Manager, Engineering - Backend Interview Experience at Grubhub

I recently interviewed for the Manager, Engineering - Backend position at Grubhub, and I found the process to be both challenging and rewarding. The interview process is comprehensive, focusing on technical expertise, leadership, and how well you align with Grubhub’s values. Below is a detailed overview of my interview experience, including the stages, types of questions asked, and areas of focus.

Interview Process Overview

The Manager, Engineering - Backend role at Grubhub is a mix of technical depth and leadership skills. The interview process is designed to test both your ability to manage backend engineering teams and your deep knowledge of scalable, reliable, and efficient backend systems.

1. Initial Screening (Phone Interview with Recruiter)

The first stage of the process was an initial phone screening with a recruiter. This was primarily focused on assessing my interest in the role, understanding my background, and determining if my experience was a good match for the position.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Background and Motivation: “Why are you interested in the Manager, Engineering - Backend role at Grubhub?”
• Technical Skills: “Can you walk me through your experience with backend technologies? What programming languages and tools are you most comfortable with?”
• Team Leadership: “How have you managed engineering teams in the past? How do you ensure your team meets deadlines and delivers high-quality software?”

At this point, the recruiter also provided more details about Grubhub’s engineering culture, their tech stack, and what they were looking for in a candidate.

2. Technical Interview (1st Round)

The next step was a technical interview focused on my backend engineering skills. This interview was conducted by an engineering lead and lasted about an hour. The goal was to assess both my technical depth and my problem-solving abilities.

Key Topics Covered:

• System Design:
  I was given a system design problem that required me to design a highly scalable backend architecture for a feature like order processing in an e-commerce system.
  Example Question: “Design a backend system to handle a high volume of orders in real-time. Consider how you would scale the system and handle failures.”
• Data Structures and Algorithms:
  Questions included optimizing database queries or implementing an algorithm that processes large datasets efficiently.
  Example Question: “Write a function to determine if two strings are anagrams. How would you optimize it for performance?”
• Coding Exercise:
  I was asked to write code on a whiteboard or shared document. This tested my practical coding skills and my ability to think on my feet.

3. Technical Deep Dive (2nd Round)

This round involved a more in-depth technical session with the engineering team, where I demonstrated my ability to manage complex backend systems and troubleshoot issues.

Key Topics Covered:

• Backend Architecture:
  “Explain how you would design a microservices architecture for a food delivery platform. How would you ensure each microservice is independently scalable and fault-tolerant?”
• Database Design and Optimization:
  “How would you design a relational database schema for storing and querying customer orders in a food delivery service? What indices would you add to optimize performance?”
• Distributed Systems:
  “What happens if one service in a distributed system fails? How would you ensure the system remains available and data is consistent?”

This round also included debugging questions where I reviewed code and identified performance bottlenecks or bugs.

4. Leadership and Behavioral Interview (3rd Round)

This stage focused on my leadership experience and how I handle people management, conflict resolution, and cross-functional collaboration.

Example Questions:

• Team Management: “How do you ensure that your team members stay motivated and productive? How do you handle underperformance?”
• Decision-Making: “Describe a time when you had to make a tough technical decision that affected your team. How did you handle it?”
• Collaboration: “How do you work with product managers, designers, and other teams to ensure that the backend engineering team delivers on time and meets business objectives?”
• Conflict Resolution: “Describe a time when you had a disagreement with a colleague or team member. How did you resolve it?”
• Career Development: “How do you support the growth and development of engineers in your team?”

This interview aimed to assess my management style and my approach to leadership.

5. Final Interview with Senior Leadership

The final round was with senior leadership, including the VP of Engineering. This interview focused on cultural fit and how my values align with Grubhub’s mission. It was also a chance for me to ask strategic questions about the company’s growth, technological challenges, and vision for the engineering team.

Key Topics:

• Company Vision: “How do you see Grubhub’s engineering team evolving over the next few years?”
• Leadership Philosophy: “What’s your leadership philosophy? How do you foster a culture of collaboration and innovation within your team?”
• Strategic Impact: “How do you ensure that the engineering team’s work directly impacts Grubhub’s business goals? Can you provide an example of how you’ve done this in the past?”

Key Areas to Focus On for Preparation

• System Design: Be prepared to design large-scale, distributed backend systems. Focus on scalability, reliability, and fault tolerance.
• Data Structures & Algorithms: Brush up on fundamental algorithms, particularly those related to databases, caching, and performance optimization.
• Distributed Systems: Knowledge of microservices, message queues, load balancing, and event-driven architecture is essential.
• Backend Frameworks & Languages: Be ready to discuss your experience with backend technologies like Java, Go, Node.js, Python, or Ruby, depending on the team’s stack.
• Leadership Skills: Grubhub places significant emphasis on leadership, so be prepared to discuss how you motivate, guide, and support your team to ensure high performance.