Expedia Group Technical Program Manager interview questions & guide 2026

The questions below represent common themes observed in recent interviews. While specific inquiries will vary based on the team's current initiatives, expect a focus on your ability to handle scale, influence without authority, and navigate technical complexity.

Technical and System Design

These questions evaluate your ability to understand distributed systems and the technical trade-offs inherent in large-scale travel platforms.

• How would you design a system to handle high-concurrency booking traffic during peak travel seasons?
• Describe a time you had to manage a technical dependency that threatened a project timeline.

Preparation for Expedia Group requires a shift from simple task management to strategic program leadership. You must demonstrate that you can see the "big picture" without losing sight of the technical details that keep the systems running.

Technical Fluency – You must be comfortable discussing system architecture and data flows. Even if you are not writing code, you will be evaluated on your ability to challenge engineering assumptions and understand the technical implications of your program decisions.

Strategic Execution – Interviewers look for your ability to manage complex dependencies across multiple teams. You should be prepared to discuss how you prioritize work, mitigate risks, and ensure that your programs remain aligned with broader company objectives.

Influencing and Communication – As a Technical Program Manager, you will often lead without direct authority. You must demonstrate how you build consensus, communicate technical risks to non-technical stakeholders, and keep cross-functional teams aligned toward a common goal.

The interview process at Expedia Group is designed to be thorough, ensuring that candidates possess both the technical depth and the collaborative mindset required to succeed in a matrixed organization. You should expect a rigorous evaluation that moves from initial alignment to deep-dive sessions with various stakeholders.

The process typically begins with an HR screen followed by a conversation with the hiring manager. This initial phase focuses on your background and alignment with the team's mission. If successful, you will move into a series of interviews that cover technical problem-solving, program management methodology, and behavioral assessments. The pace is deliberate, and you should expect to be evaluated against a high bar of peer performance.

This timeline illustrates the progression from initial screening to deeper technical and leadership evaluations. Use this to pace your preparation, ensuring you have refreshed your knowledge of system design concepts before the middle stages and prepared your "leadership stories" for the final rounds.

Program Lifecycle Management

This area tests your ability to take a program from inception to delivery. Strong candidates demonstrate a structured approach to planning, execution, and monitoring.

Be ready to go over:

• Risk Mitigation – How you proactively identify and address potential blockers.
• Dependency Tracking – How you manage inter-team workflows.
• Reporting – How you keep leadership informed of status, risks, and health.

Example scenarios:

• "How do you define success metrics for a technical program?"
• "Describe your process for managing a project that is slipping behind schedule."

Technical Problem-Solving

You will be tested on your ability to think through complex system problems under constraints. You do not need to be a software engineer, but you must think like one.

Be ready to go over:

• System Architecture – Understanding how services interact.
• Scalability – Designing for growth and high-traffic events.
• Data Integrity – Ensuring consistency across distributed systems.

Example scenarios:

• "How would you handle a production incident that impacts multiple downstream services?"
• "Explain a complex technical issue you encountered and how you communicated the resolution to non-technical partners."

As a Technical Program Manager, your day-to-day work centers on orchestration. You will spend a significant amount of time aligning engineering roadmaps with business product goals. This involves driving the "how" and "when" of delivery, ensuring that teams have clear requirements and that dependencies are mapped across the organization.

You will act as the primary point of contact for project status, acting as a buffer between engineering teams and product leadership. You are expected to facilitate planning sessions, lead retrospectives, and drive continuous improvement in development processes. Your success is defined by the seamless delivery of features and the stability of the platforms you manage.

To be competitive for a Technical Program Manager position at Expedia Group, you need a balance of technical expertise and organizational maturity.

• Must-have skills:
  • Proven experience managing complex, cross-functional technical programs.
  • Strong understanding of SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) and Agile methodologies.
  • Ability to communicate technical concepts to diverse audiences.
  • Experience with stakeholder management in a large, matrixed organization.
• Nice-to-have skills:
  • Experience in the travel or e-commerce industry.
  • Background in cloud-based infrastructure or platform engineering.
  • Familiarity with data-driven decision-making tools and methodologies.

Q: How long should I spend preparing for the interviews? A: Most candidates find that 3–4 weeks of focused preparation is ideal. This allows time to review system design concepts and practice storytelling for behavioral questions.

Q: What is the most important trait for a TPM at Expedia Group? A: The ability to influence without authority is paramount. You must be able to gain buy-in from engineering teams and product stakeholders alike to drive projects to completion.

Q: Is there a specific technical stack I need to know? A: While specific languages are less important than fundamental architecture knowledge, understanding distributed systems and how they interact at scale is essential for success.

Q: What is the typical timeline from the first screen to an offer? A: While it varies, the process generally takes several weeks. It is a thorough, multi-stage loop, so be prepared for a marathon, not a sprint.

• Own your impact: When discussing projects, use "I" instead of "we." Interviewers want to know what you specifically did to move the needle.
• Be data-driven: Always back up your claims with metrics. Whether it is reducing latency or improving team velocity, quantify your results whenever possible.
• Understand the "Why": Don't just explain what you did; explain why it was the right decision for the business at that time.
• Prepare for ambiguity: You will likely face open-ended questions. Don't be afraid to ask clarifying questions to narrow the scope before jumping into a solution.

The Technical Program Manager role at Expedia Group is a high-impact position that sits at the heart of global travel technology. Success in this role requires a blend of technical depth, strategic vision, and the ability to lead diverse, cross-functional teams toward a unified goal. By mastering your ability to articulate your past experiences through the lens of program lifecycle management and technical influence, you will be well-positioned to excel.

For further insights, practice questions, and strategic guidance, you can explore additional interview resources on Dataford. Stay focused, be deliberate in your preparation, and remember that your ability to solve complex problems and lead through influence is exactly what the team is looking for.

The salary data provided reflects current market ranges for the Technical Program Manager role. Use these figures to understand the compensation landscape and as a benchmark during your own offer negotiations, keeping in mind that total compensation may include base salary, performance bonuses, and equity components based on your specific level and location.