What is an Engineering Manager?

At Brex, the role of an Engineering Manager (EM) is pivotal to our mission of building the AI-powered spend platform that empowers companies to operate with confidence. This position is not merely about administrative oversight; it is a role for a "player-coach" who thrives in an environment where builders become leaders. You will be responsible for scaling systems with speed and intention, balancing the immediate needs of product delivery with the long-term health of our technical architecture.

You will lead high-performing teams across critical domains—whether that is driving our Salesforce ecosystem, securing our platform against emerging threats, or fueling our growth engine through Acquisition and Activation workflows. Your impact will be measured by your ability to translate complex business requirements into scalable technical roadmaps, mentor engineers to reach their full potential, and collaborate deeply with Product, Design, and Operations partners.

This role sits at the intersection of technical excellence and strategic execution. Whether you are designing systems for millions of financial transactions or creating frictionless onboarding journeys for startups and enterprises like DoorDash and Flexport, you will be expected to push limits and challenge the status quo. At Brex, we value high autonomy, and you will be empowered to make architectural decisions that shape the future of financial technology.

Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Preparing for an Engineering Manager interview at Brex requires a shift in mindset. You need to demonstrate that you are a seasoned leader who has not lost touch with the craft of engineering. The interviewers are looking for evidence that you can operate at a high strategic level while understanding the "nuts and bolts" of the systems your team builds.

We evaluate candidates based on several core criteria:

Technical Leadership & Architectural Judgment You must demonstrate the ability to guide technical decisions without necessarily writing every line of code. Interviewers will assess how you evaluate trade-offs in distributed systems, how you ensure reliability in financial software, and how you champion an AI-native vision in your technical strategy.

People Management & Team Building We look for a "servant leader" approach. You will be evaluated on your track record of hiring diverse talent, managing performance, and fostering an inclusive culture. You should be ready to discuss how you grow engineers from mid-level to senior roles and how you handle difficult conversations with empathy and clarity.

Operational Excellence & Execution Brex moves fast. You need to show how you manage project timelines, handle cross-functional dependencies, and deliver high-quality software in a hybrid, fast-paced environment. We value leaders who can create processes that reduce friction rather than add bureaucracy.

Product & Business Acumen Engineering at Brex does not happen in a silo. You will be tested on your ability to partner with GTM and Product leaders to drive business outcomes. You should be able to articulate how technical decisions impact the bottom line, customer experience, and our competitive advantage in the fintech space.

Interview Process Overview

The interview process for an Engineering Manager at Brex is rigorous and designed to test both your leadership philosophy and your technical competence. It generally begins with a Recruiter Screen to align on your background and interest, followed by a Hiring Manager Screen where you will discuss your management experience and the specific scope of the role (e.g., Security, Activation, or Salesforce).

Following the initial screens, you will move into a comprehensive interview loop. Unlike some EM roles at other companies that are purely behavioral, Brex places a significant emphasis on technical ability. You should expect a System Design round where you will architect a solution relevant to our domain (fintech/payments/workflow). There will also be dedicated sessions for People Management, Project Retrospectives, and a "Topgrading" or Career History interview that dives deep into your professional journey and decision-making patterns over time.

This timeline illustrates a standard flow, though specific steps may vary slightly depending on the team (e.g., Security Engineering may have more specific domain questions). Use this visual to pace your preparation; ensure you are technically sharp for the middle stages and ready to discuss your leadership narrative in depth for the final rounds.

Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

To succeed, you must be prepared to discuss specific competencies in detail. Based on candidate reports and our hiring philosophy, here are the major areas you will be evaluated on.

System Design & Architecture

For an Engineering Manager, we do not expect you to code the solution live, but we do expect you to design it. You must show you can build systems that are secure, reliable, and scalable.

Be ready to go over:

• Data Consistency: How to handle transactions where data integrity is non-negotiable (e.g., double-entry ledgers).
• Scalability: Designing systems that handle high throughput for global payments or real-time spend management.
• Integration Patterns: How to architect systems that integrate with third-party tools (like Salesforce) or legacy banking infrastructure.
• Advanced concepts: Event-driven architecture, idempotency in payments, and AI/agentic implementation strategies.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Design a real-time expense notification system that scales to millions of users."
• "How would you architect a system to handle corporate card transaction clearing ensuring zero data loss?"
• "Design an onboarding flow that verifies business identity instantly using third-party APIs."

People Management & Culture

This is the core of the role. You need to show that you can build and sustain a healthy, high-performing engineering organization.

Be ready to go over:

• Performance Management: specific examples of managing high performers and turning around underperformers.
• Hiring Strategy: How you identify "bar-raising" talent and pitch them on the Brex vision.
• Team Structure: How you organize teams for autonomy and speed.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Tell me about a time you had to manage a low-performing engineer out of the team."
• "How do you resolve conflicts between two senior engineers who disagree on an architectural direction?"
• "Describe how you have improved team morale during a period of high pressure or reorganization."

Execution & Cross-Functional Collaboration

You will be asked how you get things done. This area tests your ability to deliver software while managing stakeholders in Product, Design, and Sales.

Be ready to go over:

• Project Management: How you prioritize technical debt against new feature development.
• Stakeholder Management: specific examples of negotiating roadmaps with Product Managers.
• Incident Management: How you handle production outages and lead post-mortems.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Describe a project that was behind schedule. How did you handle it and what was the outcome?"
• "How do you decide when to build a custom solution versus buying an off-the-shelf tool?"
• "Tell me about a time you had to say 'no' to a critical request from a stakeholder."

