1. What is a Project Manager at Uber?

At Uber, the role often titled Program Manager or Technical Program Manager (TPM) goes far beyond simple task tracking. You are the operational and strategic engine that propels complex, cross-functional initiatives. whether you are scaling GenAI data collection pipelines, optimizing Global Mobility quality strategies, or driving engineering reliability for the Delivery Marketplace, your job is to bring order to chaos and speed to execution.

Uber operates at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds, meaning your projects have immediate, tangible impacts on millions of earners and riders globally. You are expected to act as a bridge between engineering, product, operations, legal, and data science. The company values leaders who can "see the forest and the trees"—managing high-level strategy while diving deep into operational bottlenecks to ensure delivery.

This role requires a unique blend of "startup hustle" and enterprise-level rigor. You are not just following a process; you are often building the process from scratch in ambiguous environments. Whether you are managing AI data operations or employee relations technology, you are a business owner responsible for the end-to-end success of your program.

2. Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Preparation for Uber is about demonstrating that you can move fast, use data to make decisions, and lead without formal authority. You should approach your preparation with a focus on "impact" rather than just "activity."

Execution Excellence – You must demonstrate the ability to translate high-level objectives (like client SOWs or strategic roadmaps) into executable plans. Interviewers evaluate how you scope timelines, manage budgets, and handle operational bottlenecks in real-time.

Stakeholder Management – Uber is a matrixed organization. You will be evaluated on your ability to influence cross-functional partners—from engineering leads to external vendors—to align on goals. You need to show how you manage conflict and drive consensus.

Data-Driven Decision Making – "Gut feeling" is not enough at Uber. You will be assessed on your ability to define KPIs, monitor dashboards, and use quantitative insights to identify issues early and drive corrective action.

Uber Cultural Values – The company places heavy emphasis on its cultural norms, such as "Go Get It," "Build with Heart," and "Trip Obsessed." You must demonstrate resilience and an owner’s mindset.

3. Interview Process Overview

The interview process at Uber is rigorous and designed to test your ability to handle scale and ambiguity. It typically begins with a recruiter screen to align on your background and interest, followed by a video screen with a hiring manager. This initial screen often digs deep into a specific project you have led to assess your core program management competencies.

If you pass the screen, you will move to the "onsite" loop (currently conducted remotely). This loop consists of 4 to 5 separate interviews, each focusing on a specific competency: Program Execution, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Problem Solving/Strategy, and Uber Values. For Technical Program Manager roles, expect a dedicated session on System Design or Technical Proficiency, where you must demonstrate an understanding of architecture and dependencies even if you are not coding.

Uber’s philosophy is rooted in "bar-raising." You may encounter an interviewer from a different organization whose sole job is to ensure you meet the company’s high standards, unbiased by the hiring team’s immediate need. Expect a fast-paced environment where interviewers will interrupt you to ask clarifying questions or challenge your assumptions.

This timeline illustrates a standard progression, but keep in mind that Uber moves quickly. Between the onsite and the offer, the team meets for a debrief to discuss your performance across all competencies. Consistency in your stories and behavioral examples is vital.

4. Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

Uber interviewers use a structured rubric to evaluate candidates. You should prepare detailed examples for the following core areas.

Program Management & Execution

This is the "meat" of the interview. You need to prove you can take a vague problem and deliver a concrete solution. Be ready to go over:

• Scope and Ambiguity: How you define requirements when stakeholders are unsure of what they need.
• Risk Management: How you identify risks before they become issues and your mitigation strategies.
• Prioritization: Methodologies you use (e.g., RICE, MoSCoW) to decide what gets built now vs. later.
• Advanced concepts: Managing multi-country data collection programs or vendor-heavy workflows.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Describe a time you had to deliver a critical project under an impossible deadline. How did you handle the trade-offs?"
• "Tell me about a program you managed end-to-end. How did you define success, and what was the outcome?"
• "How do you handle scope creep from senior leadership during a freeze period?"

Stakeholder Management & Influence

You will work with diverse teams—Legal, Ops, Engineering, and Design. You must show you can align them. Be ready to go over:

• Conflict Resolution: Specific examples of disagreeing with Engineering or Product and how you resolved it.
• Communication: How you tailor status reports for executives versus technical teams.
• Vendor Management: Managing external workforce vendors or diverse contributor networks (crucial for Data/AI roles).

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Tell me about a time you had to influence a stakeholder who was strongly opposed to your proposal."
• "How do you handle a situation where an engineering team says a critical feature cannot be delivered on time?"
• "Describe a time you had to deliver bad news to a client or executive stakeholder."

Strategic Problem Solving & Data

Uber is a data company. You must show you can find the root cause of a problem. Be ready to go over:

• KPI Definition: How you choose metrics that actually drive business value (e.g., reducing participant churn vs. just tracking signups).
• Root Cause Analysis: Using the "5 Whys" or similar frameworks to diagnose operational failures.
• Process Improvement: How you codify learnings into playbooks or SOPs for repeatability.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "We are seeing a 20% drop in data quality from a specific region. How would you investigate and fix this?"
• "How would you measure the success of a new driver onboarding program?"
• "Design a strategy to scale our GenAI data labeling capacity by 10x in three months."

The word cloud above highlights the frequency of terms like "Scale," "Stakeholders," "Data," and "Risk" in Uber interview feedback. This confirms that while technical skills are important, your ability to manage people and scale processes is the primary lens through which you are viewed.

5. Key Responsibilities

As a Project/Program Manager at Uber, your day-to-day work is dynamic. You are responsible for translating strategic intent into execution. For roles in AI and Data Collection, this means managing the lifecycle of datasets—from sourcing and vendor management to quality control and delivery for LLM training. You act as the central point of contact, ensuring that data meets strict accuracy thresholds and privacy laws across dozens of countries.

