Lyft Head of Corporate FP&A Interview Preparation Guide

If you’re preparing for an interview for the Lyft Head of Corporate FP&A position, you are applying for a high-level financial leadership role that requires strong expertise in financial planning, forecasting, strategic analysis, and cross-functional collaboration. As someone who has interviewed for a similar position, I’ll provide you with a detailed breakdown of the interview process, the types of questions you can expect, and the strategies to help you succeed in the interview.

Overview of the Role

The Head of Corporate FP&A at Lyft is a senior leadership role that involves overseeing all aspects of financial planning and analysis for the company. In this role, you will lead the FP&A team, responsible for providing strategic financial insights, ensuring accurate financial forecasts, supporting budgeting processes, and helping Lyft make informed financial decisions. You will work closely with senior leadership, including the CFO, to align financial strategies with Lyft’s business goals.

Key responsibilities include:

• Financial Strategy & Planning: Leading the long-term financial planning process, providing strategic insights, and ensuring alignment with Lyft’s business objectives.
• Forecasting & Budgeting: Overseeing the company’s financial forecast, ensuring accurate budgeting, and guiding teams to meet financial targets.
• Financial Reporting & Analysis: Providing high-level analysis on Lyft’s financial performance, profitability, and key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborating with other departments (marketing, product, operations) to ensure financial goals align with operational strategies.
• Leadership & Team Development: Leading and mentoring the FP&A team, driving continuous improvement in financial processes.

Interview Process Overview

The interview process for the Head of Corporate FP&A role at Lyft typically consists of several stages, each designed to assess your technical knowledge, leadership abilities, and fit with Lyft’s culture. Below is a breakdown of what you can expect during the interview process:

1. Application Review & Recruiter Screening
2. Phone Interview (Technical and Leadership)
3. On-Site or Virtual On-Site Interviews
4. Final Leadership and Cultural Fit Interview

1. Application Review & Recruiter Screening

Once you apply, Lyft’s recruiting team will review your resume to assess whether your experience aligns with the position’s requirements. If selected, a recruiter will contact you for an initial phone screening, which usually lasts 30-45 minutes.

What to Expect:

• Resume Review: The recruiter will likely ask about your experience in FP&A, strategic financial planning, and team leadership.
  • Can you walk me through your experience in managing corporate FP&A teams? What was your role in driving financial strategy at your previous company?
  • What kind of financial systems or tools have you worked with (e.g., Oracle, NetSuite, Hyperion, Excel)?
• Role Fit and Motivation: The recruiter will gauge your interest in the position and how it fits with your career goals.
  • Why are you interested in the Head of Corporate FP&A role at Lyft?
  • What excites you about working in the rideshare industry and specifically for Lyft?
• Logistics & Expectations: Expect a brief discussion on job logistics, such as working hours, team structure, and the remote work policy.
  • This role will require significant cross-functional collaboration. How do you manage working with teams across different functions to ensure financial alignment?

2. Phone Interview (Technical and Leadership)

If you pass the recruiter screening, you’ll be scheduled for a phone interview with the hiring manager or another senior member of the FP&A team. This interview typically lasts 45-60 minutes and will focus on both your technical finance skills and your leadership capabilities.

What to Expect:

• Technical Questions: Expect questions that focus on your experience with financial forecasting, budgeting, and variance analysis.
  • How do you approach developing a long-term financial forecast? What factors do you consider?
  • Can you walk me through how you would analyze a variance between forecasted and actual financials?
• Strategic Financial Insights: The interviewer will likely ask how you provide strategic financial insights to drive business decisions.
  • How do you ensure that your financial recommendations align with broader business goals? Can you provide an example where your financial insights influenced a business decision?
• Leadership Questions: Expect questions related to your ability to manage and develop teams.
  • Tell me about a time when you led a team through a difficult financial situation, such as a budget shortfall or financial downturn. How did you guide your team through this challenge?
  • How do you prioritize tasks when managing multiple financial reports and deadlines?
• Behavioral Questions: As Lyft values its Leadership Principles, expect questions about how you’ve demonstrated ownership, bias for action, and your ability to deliver results in the past.
  • Deliver Results: Tell me about a time when you had to lead a financial strategy to meet a tight deadline. How did you manage the process and ensure success?
  • Customer Obsession: Tell me about a time when you tailored your financial reports to meet the needs of a non-financial stakeholder. How did you make the information accessible to them?

3. On-Site or Virtual On-Site Interviews

If you perform well in the phone interview, the next step is likely an on-site or virtual on-site interview. This typically lasts 4-5 hours and will involve multiple rounds with team members, senior executives, and other cross-functional leaders.

What to Expect:

• Financial Case Study: You may be asked to analyze a case study where you need to provide financial recommendations based on a hypothetical business situation.
  • Imagine Lyft is considering expanding into a new city. How would you assess the financial viability of this expansion? What key metrics would you evaluate?
• System Design & Reporting: Expect questions about how you would design and implement reporting and forecasting systems for a growing company like Lyft.
  • How would you design a financial reporting process for Lyft’s global operations? What tools or methods would you use to ensure consistency across regions?
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: You’ll likely be asked how you collaborate with other departments (e.g., product, marketing, operations) to ensure alignment with financial goals.
  • Tell me about a time when you worked with cross-functional teams to develop a business case for an investment. How did you ensure alignment across all stakeholders?
• Leadership & Influence: You will be assessed on how you influence senior leadership and your team.
  • Describe a time when you had to advocate for a financial strategy that wasn’t initially popular. How did you gain buy-in from leadership?

4. Final Leadership and Cultural Fit Interview

The final stage of the interview process typically involves a leadership interview where senior leaders or HR assess your fit with Lyft’s culture and leadership principles. This interview will also explore how you align with Lyft’s values.

What to Expect:

• Lyft’s Leadership Principles: Be prepared to answer questions on Lyft’s Leadership Principles, especially Customer Obsession, Deliver Results, and Invent and Simplify.
  • Tell me about a time when you had to simplify a complex financial process or system. How did you approach it, and what was the impact?
  • How do you ensure your team is motivated and focused on delivering results, especially when facing financial challenges?
• Team Development and Leadership: Expect questions about how you mentor and develop talent within your team.
  • How do you ensure that your team is continuously developing their skills and growing professionally? Can you share an example of how you’ve supported someone’s career development?
• Cultural Fit: Lyft places a strong emphasis on cultural alignment. Be ready to discuss how you embody Lyft’s values and work in a fast-paced, innovative environment.
  • How do you handle working in an environment that is constantly evolving, particularly in finance and business strategy?

Preparation Tips for Success

• Master Financial Forecasting and Reporting: Be prepared to discuss your experience with financial modeling, forecasting, and variance analysis. Review Lyft’s financial statements if available, and understand the key metrics they report on.
• Leadership Principles: Review Lyft’s Leadership Principles and think about how your past experiences align with them, particularly around delivering results and cross-functional collaboration.
• Understand Lyft’s Business: Familiarize yourself with Lyft’s business model, financial health, and key growth areas. Know how FP&A contributes to decision-making across the company.
• Be Ready for Case Studies: Practice solving business case studies where you analyze financial scenarios and present solutions. Focus on demonstrating your ability to make data-driven recommendations and communicate them effectively.
• Demonstrate Cross-Functional Leadership: Be ready to explain how you’ve worked with other departments (marketing, operations, product) and have provided financial insights that influenced business decisions.