leadership Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Evaluates people management, leadership style, and team development capabilities.
This interview focuses on your people management and leadership skills. You'll be asked behavioral questions about how you've managed teams, developed engineers, handled conflicts, and driven team performance. The interviewer wants to understand your leadership philosophy and your ability to build and nurture high-performing engineering teams.
**Interviewers look for:** Proven ability to lead and mentor engineers; Experience in fostering a positive team culture; Effective communication and interpersonal skills; Ability to handle difficult conversations and situations
**Evaluation criteria:** People management philosophy; Leadership style; Team building and development; Conflict resolution skills; Performance management
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of clear leadership examples; Inability to manage conflict effectively; Poor delegation skills; Failure to demonstrate impact on team growth and performance
## Questions

- Describe a time you had to manage a conflict within your team. How did you resolve it?
- How do you approach career development for your engineers?
- Tell me about a time you had to deliver difficult feedback to an engineer. What was the outcome?
- How do you motivate your team, especially during challenging times?
- Walk me through your process for hiring new engineers.

## Preparation tips

- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method for common management scenarios (hiring, firing, performance reviews, conflict resolution, motivation).
- Think about your leadership style and how you empower your team.
- Be ready to discuss how you foster a culture of learning and growth.
- Consider how you handle underperformance and provide constructive feedback.
- Reflect on how you build trust and psychological safety within a team.

## Round 4: Strategic & Business Alignment
**Type:** Managerial / Strategic Interview · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 45 min
Evaluates strategic thinking, business alignment, and stakeholder management.
This interview assesses your strategic thinking, business acumen, and ability to align engineering efforts with broader company goals. You'll discuss how you prioritize projects, manage roadmaps, interact with product management and other stakeholders, and contribute to the overall business strategy. The interviewer wants to see that you can operate beyond just the team level.
**Interviewers look for:** Ability to connect engineering work to business outcomes; Strategic planning and roadmap development; Effective communication with non-technical stakeholders; Understanding of product development lifecycle
**Evaluation criteria:** Strategic thinking; Business acumen; Stakeholder management; Prioritization and planning; Impact on business objectives
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of strategic vision; Poor alignment with business goals; Inability to influence stakeholders; Not demonstrating ownership or accountability
## Questions

- How do you balance the needs of the business with technical considerations when defining a roadmap?
- Describe a time you had to influence a product decision. What was your approach?
- How do you measure the success of your engineering team and its impact on the business?
- What is your vision for a high-performing engineering team at Rokt?
- How do you collaborate with Product Management to define and deliver features?

## Preparation tips

- Understand Rokt's business model and competitive landscape.
- Think about how engineering can drive business value.
- Prepare examples of how you've influenced product strategy or roadmap decisions.
- Practice articulating technical concepts to a non-technical audience.
- Consider how you measure success beyond just technical metrics.

## Round 5: Cultural Fit & Final Discussion
**Type:** Cultural Fit / Final Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 30 min
Final assessment of cultural alignment and values fit.
This final round is often a 'fit' interview with a senior leader or a peer manager. The focus is on ensuring you align with Rokt's culture and values. They may ask behavioral questions or present hypothetical scenarios to gauge your approach to teamwork, problem-solving, and ethical considerations. This is also your opportunity to ask any remaining questions about the company culture or strategic direction.
**Interviewers look for:** Demonstration of Rokt's core values; Positive attitude and collaborative spirit; Ability to handle ambiguity; Genuine interest in the company and its mission
**Evaluation criteria:** Cultural alignment; Values alignment; Teamwork and collaboration; Problem-solving approach in ambiguous situations
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of alignment with company values; Poor cultural fit; Inability to articulate personal values and how they align; Lack of enthusiasm or passion
## Questions

- How do you embody Rokt's core values in your leadership style?
- Describe a time you worked effectively as part of a cross-functional team.
- How do you handle situations where there is ambiguity or lack of clear direction?
- What are you passionate about outside of work?
- What are your long-term career goals?

## Preparation tips

- Revisit Rokt's core values and think about how your experiences demonstrate them.
- Prepare examples of collaboration and teamwork.
- Be ready to discuss how you handle ambiguity and change.
- Think about what you are looking for in a company culture.
- Prepare thoughtful questions for the interviewer about culture, team dynamics, or company strategy.