In Technical Program Manager (TPM) roles, you sit closer to the engineering stack. You lead large-scale, cross-team technical initiatives, such as improving the reliability of the Delivery Marketplace or modernizing Employee Relations systems. You are expected to monitor collection KPIs, solve operational bottlenecks (like equipment issues or location access), and build the "playbooks" that allow Uber to repeat successes globally. You do not just run the project; you influence the tech roadmap to build better tools for the future.

6. Role Requirements & Qualifications

Uber hires for a mix of hard skills and behavioral traits. The bar is high for operational rigor.

Must-have skills:

• Experience: Typically 5-8+ years in program management, TPM, or engineering management, often in high-growth or "big tech" environments.
• Operational Rigor: Proven ability to manage complex, multi-modal projects (e.g., audio, image, text data) or large-scale software deployments.
• Data Proficiency: Ability to use SQL, Tableau, or similar tools to pull your own data and build dashboards. You should not rely solely on analysts.
• Communication: Exceptional written and verbal skills; ability to write clear "PR/FAQs" or internal strategy docs.

Nice-to-have skills:

• Domain Expertise: Background in AI/ML, Data Annotation, Global Mobility, or Labor Relations depending on the specific team.
• Vendor Management: Experience scaling operations through external workforce vendors.
• Startup Experience: A background in environments where "speed and hustle" matter more than rigid process is highly valued.

7. Common Interview Questions

These questions are drawn from candidate data and reflect the "behavioral + hypothetical" mix typical of Uber. Do not memorize answers; instead, prepare STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) stories that highlight your ownership and impact.

Behavioral & Leadership

• "Tell me about a time you took a calculated risk that failed. What did you learn?"
• "Describe a situation where you had to step up and lead a project outside of your defined scope."
• "Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult coworker or stakeholder. How did you resolve the tension?"
• "Give an example of how you fostered an inclusive culture within your project team."
• "Tell me about a time you had to pivot your strategy halfway through a project due to external factors."

Execution & Situational

• "Imagine you are launching a new data collection program in a country where we have no presence. Walk me through your first 30 days."
• "You notice that a critical dependency team is consistently missing their deadlines, putting your launch at risk. What do you do?"
• "How do you handle a request from a client that contradicts our internal privacy standards?"
• "If you have limited resources and three high-priority features requested by leadership, how do you determine which one to cut?"

Technical & Analytical (Role Dependent)

• "How would you design a dashboard to track the quality of GenAI data submissions in real-time?"
• "Explain a complex technical challenge you managed in the past. What was your role in the solution?"
• "How do you ensure data consistency across multiple vendor platforms?"

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.

8. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between a Program Manager and a Technical Program Manager (TPM) at Uber? A TPM at Uber is expected to have a stronger grasp of software architecture and engineering processes. While a Program Manager focuses on business execution, operations, and vendor management, a TPM works directly with engineering leads on system design, reliability, and technical dependencies.

Q: How important is domain knowledge (e.g., AI, Mobility)? While domain knowledge is a strong plus (especially for the AI Data Collection roles), Uber values core program management competencies—scaling, structure, and problem-solving—above all. If you can demonstrate you learn complex domains quickly, you can still succeed.

Q: Is the work environment fully remote? Many of the current postings for Program Manager roles at Uber are listed as Remote, specifically for teams like AI Data Collection and Tech. However, Uber has specific "hubs," and expectations may vary by team. Always clarify this with your recruiter.

Q: How does Uber evaluate "Culture Fit"? Uber looks for "Culture Add" rather than just fit. They want people who embody values like "Go Get It" (bias for action) and "Stand for Safety." Be prepared to show how you operate with integrity and grit.

Q: What is the "Bar Raiser"? Similar to Amazon, Uber often utilizes an interviewer from a completely different team to assess you. Their goal is to ensure you raise the average performance of the company. They will likely focus heavily on your behavioral traits and problem-solving mechanisms.

9. Other General Tips

Know the "Uber Values" inside out: Do not just read them; map your personal stories to them. If you are asked about a challenge, frame your solution through the lens of being "Trip Obsessed" (customer-centric) or "Building with Heart."

Be Data-First: When answering hypothetical questions (e.g., "How would you launch X?"), immediately ask what data is available or state what metrics you would look at first. Uber is an empirical culture; decisions without data are viewed as weak.

Demonstrate "Hustle": The job descriptions explicitly mention thriving in environments where "speed and hustle... matter more than rigid process." Avoid sounding like a bureaucratic administrator. emphasize how you unblocked teams, even if it meant doing the work yourself.

Prepare for "Ambiguity": You will likely face a question where the prompt is vague. This is a test. Do not jump to a solution. Pause, ask clarifying questions, define the scope, and then propose a structured approach.

10. Summary & Next Steps

Securing a Project/Program Manager role at Uber is a significant achievement. It places you at the center of a company that is redefining global mobility and artificial intelligence. The role demands a rare combination of high-level strategic thinking and low-level operational grit. You will be challenged to manage scale, navigate complexity, and drive results that impact the real world.

To succeed, focus your preparation on your ability to execute independently, influence without authority, and leverage data. Review your past experiences and identify moments where you turned chaos into structure. Practice articulating these stories clearly, ensuring the "Result" is quantifiable and significant.

The compensation data above reflects the competitive nature of these roles. At Uber, total compensation often includes a significant equity component, linking your success directly to the company's performance. Approach the process with confidence—you are applying to be a business owner, not just a task manager. Good luck!