Describe your experience managing technology programs and leading cross-functional teams.
This question is asked to assess the level of responsibility a technical program manager has had in previous roles. Some organizations use the terms project management and program management interchangeably, while others utilize program managers as senior leaders that bridge multiple projects together. Interviewers use a candidate's answer to determine if they are a fit for the scale of programs they will be required to lead at Facebook.
Remember to include examples of the various types of projects you have led including SaaS, web, mobile, cloud, integration, data warehousing, etc. Also, be sure to describe your experience leading both custom development and vendor implementation initiatives. Finally, it is helpful to offer the interviewer a sense of the scale of the programs or projects you had responsibility for. This includes the budgets you were responsible for, the cross-functional resources you led, and the user communities you served.
"I worked as an engineer developing financial solutions prior to transitioning into project management. I led our team's development efforts, and I was responsible for developer assignments and quality control. I partnered with a program manager regularly to develop strategy and better understand the needs of our clients.
I currently work for an insurance company and I was hired initially as a scrum master who worked with teams that developed mobile solutions for our customers. I led various projects, including introducing the ability to submit and monitor claims online.
I was promoted to program manager 6 months ago and I manage the mobile solution portfolio that serves a population of over one million customers. There are three scrum teams that I work with regularly and they each consist of 5-7 resources including project managers, scrum masters, engineers, and product owners. I manage a capital budget of 4 million annually and I also manage the budgets for our vendor contracts for the various cloud services we rely on."
