Back to Q&A board 
Sure, here we go!
Senior Engineering Manager, commonly L7
Typical loop:
System design, sometimes two rounds
Coding or code review
People management
Technical leadership and execution
Behavioral/“Googliness”
Expected evidence:
Leading multiple teams or a critical platform
Strong architectural judgment
Hiring, coaching, and performance management
Resolving technical disagreements
Cross-team influence
Delivering through ambiguity
Quantified technical and business results
They must remain technically credible. “My engineers handle the technical details” is weak.
Director, commonly L8
The loop usually emphasizes:
Technical and product strategy
Organizational design
Managing managers
Portfolio and headcount allocation
Executive and cross-functional influence
Execution across several teams
Culture, succession and organizational health
Directors may still receive technical architecture interviews, but they must connect the design to team structure, investment decisions, migration strategy, and a multi-year roadmap.
Typical Director questions:
Describe an organization you redesigned.
How did you handle an underperforming manager?
Tell me about a major investment you stopped.
How did you secure executive alignment and resources?
How do you prioritize when every program is critical?
Describe a technical strategy spanning several organizations.
Common rejection reasons:
Senior EM behaves like a strong IC or first-line manager.
Director behaves like an experienced Senior EM.
Weak people-management evidence.
No experience managing managers.
Stories lack measurable scope and personal contribution.
Strong strategy but insufficient technical depth—or the reverse.
Current Google EM postings emphasize technical leadership, architecture, product strategy, and people management. A current Director posting asks for experience managing managers, executive influence, and leadership of a large multi-team organization.
