Scale Engineer

M5

Software Engineering ManagerDirectorHard

The M5 Software Engineering Manager interview at Zillow for a Director level position is a comprehensive assessment designed to evaluate a candidate's leadership capabilities, technical acumen, strategic thinking, and ability to drive results in a complex and fast-paced environment. This interview process is rigorous and aims to identify individuals who can effectively lead engineering teams, contribute to Zillow's technical vision, and foster a culture of innovation and high performance.

Rounds·4

Timeline·~4d

Experience·8 - 15 yrs

Comp band·US$180000 - US$250000

Interview time·195 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor engineering teams.
  • Strategic thinking and long-term vision for technology.
  • Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Problem-solving and decision-making capabilities.
  • Understanding of Zillow's business and market.

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Deeply understand Zillow's mission, values, products, and recent news.
  2. Review your past experiences and identify key accomplishments that align with the role's requirements.
  3. Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
  4. Brush up on your knowledge of software architecture, system design, and scalability principles.
  5. Familiarize yourself with common software engineering management challenges and best practices.
  6. Practice articulating your leadership philosophy and management style.
  7. Research the interviewers if possible to understand their backgrounds and areas of expertise.
  8. 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 Self-Assessment

Weeks 1-2: Zillow research, STAR story prep, career accomplishment mapping.

Weeks 1-2: Deep dive into Zillow's business, products, and technology stack. Understand their market position, competitors, and strategic goals. Review company values and culture. Begin identifying key projects and accomplishments from your career that demonstrate leadership, technical expertise, and strategic impact. Start outlining STAR stories for common management scenarios.

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 balance the need for innovation with the demands of delivering on existing commitments?
  • Describe your approach to managing underperforming engineers.
  • How do you foster a culture of psychological safety and inclusivity within your team?
  • Walk me through a complex technical challenge you faced as a manager and how you navigated it.
  • How do you stay current with emerging technologies and ensure your team does as well?
  • Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders or other teams to adopt your technical vision.
  • What is your philosophy on performance reviews and career development for engineers?
  • How do you prioritize technical initiatives when resources are limited?
  • Tell me about a time you failed as a manager. What did you learn from it?
  • How do you measure the success of your engineering team?
  • What are your thoughts on agile methodologies and how do you implement them effectively?
  • How do you handle conflict within your team or with other departments?
  • Describe your experience with cloud infrastructure and microservices architecture.
  • What are the key qualities you look for when hiring engineers?
  • How do you delegate tasks effectively to your team members?
  • Tell me about a time you had to manage a significant technical debt issue.
  • How do you ensure the quality and reliability of the software your team produces?
  • What is your vision for the future of software engineering at Zillow?
  • How do you foster collaboration between different engineering teams?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

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Location

Remote/Hybrid

Interview focus

Remote team management strategiesCross-time zone collaborationVirtual team building and engagementCommunication in distributed environmentsLeveraging technology for remote productivity

Common questions

  • How do you handle underperforming engineers in a remote setting?
  • Describe a time you had to adapt your leadership style for a distributed team.
  • What are your strategies for fostering team cohesion and collaboration across different time zones?
  • How do you ensure effective communication and knowledge sharing in a remote or hybrid environment?
  • What tools and processes do you find most effective for managing remote engineering teams?

Tips

  • Highlight experience with remote or hybrid team leadership.
  • Be prepared to discuss specific tools and methodologies for remote collaboration.
  • Emphasize your ability to build trust and rapport virtually.
  • Showcase examples of successful project delivery with distributed teams.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities of remote work.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

DSA

Coding questions at Zillow.

Frequently reported on Zillow loops

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Other guides

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