Applied Science Manager Phone Screen — Project Deep-Dive + Leadership BQ

Hour-long Applied Science Manager (Seller org) phone screen split roughly 30/30: a resume-driven deep-dive on two projects (one technical, one management) followed by manager-flavored behavioral questions. No algorithm testing — the graded signal is whether you genuinely led the work and can defend decisions through multi-layer why/how/what-if probing. Requirements Format: 60 minutes — roughly 30 minutes resume / project deep-dive, 30 minutes leadership behavioral. No self-introduction; the interviewer pre-reads the resume and picks two projects. Technical-project probes (search-ranking example): why the project and the business pain; which decisions were yours; why this model over alternatives; definition of success plus the offline and online metrics; A/B test design; how you would debug when online results miss expectations; the hardest technical challenge and its resolution; what you would improve on a redo. Management-project probes: team size and structure; how you set technical direction and roadmap; cross-functional coordination with PM / engineering / business; project prioritization; how you measure team success. Behavioral stems: resolving a conflict within your team; coaching a low performer; motivating a team through a difficult project or low morale; a difficult leadership decision you made. Notes STAR alone does not end a question — expect recursive follow-ups: why that approach, alternatives considered, what you would change, quantified outcomes, how the team member evolved, lessons learned. Stories where you were not the primary decision-maker unravel quickly under this pattern. Every resume project should sustain 10–15 minutes of continuous why / how / what-if questioning. Pacing is brisk but the tone friendly; with behavioral taking half the hour, thin management experience is exposed heavily. Preparation For each resume project, script a 10–15 minute walkthrough covering motivation, your specific decisions, offline and online metrics, experiment design, and one debugging story. Build a manager story bank — team conflict, low performer, morale dip, hard call — each with a quantified result and an explicit lessons-learned beat.