Scale Engineer

Software Engineer

Software EngineerL7Hard

Verkada is seeking experienced Software Engineers (L7) to join our dynamic team. This role involves designing, developing, and deploying scalable and robust software solutions that power our innovative products. You will tackle complex technical challenges, mentor junior engineers, and contribute to the architectural direction of our systems. We value strong problem-solving skills, a deep understanding of computer science fundamentals, and a collaborative spirit.

Rounds·4

Timeline·~14d

Experience·7 - 10 yrs

Comp band·US$180000 - US$220000

Interview time·180 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Problem-solving ability
  • Algorithmic thinking
  • Data structures knowledge
  • System design and architecture
  • Scalability and performance considerations
  • Code quality and best practices
  • Communication skills
  • Behavioral and cultural fit

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Review fundamental data structures and algorithms (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps, heaps, sorting, searching).
  2. Practice solving problems on platforms like LeetCode (focus on Medium and Hard difficulty).
  3. Study system design principles: scalability, availability, reliability, consistency, databases, caching, load balancing, message queues.
  4. Prepare to discuss your past projects in detail, focusing on technical challenges, design decisions, and impact.
  5. Understand common behavioral interview questions and prepare STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) responses.
  6. Research Verkada's products, mission, and values to understand how your skills align.
  7. Practice explaining complex technical concepts clearly and concisely.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 05 phases

01 / 05
01

Phase 01 of 05

Data Structures Fundamentals

Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Basic Algorithms. Practice implementations and problem-solving.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures (Arrays, Linked Lists, Stacks, Queues, Hash Tables, Trees, Graphs) and their common operations and time complexities. Practice implementing these structures and solving problems involving them. Review basic algorithms like sorting and searching.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Design a URL shortening service like bit.ly.
  • How would you design a system to track user activity on a website?
  • Implement a function to find the k-th largest element in an unsorted array.
  • Describe a time you disagreed with a team member. How did you resolve it?
  • What are the trade-offs between monolithic and microservices architectures?
  • How would you design a distributed cache?
  • Explain the CAP theorem and its implications.
  • Tell me about a challenging bug you fixed.
  • How do you ensure the scalability and reliability of your code?
  • What are your thoughts on testing methodologies?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

01 / 02

Location

San Mateo, CA

Interview focus

Deep dive into distributed systems design and scalability.Emphasis on cloud infrastructure and deployment strategies.Assessment of experience with large-scale data processing and management.

Common questions

  • Discuss a challenging distributed systems problem you solved at scale.
  • How would you design a real-time notification system for a large user base?
  • Explain the trade-offs between different database technologies for a high-throughput application.
  • Describe your experience with cloud-native architectures (e.g., Kubernetes, microservices).

Tips

  • Be prepared to discuss specific examples of large-scale systems you've worked on.
  • Familiarize yourself with Verkada's cloud infrastructure and technologies.
  • Highlight your experience with performance optimization and cost management in cloud environments.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

DSA

Coding questions at Verkada.

Frequently reported on Verkada loops

View all at Verkada

Other guides

More at Verkada.