Senior Engineering Manager, Framework Engineering Interview Process at Asana

The interview process for the Senior Engineering Manager, Framework Engineering position at Asana is thorough and challenging. This role involves managing a team of engineers, driving the development of frameworks, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance Asana’s engineering systems and architecture. Below is a comprehensive overview of what you can expect during the interview process, based on my personal experience and insights from others who have interviewed for similar roles.

1. Resume Screening and Initial Contact

The first step in the interview process is resume screening. Asana’s recruiting team looks for candidates who have:

• Extensive experience in software engineering with a strong background in framework development.
• Proven leadership skills in managing engineering teams, particularly those working on scalable, high-performance systems.
• A deep understanding of system architecture, distributed systems, and frameworks that enable engineering productivity.
• Experience with tools, languages, and frameworks such as React, Node.js, JavaScript, Python, and AWS (or other cloud services).
• A track record of successfully leading and mentoring engineering teams.

If your resume meets the criteria, you’ll be contacted by a recruiter for an initial phone screen.

2. Recruiter Phone Screen

The recruiter phone screen typically lasts 30-45 minutes and focuses on understanding your motivation for the role and confirming that your background aligns with the job requirements. Common questions include:

• Why Asana?: The recruiter will ask why you’re interested in this role and Asana as a company.

  Example:

  “Why do you want to join Asana as a Senior Engineering Manager, and what excites you about working on engineering frameworks?”

• Experience with frameworks: Expect a discussion about your experience leading teams that work on engineering frameworks and infrastructure.

  Example:

  “Tell me about a framework you developed or led the development of. What challenges did you face?”

• Leadership style: Asana places a strong emphasis on collaborative leadership and team growth, so be prepared to talk about how you manage teams and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

  Example:

  “How do you ensure your team maintains high performance while focusing on long-term goals like scalability and reusability?“

3. Technical Interview

If you pass the recruiter screen, you will be invited to a technical interview. This round typically lasts 60 minutes and focuses on assessing both your engineering expertise and your ability to lead complex technical initiatives. In this round, you can expect:

• System Design: You will be asked to design a complex system or framework that supports scalability, performance, and reusability. You’ll need to articulate your approach to designing highly available and fault-tolerant systems.

  Example:

  “How would you design a framework that allows Asana to scale its frontend architecture to handle millions of users with minimal performance degradation?”

• Architectural Trade-offs: Be prepared to discuss the architectural choices you would make, particularly the trade-offs between different frameworks, languages, or services.

  Example:

  “What are the trade-offs between building a custom framework vs. using a third-party service, and how would you decide between the two?”

• Technical Leadership: The interviewer will want to understand how you guide teams through technical decisions. Expect questions that assess your ability to evaluate engineering challenges and lead teams in solving them.

  Example:

  “How do you guide your team when faced with competing technical solutions? Can you share an example where you had to make a tough technical decision?“

4. Managerial and Leadership Interview

This round is designed to evaluate your leadership and management abilities, particularly your approach to building and mentoring teams, managing stakeholders, and driving cross-functional collaboration. This typically lasts 45-60 minutes. Questions will focus on:

• Team Management: As a senior engineering manager, you’ll need to demonstrate how you manage and develop engineering teams.

  Example:

  “Tell us about a time when you had to manage a team through a period of significant change. How did you ensure the team stayed aligned and motivated?”

• Mentoring Engineers: You may be asked about your experience mentoring and developing junior engineers and senior engineers alike.

  Example:

  “How do you identify areas for growth in engineers on your team, and how do you help them develop their skills?”

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Asana is a highly collaborative company, and you’ll need to show how you work with teams such as Product, Design, and Operations to ensure that frameworks meet business needs.

  Example:

  “How do you work with Product Managers and Designers to ensure that the frameworks you build align with the user experience and product requirements?“

5. Cultural Fit Interview

The cultural fit interview will assess how well you align with Asana’s core values, including radical inclusion, collaboration, and transparency. Asana places a strong emphasis on maintaining a growth mindset and being open to feedback. Expect questions like:

### Example:
> "How do you ensure transparency in your team’s work, and how do you foster an environment where feedback is encouraged?"

### Example:
> "Describe a situation where you had to deal with a conflict in your team. How did you resolve it, and what was the outcome?"

6. Final Interview with Leadership

The final interview typically involves senior leadership, such as the VP of Engineering or the Chief Technology Officer. This round focuses on your vision for the team and alignment with Asana’s strategic goals. Expect questions such as:

• Long-Term Vision: Leadership will want to understand how you would help Asana scale its engineering frameworks to accommodate future growth.

  Example:

  “What is your long-term vision for Asana’s engineering frameworks, and how would you scale the team to meet future challenges?”

• Strategic Decision Making: You may be asked about decision-making processes for strategic technical initiatives and how you prioritize resources and time.

  Example:

  “How do you prioritize engineering initiatives when you have limited resources and multiple competing priorities?“

7. Offer and Negotiation

If you successfully pass all rounds, you will receive an offer. Compensation for this role typically includes:

• Base salary: Typically ranges from $180,000 to $230,000 annually, depending on experience and location.
• Equity and bonuses: Asana offers competitive equity packages and performance-based bonuses.
• Benefits: Asana provides a comprehensive benefits package, including healthcare, mental health support, career coaching, and a wellness program.

Preparation Tips

• Master System Design: As a Senior Engineering Manager, you need to be prepared to design complex, scalable systems that can accommodate the growth of Asana’s engineering team.
• Showcase Leadership Skills: Be ready to discuss examples of how you’ve led engineering teams through challenges, mentored engineers, and managed complex cross-functional projects.
• Align with Asana’s Values: Emphasize your commitment to transparency, collaboration, and radical inclusion. Show how these values shape your leadership style and decision-making process.
• Prepare for Technical Depth: You may be asked deep technical questions related to frameworks, cloud infrastructure, and performance optimizations. Brush up on relevant engineering principles and tools like AWS, Node.js, and React.