Scale Engineer

Manager

Software Engineering ManagerM3High

This interview process is designed to assess candidates for a Software Engineering Manager (M3 level) position at Workday. It evaluates technical leadership, people management skills, strategic thinking, and cultural fit.

Rounds·4

Timeline·~14d

Experience·8 - 15 yrs

Comp band·US$180000 - US$250000

Interview time·210 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Technical depth and breadth
  • Problem-solving abilities
  • System design and architecture understanding
  • Ability to mentor and grow engineers

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Thoroughly review Workday's mission, values, and products.
  2. Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
  3. Understand common software development lifecycle methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Kanban).
  4. Research current industry trends in software engineering and management.
  5. Practice articulating your leadership philosophy and management style.
  6. Be ready to discuss your experience with scaling teams and managing complex projects.
  7. Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers about the role, team, and company culture.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 04 phases

01 / 04
01

Phase 01 of 04

Company and Foundational Knowledge

Weeks 1-2: Workday research, Agile/Scrum, leadership theories.

Weeks 1-2: Deep dive into Workday's business, products, and engineering culture. Review company values and recent news. Familiarize yourself with common Agile/Scrum practices and leadership theories.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Describe your leadership philosophy and how you motivate engineers.
  • Tell me about a time you had to manage a conflict within your team. How did you resolve it?
  • How do you approach performance management and career development for your team members?
  • Walk me through a complex project you managed from inception to completion. What were the key challenges and your role in overcoming them?
  • How do you ensure your team is aligned with the company's strategic goals?
  • Describe your experience with hiring and building high-performing engineering teams.
  • How do you handle technical debt and ensure the long-term health of a codebase?
  • What are your strategies for fostering innovation and continuous improvement within an engineering team?
  • How do you balance the needs of your team with the demands of the business?
  • Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn from it?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

01 / 02

Location

Remote/Hybrid

Interview focus

Remote team management strategiesCross-cultural communicationBuilding trust in distributed teams

Common questions

  • How do you handle underperforming engineers in a remote setting?
  • Describe a time you had to manage a geographically distributed team. What were the challenges and how did you overcome them?
  • What are your strategies for fostering team cohesion and collaboration in a hybrid or remote environment?

Tips

  • Highlight experience with remote collaboration tools and methodologies.
  • Provide specific examples of managing diverse teams across different time zones.
  • Emphasize your ability to create an inclusive environment regardless of location.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

DSA

Coding questions at Workday.

Frequently reported on Workday loops

View all at Workday

Other guides

More at Workday.