1. What is an Operations Manager at Uber?

At Uber, the Operations Manager role is the heartbeat of the business. Unlike operations roles at traditional companies that focus primarily on maintenance and administration, an Operations Manager at Uber is essentially a "business owner" for a specific vertical, region, or product line. You are responsible for the P&L, growth strategy, and day-to-day execution of your scope, whether that is Uber Eats, Uber for Business, or Mobility.

This position sits at the intersection of data analytics, strategy, and on-the-ground execution. You will not only identify high-level strategic opportunities—such as how to enter a new retail market or how to optimize driver incentives—but you will also build the processes to make them happen. You will work cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Legal, and Marketing to launch pilots, scale successful experiments, and solve complex logistical problems in real-time.

Expect a role that demands high analytical rigor and the ability to navigate ambiguity. You might spend your morning writing a SQL query to diagnose a drop in merchant reliability and your afternoon pitching a new go-to-market strategy to senior leadership. For candidates, this is an opportunity to drive tangible impact on a platform that moves millions of people and goods daily.

2. Getting Ready for Your Interviews

To succeed in Uber’s interview process, you must shift your mindset from "answering questions" to "solving business problems." Uber looks for candidates who can take a vague, messy problem and structure it into a clear, data-backed solution.

Focus your preparation on these key evaluation criteria:

Data-Driven Decision Making – Uber is an intensely data-focused company. You must demonstrate that you do not rely on gut feeling. Interviewers will evaluate your ability to identify the right metrics, interpret complex datasets, and use that data to justify your strategic recommendations. Proficiency in tools like SQL and Excel is often tested directly.

Strategic Problem Solving – You will face ambiguous scenarios (e.g., "Supply is down in Chicago, but demand is up. What do you do?"). Interviewers assess your ability to break these problems down into component parts (root cause analysis), prioritize solutions based on impact and effort, and propose a scalable path forward.

Execution and "Hustle" – Strategy is useless without execution. You need to show that you can roll up your sleeves and get things done. This includes managing stakeholders, overcoming operational bottlenecks, and driving projects to completion under tight deadlines.

Uber Values (Cultural Fit) – Be ready to demonstrate alignment with Uber’s cultural norms, such as "Go Get It," "Trip Obsessed," and "Stand for what you believe in." They look for owners who are resilient, collaborative, and direct.

3. Interview Process Overview

The interview process for an Operations Manager at Uber is rigorous and structured designed to test both your analytical hard skills and your strategic soft skills. It typically moves at a steady pace, and the company values efficiency. You can expect a process that prioritizes practical ability over theoretical knowledge.

After an initial recruiter screen, you will likely face a hiring manager screen that digs into your background and interest in the specific vertical (e.g., Grocery, Retail, or Advertising). Following this, many candidates are asked to complete a Analytics Test or a Take-Home Case Study. This step is critical; it tests your ability to manipulate data (often requiring SQL or advanced Excel) and derive business insights. If you pass, you will move to the final "loop."

The final round usually consists of 3–5 back-to-back interviews. These will include a presentation of your case study (if applicable), a "Jam Session" (a live business case discussion), and behavioral rounds focused on leadership and values. The "Jam Session" is distinct to Uber: it is a collaborative problem-solving session where the interviewer acts as a peer to solve a real-world Uber problem.

This timeline illustrates the typical progression from application to offer. Note the emphasis on the Case Study/Analytics Assessment stage; this is often the biggest filter in the process. Ensure you allocate significant time to preparing for this technical hurdle before moving to the final behavioral rounds.

4. Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

Uber’s interview process is designed to minimize bias and focus on core competencies. Based on candidate reports and internal standards, you should prepare for the following deep dives.

Analytical & Technical Proficiency

This is the table stakes for the role. You must prove you can find the truth in the numbers.

Be ready to go over:

• SQL & Data Manipulation – Writing queries to pull data, joining tables, and cleaning messy datasets.
• Metric Selection – Defining success metrics for a new product launch or operational change (e.g., "What is the primary metric for Uber Eats reliability?").
• Experimentation – Designing A/B tests, understanding statistical significance, and interpreting results.
• Advanced concepts – Cohort analysis, funnel optimization, and marketplace balancing (supply vs. demand).