The word cloud above highlights the most frequent themes in our interview feedback. You will notice a heavy emphasis on "Scalability," "Leadership," "System," and "Collaboration." This indicates that while technical skills are vital, your ability to apply them in a team context is equally important. Prioritize your stories that blend technical problem-solving with people leadership.

Key Responsibilities

As an Engineering Manager at Brex, your daily work involves a dynamic mix of strategy, people leadership, and technical oversight. You are responsible for owning your outcomes and driving excellence at every level.

You will lead a team of engineers to design, build, and scale critical systems. For a role in Activation, this means creating seamless onboarding workflows that help customers realize value quickly. In Security, it involves building a world-class security program that protects our customers and staff. In Salesforce or Acquisition, you are building the engines that power our Go-to-Market strategy and growth. You will ensure these systems are not just functional but are architected for long-term scale and reliability.

Collaboration is key. You will partner closely with functional leaders in Product, Design, and Operations to translate business needs into technical reality. You are expected to be a strategic partner, helping to define the "what" and "why" before your team executes the "how." You will also act as a mentor, conducting 1:1s, guiding career development, and fostering an inclusive environment where engineers can do the best work of their careers.

Role Requirements & Qualifications

We are looking for leaders who have "been there and done that" but are still eager to build.

• Technical Experience: You should have a strong background in software engineering, ideally with experience in distributed systems, cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP), or enterprise-grade platforms. For specific roles, experience with Salesforce development, security operations, or growth engineering is highly valued.
• Management Experience: typically 2+ years of direct people management experience is required, with a proven track record of leading teams of 5+ engineers.
• Strategic Thinking: The ability to balance speed of delivery with long-term architectural health. You should be comfortable with ambiguity and able to set a clear vision for your team.
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills are a must. We value the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

Nice-to-have skills:

• Experience in Fintech, Payments, or Banking sectors.
• Experience leading teams in a remote or hybrid environment.
• Hands-on experience with AI/ML integration in product features.

Common Interview Questions

The following questions are representative of what you might face. They are designed to test your experience and thought process. Do not memorize answers; instead, use these to practice structuring your thoughts.

Behavioral & Leadership

• "Tell me about a time you had to deliver a critical project under a tight deadline with limited resources."
• "How do you handle a situation where your team is burned out, but the business requires a push?"
• "Describe a time you made a hiring mistake. How did you handle it?"
• "Give an example of how you have fostered diversity and inclusion in your previous teams."
• "How do you coach a senior engineer who is technically brilliant but lacks soft skills?"

System Design & Technical

• "Design a system for detecting fraudulent transactions in real-time."
• "How would you re-architect a monolithic application into microservices for better scalability?"
• "We need to integrate a new banking partner API that is unreliable. How do you design our system to handle this?"
• "Discuss the trade-offs between SQL and NoSQL databases for a transaction ledger."

Strategy & Execution

• "How do you balance technical debt remediation with feature work on your roadmap?"
• "A Product Manager wants to ship a feature that you know will cause scalability issues later. How do you handle this?"
• "Describe your process for quarterly planning and OKR setting."

These questions are based on real interview experiences from candidates who interviewed at this company. You can practice answering them interactively on Dataford to better prepare for your interview.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How technical is the Engineering Manager interview? The interview is quite technical. While you won't be writing production code, you will have a System Design round and are expected to hold your own in technical discussions. We believe strong managers must understand the technical challenges their teams face.

Q: What is the remote/hybrid work policy? Brex operates in a hybrid environment. Specific roles are often based in hubs like Seattle, San Francisco, or New York, requiring coordinated days in the office (typically Wednesday/Thursday, expanding to three days in 2026). However, we also offer "work from anywhere" weeks. Check the specific job posting for exact location requirements.

Q: What makes a candidate stand out? Candidates who stand out combine strong technical judgment with a "founder mentality." They show a deep sense of ownership and can discuss how their work impacts the broader business. Experience with AI or scaling high-growth products is a significant differentiator.

Q: How long does the process take? The process typically takes 3-5 weeks from the initial screen to the final offer. We move with speed and intention, aiming to provide feedback quickly after each round.

Other General Tips

• Focus on Impact: When answering behavioral questions, always pivot to the impact your actions had on the business. Use metrics (e.g., "reduced latency by 20%", "increased conversion by 15%") whenever possible.
• Embrace the "Builder" Mindset: Brex values managers who are close to the work. Don't be afraid to show that you still get your hands dirty, whether that's reviewing code, diving into logs, or prototyping.
• Know the Product: Before your interview, familiarize yourself with Brex's product suite (Corporate Cards, Spend Management, Bill Pay). Understanding our customer base—from startups to enterprises—will help you answer strategic questions better.
• Structure Your Design Answers: In the system design round, start with requirements, then move to high-level design, data models, and finally, component deep dives. Don't jump straight to technology choices without explaining why.

Summary & Next Steps

Becoming an Engineering Manager at Brex is an opportunity to lead at the forefront of fintech and AI. You will be challenged to build systems that manage billions in spend and lead teams that are defining the future of corporate finance. This role demands a unique blend of technical expertise, strategic vision, and empathetic leadership.

The salary range for this position is typically between $240,000 and $375,000 USD, depending on the specific level (e.g., Senior EM) and location. This base salary is complemented by equity and benefits, reflecting our commitment to rewarding high impact.

To prepare, focus on articulating your leadership philosophy and sharpening your system design skills. Review your past projects and be ready to discuss what went well, what failed, and what you would do differently today. Approach the process with confidence—we are looking for leaders who are ready to dream big and build fast. For more insights and community-driven data, you can visit Dataford. Good luck!