# L6
**Role:** Software Engineering Manager · **Level:** Sr Eng Manager
**Company:** [Uber](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/uber)
**Difficulty:** High
**Salary:** US$180000 - US$250000
**Experience:** 8 - 15
**Timeline:** ~4 days
This interview process is designed to assess candidates for a Senior Engineering Manager (L6) role at Uber. It evaluates technical leadership, people management, strategic thinking, and execution capabilities.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/uber/sr-eng-manager-software-engineering-manager
---
## Overall evaluation

- Technical Acumen
- People Management
- Strategic Execution
- Communication & Influence
- Cultural Fit & Behavioral

## Questions asked

- Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult technical decision that impacted your team. What was the outcome?
- How do you foster a culture of innovation and psychological safety within your team?
- Describe your approach to hiring and building a diverse engineering team.
- How do you handle underperforming engineers? Provide a specific example.
- Walk me through a complex project you managed from inception to delivery. What were the key challenges and how did you overcome them?
- How do you balance technical debt with new feature development?
- Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders or senior leadership to adopt your team's technical vision.
- How do you stay current with emerging technologies and ensure your team is leveraging them effectively?
- What is your philosophy on code reviews and ensuring code quality?
- Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn from it?
- How do you prioritize work for your team when faced with competing demands?
- Describe your experience with agile methodologies and how you adapt them to your team's needs.

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Deeply understand Uber's mission, values, and recent product developments.
- Prepare to discuss your leadership philosophy and how you build and manage high-performing teams.
- Review common software engineering management challenges and how you've addressed them.
- Be ready to articulate your technical background and how it informs your management style.
- Practice explaining complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
- Research common system design principles and be prepared to discuss trade-offs.
- Understand Uber's engineering culture and how you would contribute to it.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Management Fundamentals","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Focus on foundational management principles. Study leadership theories, team dynamics, performance management frameworks, and conflict resolution strategies. Read books like 'The Manager's Path' and 'Radical Candor'.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Leadership & Management Fundamentals. Study leadership theories, team dynamics, performance management, conflict resolution. Read 'The Manager's Path', 'Radical Candor'."}
- {"title":"Technical Leadership & System Design","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Deep dive into technical leadership and system design. Review distributed systems, scalability, microservices architecture, and common design patterns. Practice system design case studies relevant to Uber's domain (e.g., ride-sharing, logistics).","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Technical Leadership & System Design. Review distributed systems, scalability, microservices. Practice system design case studies."}
- {"title":"Behavioral & Situational Preparation","longDescription":"Weeks 5-6: Focus on behavioral and situational questions. Prepare STAR method examples for common management scenarios: hiring, firing, performance reviews, project failures, team conflicts, and driving innovation. Reflect on your past experiences and identify key achievements.","shortDescription":"Weeks 5-6: Behavioral & Situational Prep. Prepare STAR examples for management scenarios: hiring, performance, conflict, innovation."}
- {"title":"Company Research & Mock Interviews","longDescription":"Week 7: Company-specific research and mock interviews. Understand Uber's business model, recent news, and engineering challenges. Conduct mock interviews with peers or mentors, focusing on all aspects of the interview process.","shortDescription":"Week 7: Uber Research & Mock Interviews. Research Uber's business, news. Conduct mock interviews."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"Remote/Hybrid","differences":{"tips":["Highlight experience with distributed teams and asynchronous communication.","Provide examples of successfully managing projects with geographically dispersed teams.","Emphasize your ability to build strong relationships and foster a positive team culture remotely."],"interviewFocus":["Remote team management","Cross-time zone collaboration","Hybrid work culture"],"commonQuestions":["How do you handle underperforming engineers in a remote setting?","Describe a time you had to drive a technical decision across multiple time zones.","What are your strategies for fostering team cohesion and collaboration in a hybrid work environment?"]}}
- {"location":"On-site","differences":{"tips":["Showcase your ability to foster a collaborative and productive in-office environment.","Provide specific examples of how you've coached and grown engineers.","Emphasize your skills in managing team dynamics and resolving interpersonal conflicts."],"interviewFocus":["In-office team dynamics","Direct conflict resolution","Mentorship and career development"],"commonQuestions":["How do you ensure alignment and efficient communication within a co-located team?","Describe a time you had to resolve a conflict between engineers on your team.","What are your strategies for mentoring and developing junior engineers in an office environment?"]}}