Example questions or scenarios:

• "How would you measure the success of a new loyalty program for Uber One?"
• "We noticed a 10% drop in driver acceptances in NYC last Tuesday. How would you investigate this?"
• "Here is a dataset of ride times. Calculate the average ETA and identify outliers."

Strategic Business Intuition (The "Jam Session")

This area tests your ability to think like a General Manager. You will be given an open-ended problem and asked to navigate it live.

Be ready to go over:

• Marketplace Dynamics – Understanding the relationship between pricing, supply (drivers/couriers), and demand (riders/eaters).
• Unit Economics – analyzing profitability per trip, customer acquisition costs (CAC), and lifetime value (LTV).
• Root Cause Analysis – Structuring a logic tree to isolate the source of a business problem.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Uber is considering launching a grocery delivery service in a new country. Walk me through your go-to-market strategy."
• "Competitor X just lowered their prices by 20%. How should we respond?"
• "How would you prioritize which new retail merchants to onboard next quarter?"

Leadership & Stakeholder Management

As an Operations Manager, you often have to influence product teams, engineering, and external partners without having direct authority over them.

Be ready to go over:

• Cross-functional influence – Convincing a Product Manager to prioritize a feature that helps Operations.
• Conflict resolution – Managing disagreements on strategy or timelines.
• Project Management – handling multiple workstreams and communicating status effectively.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Tell me about a time you had to convince a stakeholder to take a different approach using data."
• "Describe a situation where a project was failing. How did you get it back on track?"
• "How do you handle competing priorities from different leadership teams?"

5. Key Responsibilities

The Operations Manager role at Uber is dynamic. While the specific vertical (e.g., Merchant Ops, Uber Advertising, Uber for Business) dictates the context, the core responsibilities remain consistent.

Strategy and Planning You will own the roadmap for your category or region. This involves analyzing market trends, setting targets for growth and efficiency, and defining the "playbook" for success. For example, in a Retail role, this might mean defining the strategy for onboarding SMBs versus Enterprise accounts.

Operational Execution & Process Improvement You are responsible for "keeping the lights on" and making the lights brighter. You will design scalable processes to manage merchant reliability, driver support, or sales enablement. You will often pilot a process manually, prove it works, and then work with product teams to automate it.

Data Analysis and Reporting You will spend a significant portion of your week in SQL, Excel, or internal dashboards. You are expected to monitor the health of your business in real-time, diagnose anomalies, and report performance to leadership. You act as the bridge between raw data and actionable business insights.

Cross-Functional Collaboration You will act as the glue between the physical world and the digital product. You will work with Sales to align on targets, with Product to fix bugs affecting users, and with Legal to ensure compliance in regulated markets.

6. Role Requirements & Qualifications

Candidates who succeed as Operations Managers at Uber typically possess a blend of "hard" analytical skills and "soft" leadership abilities.

Technical Skills

• SQL Proficiency – This is frequently a must-have. You should be comfortable writing your own queries to extract data without relying on data scientists for every request.
• Excel / Google Sheets – Advanced modeling skills (Index/Match, Pivot Tables, sensitivity analysis) are essential for business planning.
• Data Visualization – Experience with tools like Tableau or Looker is a strong plus.

Experience Level

• 3–6+ Years of Experience – Typically in management consulting, investment banking, business intelligence, or high-growth tech operations.
• Track Record of Impact – You need to show specific examples where your intervention led to measurable revenue growth or cost savings.

Soft Skills

• Structured Thinking – The ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and concisely (top-down communication).
• Resilience – Comfort working in a high-pressure, fast-paced environment where priorities shift rapidly.
• Ownership – A proactive nature; you don't wait for permission to fix a broken process.

7. Common Interview Questions

These questions are drawn from recent candidate experiences and the specific demands of the Operations Manager role. They are not a script, but a representation of the types of challenges you will face.

