The Software Engineer role at Poka EN is a unique and highly impactful position that sits at the intersection of digital technology and physical operations. In this role, you are responsible for building, maintaining, and scaling the critical systems that keep properties running smoothly. Your work directly influences how teams interact with physical environments, bridging the gap between digital workflows and real-world execution.

At Poka EN, software engineering goes beyond writing clean code. You will build and optimize platforms that manage both the user-facing "front" of operations and the highly complex, "behind-the-scenes" backend infrastructure. Because our systems directly support property managers, maintenance staff, and operational supervisors, your technical decisions have an immediate, tangible impact on daily operations and overall system reliability.

This position is ideal for engineers who thrive on solving real-world, operational challenges and enjoy seeing their software drive physical efficiency. You will work in a dynamic environment where adaptability is key, collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to ensure that our technology remains robust, scalable, and deeply aligned with our organizational mission.

The following questions are representative of what you can expect during the hiring process. They are drawn from real reported interview experiences at Poka EN and are grouped to help you identify key patterns in how candidates are evaluated.

System Reliability & Maintenance

This category tests your ability to design, maintain, and troubleshoot systems that keep operations running smoothly. Interviewers want to see how you approach system health and backend reliability.

• How do you approach supervising and maintaining critical technical workflows to ensure zero downtime?
• Describe a time you had to diagnose a system failure that was affecting end-users. What was your process?

To succeed in the Poka EN interview process, you must prepare to demonstrate a blend of technical capability, operational empathy, and adaptability. Your interviewers will look for signals that you can not only write high-quality software but also understand the real-world environments where your software is deployed.

Technical & Operational Competence – You must show a deep understanding of system architecture. Be ready to discuss how you design systems that are both user-friendly on the frontend and highly reliable on the backend.

Adaptability & Leadership – Because our environments can change rapidly, you need to demonstrate that you can self-direct, handle leadership transitions smoothly, and step up to guide technical workflows when necessary.

Cross-Functional Communication – You will interact with a variety of stakeholders, from the General Manager (GM) to maintenance staff. Your ability to translate technical concepts into practical, operational language is highly valued.

Mission Alignment – We look for engineers who are genuinely excited about our mission and want to actively participate in our collaborative, team-oriented culture.

The interview process at Poka EN is designed to evaluate both your technical qualifications and your cultural alignment with the team. Candidates often describe the process as highly personal, collaborative, and structured to give you a clear picture of the environment you will be working in.

The process typically begins with an operational and technical discussion led by the Engineering Supervisor (or a stand-in interviewer if the role is undergoing a transition). In this initial conversation, you will discuss your qualifications, technical background, and your approach to managing system responsibilities. A distinctive element of this stage is a walkthrough of the system layouts—helping you visualize the "front" of the operations that users see, as well as the "behind-the-scenes" infrastructure where the core engineering work happens.

Following the technical discussions, you will meet with the Human Resources department to discuss compensation structures, career growth, and organizational alignment. The final stage is a unique, highly collaborative "welcome interview" or onboarding-style session. This stage brings together new team members, the General Manager (GM), and other staff for breakfast, coffee, team-building games, and a deep dive into the company's mission statement.

The timeline module above outlines the typical progression from your initial technical screen to the final collaborative session. You should use this timeline to pace your preparation, focusing first on your technical storytelling and system architecture knowledge, and later on your behavioral and cultural alignment. Note that while the sequence remains consistent, the specific team members you meet with can vary depending on active leadership structures.

System Architecture & "Behind the Scenes" Infrastructure

This area evaluates your ability to understand, build, and maintain complex technical systems. You must demonstrate that you can manage the distinct requirements of user-facing systems and backend operational infrastructure.

Be ready to go over:

• Frontend vs. Backend Separation – How you design clean interfaces for non-technical users while maintaining robust, high-performing backend systems.
• System Monitoring & Reliability – Your approach to tracking system health, predicting failures, and ensuring continuous operational uptime.
• Operational Workflows – How you map physical real-world processes into digital software architectures.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Real-time data synchronization, IoT integration for physical properties, and legacy system modernization.

Example scenarios:

• Designing a real-time notification system that alerts maintenance staff of system failures.
• Walk an interviewer through how you would scale a database that handles high volumes of operational logs from physical locations.

Technical Leadership & Team Integration

This area focuses on your ability to supervise technical workflows, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and integrate seamlessly into the existing staff structure.

Be ready to go over:

• Supervisory Experience – How you guide, mentor, and organize the work of other technical or operational staff.
• Stakeholder Management – Your strategies for collaborating with property managers, supervisors, and executive leadership.
• Conflict Resolution – How you handle disagreements regarding technical priorities or system maintenance schedules.

Example scenarios:

• Managing a situation where a critical system update must be deployed, but property managers are concerned about temporary operational disruptions.
• How you would onboard and guide a junior engineer through the "behind-the-scenes" layout of your systems.

Adaptability & Mission Alignment

This evaluation area looks at how you navigate ambiguity, handle compensation and role discussions, and align your personal working style with the company's core mission.

Be ready to go over:

• Navigating Ambiguity – How you perform and make decisions when a direct engineering supervisor is not immediately present or when leadership is transitioning.
• Cultural Participation – Your willingness to engage in collaborative, team-oriented environments (such as group sessions, games, and shared meals).
• Value Alignment – How you connect your personal engineering philosophy with the company's mission statement.

Example scenarios:

• Describe a time you had to take ownership of a project during a period of organizational transition.
• How do you prepare for a collaborative team session where you must present your goals to executive leaders like the GM?