Scale Engineer

M6

Software Engineering ManagerSenior DirectorHard

The M6 Software Engineering Manager interview at Zillow is a comprehensive assessment designed to evaluate candidates for senior leadership roles. It focuses on a blend of technical acumen, people management skills, strategic thinking, and Zillow's core values. Candidates are expected to demonstrate a strong understanding of software development lifecycle, team leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to drive technical vision and execution.

Rounds·5

Timeline·~4d

Experience·10 - 15 yrs

Comp band·US$180000 - US$250000

Interview time·285 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Leadership effectiveness
  • Technical depth and breadth
  • Strategic thinking and vision
  • People management and development
  • Communication and influence
  • Problem-solving and decision-making
  • Alignment with Zillow's values (Customer Obsession, Data-Driven, Bias for Action, etc.)

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Deeply understand Zillow's mission, values, and business objectives.
  2. Review your past projects and identify key leadership challenges and successes.
  3. Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
  4. Brush up on system design principles and be ready to discuss architectural trade-offs.
  5. Familiarize yourself with common software development methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Kanban).
  6. Practice articulating your leadership philosophy and management style.
  7. Research current trends in real estate technology and Zillow's competitive landscape.
  8. Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers about the role, team, and company.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 04 phases

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01

Phase 01 of 04

Company and Self-Assessment

Weeks 1-2: Zillow business & culture, resume review, STAR stories.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on Zillow's business, culture, and recent performance. Understand the company's strategic goals and how engineering contributes. Review your resume and identify key accomplishments relevant to leadership and technical strategy. Begin preparing STAR stories for common leadership scenarios.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Describe a time you had to lead a team through a significant technical challenge. What was your approach, and what was the outcome?
  • How do you foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within your engineering teams?
  • Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision that impacted your team. How did you handle it?
  • How do you balance the need for rapid feature delivery with maintaining code quality and technical debt?
  • Describe your experience in hiring and retaining top engineering talent.
  • How do you mentor and develop engineers at different career stages?
  • Walk me through a complex system you designed or significantly contributed to. What were the key trade-offs?
  • How do you manage stakeholder expectations and communicate technical roadmaps to non-technical audiences?
  • Tell me about a time you had to deal with underperformance on your team. What steps did you take?
  • How do you ensure your team is aligned with the company's strategic goals?
  • What is your approach to managing technical debt?
  • Describe a situation where you had to influence a decision at a higher level. How did you approach it?
  • How do you promote diversity and inclusion within your engineering teams?
  • What are your thoughts on the current state of real estate technology, and where do you see Zillow fitting in?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

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Location

Remote/Hybrid

Interview focus

Remote team management strategiesBuilding trust and accountability in a distributed workforceLeveraging technology for effective remote collaborationMaintaining team morale and engagement in a virtual setting

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 culture in a hybrid work environment?
  • How do you ensure effective communication and collaboration across different time zones?

Tips

  • Highlight experience with remote or hybrid team leadership.
  • Be prepared to discuss tools and methodologies for remote collaboration.
  • Emphasize your ability to foster a strong team culture regardless of location.
  • Showcase examples of successful project delivery with distributed teams.

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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