Behavioral & Leadership

• "Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision with incomplete information."
• "Describe a time you disagreed with a manager or senior stakeholder. How did you handle it?"
• "Give an example of a process you improved that resulted in significant time or cost savings."
• "Tell me about a time you failed to meet a goal. What did you learn?"
• "How do you prioritize your work when everything feels like a 'fire'?"

Operational & Strategy Cases (The "Jam Session")

• "Uber Eats delivery times have increased by 5 minutes in San Francisco. Walk me through how you would diagnose and fix this."
• "We want to launch a new 'Gifting' feature for holidays. What operational challenges do you foresee?"
• "Should Uber lower prices to gain market share in a new city, even if it means losing money in the short term?"
• "How would you segment the market for Uber for Business? Which segment would you target first?"
• "A merchant partner is threatening to leave the platform due to high fees. How do you handle the negotiation?"

Analytical & Technical

• "Here is a table of ride data. Write a SQL query to find the top 10 drivers by rating in the last month."
• "How would you calculate the lifetime value (LTV) of an Uber One subscriber?"
• "Explain how you would set up an A/B test to see if a new driver incentive structure works."

8. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How technical is the interview process? The process is moderately technical. While you aren't applying for a software engineering role, SQL is a core competency for most Ops roles at Uber. Expect a dedicated technical screen or a case study where you must analyze raw data. If your SQL is rusty, brush up on joins, aggregations, and window functions.

Q: What is the "Jam Session"? The Jam Session is a collaborative case interview. Unlike a traditional consulting case where you are "tested," this is meant to feel like a real working meeting. The interviewer wants to see how you brainstorm, how you accept feedback, and how you build on ideas. It’s about collaboration as much as the solution.

Q: Is this role remote? Uber has adopted a hybrid model for many roles, often requiring 3 days a week in a hub office (e.g., New York, San Francisco, Chicago). However, some specific postings (like the ones referenced) may be listed as "Remote" or have specific location flexibility. Always verify the specific requirements for your team.

Q: How does Uber Operations differ from other tech ops roles? At Uber, Ops is the "product" as much as the app is. You aren't just supporting the business; you are driving the core revenue engine. The autonomy and P&L responsibility are generally higher here than in similar roles at other big tech firms.

Q: What is the culture like? Uber’s culture is intense, fast-paced, and performance-driven. It values people who are direct, data-obsessed, and willing to work hard to achieve ambitious goals. It is less bureaucratic than older corporations but demands high accountability.

9. Other General Tips

Master the "Why Uber?" Don't give a generic answer. Connect your personal story to Uber’s mission. Whether it's the complexity of the logistics network or the impact on the gig economy, show that you understand the business model and are passionate about the specific problems they solve.

Structure is King When answering case questions, pause before you speak. Use a structure (e.g., "I'd look at this through three lenses: Supply, Demand, and Marketplace Reliability"). Writing down your structure on paper (or a whiteboard) helps keep you—and your interviewer—on track.

Be "Customer Obsessed" Whether your customer is a Rider, a Driver, a Merchant, or an Enterprise client, always bring your answers back to their experience. Uber values operational efficiency, but not at the expense of the user experience.

10. Summary & Next Steps

The Operations Manager role at Uber is a career-defining opportunity for those who love to blend strategy with execution. It is a position that offers immense ownership, allowing you to shape the future of urban mobility and commerce. To secure an offer, you need to prove you are a data-driven problem solver who can lead through ambiguity and deliver tangible results.

Focus your preparation on sharpening your SQL and analytical skills, practicing business cases (specifically marketplace dynamics), and refining your behavioral stories to highlight leadership and resilience. The candidates who stand out are those who can not only identify the "what" and "why" but can also detail the "how" of execution.

The salary data above provides a general range for Operations roles. Note that Uber’s compensation packages are often highly competitive and include significant components of equity (RSUs) and performance bonuses in addition to base salary. Seniority (L4 vs. L5) will heavily influence the total compensation, as will the specific location of the role.

You have the roadmap. Now, dive into the data, practice your cases, and go get it. Good luck!