Lead Product Designer (L5)
Interview Stages
| Stage | Interviewer(s) | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Recruiter Screen | [Recruiter Name] | 30 min |
| Hiring Manager Screen | [Hiring Manager Name] | 45 min |
| Portfolio Review | All Hiring Team | 60 min |
| Round 2: PM | [PM Interviewer] | 45 min |
| Round 2: Designer | [Designer Interviewer] | 45 min |
| Round 2: Engineering | [Engineering Interviewer] | 45 min |
| Final/Culture Round | Executive or Culture Team Member | 30 min |
Recruiter Screen
Focus Areas: Leadership, Influence, Career Intent
- Tell me about a time you shaped direction or strategy beyond your immediate team.
- How do you build influence without formal authority?
- Tell me about a time you helped your team zoom out and rethink the problem space.
Hiring Manager Screen
Focus Areas: Strategic Leadership, Systems Thinking, Communication
- Walk me through a time you identified a systemic problem and drove a holistic solution.
- How do you scale your impact across multiple squads or initiatives?
- Tell me about a situation where you had to navigate strong disagreement to move forward.
Portfolio Review
Focus Areas: Vision, Strategic Framing, Systems Leadership
The candidate should present two case studies that demonstrate their ability to set direction across teams or initiatives, influence senior stakeholders, and ship with high quality. They should articulate both the user impact and organizational impact of their work.
Round 2 Interviews
PM Interview
Focus Areas: Strategy, Influence, Trade-offs
- Describe a time you co-owned a strategy with a PM or product leader.
- How do you frame design work to connect with business metrics?
- Tell me about a situation where you drove clarity through ambiguity.
- What's your approach when leadership alignment is fractured?
Designer Interview
Focus Areas: Quality Leadership, Coaching, Scalable Systems
- How have you influenced the design culture or bar across a team or org?
- Describe how you elevate junior or mid-level designers in a non-manager role.
- What does "vision work" mean to you — and when is it effective?
- Tell me about a design pattern or system you helped create or evolve.
Engineering Interview
Focus Areas: Strategic Partnership, Architecture Awareness, Tech Trade-offs
- How do you collaborate with engineering leaders to align on scalable solutions?
- Describe a time when design drove or challenged a foundational technical direction.
- How do you support engineering teams in delivering quality outcomes at speed?
- What role do you play in shaping long-term technical vision?
Final/Culture Round
Focus Areas: Design Org Influence, Mentorship, Strategic Mindset
- What's your role in helping a design org grow and evolve?
- How do you create opportunities for others while increasing your own impact?
- Describe a time you pushed a team to reframe their assumptions or approach.