To succeed in our interview process, you should approach your preparation with a focus on practical application and Agile leadership. We look for candidates who not only understand project management frameworks but can effectively coach teams and navigate complex organizational dynamics.

Here are the key evaluation criteria you will be assessed against:

Agile and Scrum Mastery – This is a core pillar of the role at Alliant Credit Union. Interviewers will evaluate your deep, practical understanding of Agile methodologies, Scrum ceremonies, and continuous improvement. You can demonstrate strength here by speaking fluently about how you adapt these frameworks to fit team needs rather than rigidly enforcing textbook rules.

Scenario Navigation and Problem-Solving – We need leaders who can think on their feet. You will be evaluated on how you approach realistic team challenges, resolve conflicts, and drive consensus. Demonstrating your problem-solving ability often involves live role-playing, where you must showcase your coaching stance and active listening skills.

Value Delivery and Strategic Alignment – Interviewers want to know how your work translates to business success. We evaluate your ability to articulate the tangible value you bring to a department. You can stand out by connecting your past project deliverables directly to business outcomes, user satisfaction, and organizational efficiency.

Culture Fit and Communication – As a digital-first organization, clear, empathetic, and proactive communication is non-negotiable. You will be assessed on your ability to build trust quickly, influence without authority, and maintain a positive, collaborative demeanor even when navigating ambiguity.

The interview process for a Project Manager at Alliant Credit Union is designed to be thorough, respectful of your time, and highly reflective of the day-to-day role. The process is conducted entirely via video and typically spans a few weeks, though it can move much faster depending on scheduling alignment. Our hiring teams place a strong emphasis on practical scenarios, ensuring that you have the opportunity to demonstrate your skills in action rather than just talking about your resume.

Your journey will begin with a comprehensive recruiter screen focusing on your background, work eligibility, and high-level behavioral alignment. From there, you will meet with the Hiring Manager, where the conversation will dive deeply into your experience with Scrum, Agile, and project delivery. This is a conversational but rigorous assessment of your foundational knowledge.

Following a successful Hiring Manager interview, you will progress to a critical stage with the Director of Agile Transformation. This round is highly interactive and distinctive to our process; it heavily features live role-playing activities designed to test your coaching abilities and how you handle real-world team dynamics. Finally, you will meet with a panel of team members, often including other Scrum Masters and cross-functional partners, to assess mutual team fit and collaboration styles.

This visual timeline outlines the typical progression from your initial recruiter screen through the final team panel. You should use this to pace your preparation, focusing first on solidifying your Agile and Scrum narratives for the Hiring Manager, and then shifting heavily into scenario-based practice and role-playing for the Director-level interview. Note that depending on the specific department, the exact composition of the final panel may vary slightly, but the core focus on Agile leadership remains constant.

To excel in your interviews, you must understand exactly what our teams are looking for and how to demonstrate your expertise. The following areas represent the core competencies evaluated throughout the process.

Agile Frameworks & Scrum Execution

• Your foundational knowledge of Agile and Scrum is critical. This area evaluates whether you truly understand the "why" behind Agile ceremonies, artifacts, and roles, rather than just the "how." Strong performance looks like a candidate who can explain how to coach a team that is resistant to Agile adoption or how to optimize a stagnant sprint retrospective.

Be ready to go over:

• Sprint Mechanics – Managing backlog refinement, sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives.
• Agile Metrics – Utilizing velocity, burn-down charts, and cycle time to drive continuous improvement.
• Coaching and Mentoring – Guiding product owners and developers on Agile best practices.
• Scaling Agile – Familiarity with frameworks like SAFe or LeSS, especially in a growing digital environment.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Walk me through how you would handle a sprint where the team realizes mid-way that they cannot deliver the committed story points."
• "How do you coach a Product Owner who consistently brings unrefined stories into sprint planning?"
• "Describe a time you had to adapt standard Scrum practices to fit a unique team dynamic."

Scenario Navigation & Role-Playing

• Because Project Managers at Alliant Credit Union must manage complex human dynamics, we test your practical interpersonal skills. This is evaluated through live role-playing exercises, typically with leadership. Strong performance means staying calm, asking clarifying questions, showing empathy, and guiding the "actor" toward a productive resolution without being overly prescriptive.

Be ready to go over:

• Conflict Resolution – Mediating disputes between engineering and product teams.
• Stakeholder Pushback – Handling unreasonable deadlines or scope creep from leadership.
• Active Listening – Demonstrating that you hear and validate concerns before proposing solutions.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "[Role-Play] I am a lead developer who refuses to attend the daily stand-up because I think it is a waste of time. Convince me otherwise."
• "[Role-Play] I am a business stakeholder demanding a new feature be added to the current sprint. How do you handle this conversation?"

Value Proposition & Strategic Impact

• We need to know that you understand the bigger picture. This area evaluates your ability to articulate the specific, measurable value you bring to a department. A strong candidate moves beyond listing tasks and instead discusses outcomes, efficiencies gained, and cultural improvements driven by their leadership.

Be ready to go over:

• Defining Value – How you measure the success of your role beyond on-time delivery.
• Process Optimization – Identifying bottlenecks in the delivery pipeline and implementing solutions.
• Alignment with Business Goals – Ensuring team deliverables map back to the credit union's strategic objectives.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "What specific value can you bring to the Agile Transformation department at Alliant?"
• "Tell me about a time you identified a process inefficiency and the steps you took to resolve it."
• "How do you ensure your team understands the business value of the features they are building?"

As a Project Manager, your day-to-day reality is a blend of strategic planning, tactical execution, and continuous team coaching. You will be responsible for the end-to-end lifecycle of critical digital initiatives, ensuring that projects move smoothly from ideation through to deployment. This requires meticulous attention to detail, proactive risk management, and the ability to keep all stakeholders aligned on progress and roadblocks.

A significant portion of your time will be spent facilitating Agile ceremonies and acting in a Scrum Master capacity. You will lead sprint planning, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives, ensuring these meetings are engaging and productive. You will work closely with Product Managers to ensure the product backlog is healthy, prioritized, and ready for development, while simultaneously shielding the engineering team from external distractions and scope creep.

Collaboration is at the heart of this role. You will constantly liaise with software engineers, QA testers, product owners, and business leaders. Whether you are driving the rollout of a new online banking portal or integrating a third-party financial service, you will be the central hub of communication. You will be expected to identify dependencies across different squads, manage cross-team integrations, and foster a culture of transparency and continuous delivery.

To be highly competitive for the Project Manager position at Alliant Credit Union, candidates must demonstrate a strong blend of Agile expertise, technical fluency, and exceptional soft skills.

• Must-have skills – Deep practical experience with Agile and Scrum methodologies. You must have a proven track record of acting as a Scrum Master or Agile Project Manager for software development teams. Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills are required, as is the ability to confidently navigate conflict and drive consensus.
• Experience level – Typically, candidates have 3 to 7+ years of project management experience, with a significant portion of that time spent in Agile technology environments. Experience leading cross-functional teams without direct formal authority is essential.
• Technical tools – High proficiency in Agile project management software, specifically Jira and Confluence, is expected. You should know how to configure boards, pull reports, and manage documentation effectively.
• Nice-to-have skills – Active certifications such as Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM), or Project Management Professional (PMP) are highly valued. A background in financial services, banking, or fintech is a strong differentiator, as it reduces the learning curve regarding regulatory and compliance constraints.