## Round 1: HR & Hiring Manager Screen
**Type:** HR / Hiring Manager Screen · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Initial screening for cultural fit, motivation, and basic qualifications.
This is typically the first or last round, conducted by HR or the hiring manager. It focuses on your overall fit with Uber's culture, your motivations for joining, and your career aspirations. They will also assess your communication style and ensure you have a good understanding of the role and the company. This is also an opportunity for you to ask questions.
**Interviewers look for:** Alignment with Uber's core values; Passion for technology and leadership; Clear communication and interpersonal skills; Enthusiasm for the role and the company
**Evaluation criteria:** Cultural alignment; Motivation and career goals; Communication skills; Problem-solving approach
**Common rejection reasons:** Poor cultural fit; Lack of alignment with Uber's values; Inability to articulate career aspirations; Weak communication skills
## Questions

- Why Uber?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses as a manager?
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

## Preparation tips

- Research Uber's mission, vision, and values.
- Be prepared to discuss why you are interested in Uber and this specific role.
- Think about your career goals and how this role aligns with them.
- Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer.

## Round 2: Technical Design & Architecture
**Type:** Technical Deep Dive / System Design · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Assess technical depth and system design capabilities through a challenging problem.
This round focuses on your technical expertise and ability to design scalable and robust systems. You will be presented with a complex technical problem or system design challenge, and you'll need to articulate your thought process, discuss trade-offs, and justify your design choices. Expect questions related to distributed systems, data modeling, API design, and performance optimization.
**Interviewers look for:** Strong understanding of software architecture and design principles; Ability to break down complex problems; Sound judgment in technical decision-making; Clear and concise communication of technical ideas
**Evaluation criteria:** Technical depth and breadth; Problem-solving approach; System design thinking; Ability to articulate technical concepts
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of clear communication; Inability to articulate technical vision; Poor examples of leadership; Failure to demonstrate strategic thinking
## Questions

- Design a ride-sharing service like Uber.
- How would you design a notification system for millions of users?
- Discuss the trade-offs between SQL and NoSQL databases for a specific use case.

## Preparation tips

- Review system design concepts (e.g., load balancing, caching, databases, message queues).
- Practice designing systems relevant to Uber's business.
- Be prepared to discuss trade-offs and justify your decisions.
- Think about scalability, reliability, and maintainability.

## Round 3: People Management & Leadership
**Type:** People Management & Leadership · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Assess people management skills, leadership style, and team development strategies.
This round evaluates your people management skills and leadership philosophy. You'll be asked about your experience managing engineers, building teams, fostering a positive work environment, and handling challenging people situations. Expect questions about hiring, performance reviews, career development, and conflict resolution.
**Interviewers look for:** Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire teams; Effective strategies for developing engineers; Proactive approach to performance management; Calm and constructive handling of team conflicts
**Evaluation criteria:** Leadership style; Team building and motivation; Performance management; Conflict resolution; Mentorship and coaching
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to provide specific examples; Lack of self-awareness; Poor conflict resolution skills; Difficulty in managing team performance
## Questions

- Describe a time you had to manage a conflict within your team. How did you resolve it?
- How do you identify and develop high-potential engineers on your team?
- Tell me about a time you had to deliver difficult feedback to an engineer. What was the situation and outcome?

## Preparation tips

- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method for common management scenarios.
- Reflect on your leadership style and core management principles.
- Think about how you motivate teams and individuals.
- Be ready to discuss your approach to performance feedback and career growth.

## Round 4: Strategic Planning & Execution
**Type:** Strategic Thinking & Execution · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 45 min
Evaluate strategic planning, execution capabilities, and cross-functional collaboration.
This round focuses on your strategic thinking, ability to plan and execute, and how you collaborate with other functions. You'll discuss how you set technical direction, prioritize projects, manage resources, and work with product management and other stakeholders to achieve business goals. Expect questions about roadmap planning, project execution, and cross-functional alignment.
**Interviewers look for:** Ability to think strategically and align technical roadmaps with business objectives; Strong prioritization and decision-making skills; Proven track record of successful project execution; Effective collaboration with product, design, and other engineering teams
**Evaluation criteria:** Strategic thinking; Roadmap planning; Prioritization; Execution and delivery; Cross-functional collaboration
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of strategic vision; Poor prioritization skills; Inability to align with business goals; Weak cross-functional collaboration
## Questions

- How do you translate business objectives into a technical roadmap for your team?
- Describe a time you had to make a difficult prioritization decision. What factors did you consider?
- How do you ensure effective collaboration between your engineering team and the product management team?

## Preparation tips

- Understand Uber's business strategy and how engineering contributes to it.
- Think about how you set technical priorities and manage roadmaps.
- Prepare examples of successful cross-functional collaboration.
- Be ready to discuss how you measure success and drive execution.