Staff Engineer, Cloud Infrastructure Performance Interview Experience at Cruise

I recently interviewed for the Staff Engineer, Cloud Infrastructure Performance position at Cruise and wanted to share my experience to help others prepare. This role is part of the Capacity and Performance Engineering (CPE) team and focuses on optimizing the scalability, efficiency, and performance of Cruise’s cloud infrastructure, particularly to support the growing demands of autonomous vehicle (AV) systems.

Overview of the Role

As a Staff Engineer, Cloud Infrastructure Performance, your primary responsibility is to improve the efficiency and scalability of Cruise’s infrastructure. You will work cross-functionally with various engineering teams, including AI, product, and infrastructure, to ensure that the systems can scale effectively as Cruise expands its autonomous vehicle fleet. This role involves running performance experiments, automating capacity planning, and working closely with cloud service providers to ensure optimal resource usage.

Interview Process

The interview process for this role was quite comprehensive, designed to test both technical skills and the ability to manage large-scale infrastructure projects. Here’s a breakdown of the interview process:

1. Initial Screening (HR Interview)

Overview: The process starts with a screening call from an HR recruiter. This interview focuses on your general experience, understanding of Cruise’s mission, and the logistics of the role (location flexibility, compensation, etc.).
Example Question: “Why are you interested in working at Cruise, and how do you see your experience contributing to the role of Staff Engineer, Cloud Infrastructure Performance?“

2. Technical Phone Interview

Overview: After the HR interview, you will likely have a technical phone interview with a senior engineer or hiring manager. This round focuses on your technical knowledge, particularly in performance engineering, cloud infrastructure, and data management.

Key Areas Covered:

• Cloud Platforms: You will be asked about your experience working with public cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure), specifically for handling large-scale infrastructure.
• Performance Engineering: Expect questions about how you’ve measured and improved the performance of cloud systems, especially in terms of resource utilization, scalability, and cost efficiency.
• Data Modeling: You’ll need to demonstrate your ability to model data and optimize cloud resources using tools like SQL, Python, or other scripting languages.
• Automation: Given the nature of the role, questions about automation tools (like DBT, Airflow, etc.) and how you would apply them to cloud infrastructure management are likely.

Example Question: “How would you optimize a cloud-based compute platform to handle increasing demand for autonomous vehicle simulation workloads?“

3. Onsite Interview (Multiple Rounds)

The onsite interview is typically split into several rounds, focusing on system design, performance optimization, and behavioral aspects.

Round 1 - System Design and Cloud Optimization

This round focuses on your ability to design cloud-based systems that are efficient and scalable. You may be asked to design a system that balances resources for large-scale autonomous vehicle simulations.

Example Question: “Design a cloud-based system for autonomous vehicle data processing that can scale based on data volume, ensuring optimal resource utilization and minimal cost.”

Round 2 - Performance and Scalability

In this round, you will be asked to solve problems related to improving the performance of cloud infrastructure, reducing latency, and ensuring that systems can handle high throughput.

Example Question: “We are experiencing latency issues in our cloud compute platform when processing large amounts of sensor data. How would you identify the bottlenecks and improve system performance?”

Round 3 - Automation and Tooling

This round tests your ability to automate processes for capacity planning and cloud resource optimization. You will be asked to develop solutions that ensure efficient resource usage and cost savings.

Example Question: “How would you automate capacity planning for a growing fleet of autonomous vehicles, ensuring that cloud resources scale effectively without over-provisioning?”

Round 4 - Behavioral and Leadership Assessment

As this is a senior role, expect questions about your leadership, communication, and collaboration skills. They want to know how you manage teams, coordinate cross-functional efforts, and present technical solutions to non-technical stakeholders.

Example Question: “Tell us about a time when you had to lead a cross-functional team to optimize cloud infrastructure. How did you align the team’s efforts, and what was the outcome?“

4. Final Round (Cultural Fit and Strategic Vision)

Overview: The final round often involves interviews with senior leadership. This is to assess your strategic vision, long-term goals, and alignment with Cruise’s broader objectives. You’ll be expected to demonstrate how you can contribute to the company’s growth and innovation.
Example Question: “Where do you see cloud infrastructure for autonomous vehicles evolving in the next 5 years, and how would you drive the necessary changes at Cruise?”

Key Skills and Experience

To excel in this role, you need to have:

• Cloud Infrastructure Knowledge: Expertise with public cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure) and cloud infrastructure management.
• Performance Engineering: Deep understanding of performance bottlenecks, cloud resource optimization, and scalability.
• Automation Tools: Experience with automation tools like Airflow, DBT, and custom scripts for capacity planning and cloud optimization.
• Data Modeling and Analysis: Strong skills in SQL, Python, and data analysis to drive decisions based on data.
• Leadership: Proven ability to manage cross-functional teams and lead complex infrastructure projects.
• Cost Efficiency: Experience managing cloud costs, optimizing resource consumption, and negotiating with cloud providers for optimal pricing.

What to Expect

• Complex Technical Questions: Be prepared to discuss system design, performance optimization, and automation in-depth.
• Cross-Team Collaboration: This role involves significant cross-functional collaboration, so expect questions about your experience working with other teams like AI, product, and infrastructure.
• Scalability and Cost Efficiency: Much of the focus will be on how you can optimize Cruise’s cloud resources, balancing performance with cost-effectiveness.

Final Tips

• Deep Dive into Cloud Platforms: Familiarize yourself with the features and capabilities of major cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure), particularly those relevant to performance engineering.
• Think About Efficiency: Be prepared to discuss cost-effective and scalable cloud solutions that support Cruise’s long-term goals.
• Highlight Leadership Skills: As a senior engineer, your ability to lead initiatives, influence stakeholders, and make strategic decisions will be heavily assessed.
• Prepare for Behavioral Questions: Emphasize your experience with cross-functional collaboration and leadership in complex projects.