I just went through the Cisco engineering manager interview and wanted to write this up while it's fresh. There's not much out there for the EM role specifically, most posts are for ICs.
The loop was five rounds for a senior EM position in the Security Business Group. Here's what each one actually covered:
Hiring manager / bar-raiser (1hr): mostly about how you build teams. Not theory, specifics. 'Tell me about someone you've hired who wasn't an obvious fit but turned out great.' They probed pretty hard on how I structure onboarding and how I handle the first 90 days.
Technical depth (45min): they're not looking for you to code but they absolutely want to verify you can hold a technical conversation. We talked about network telemetry architecture, distributed systems tradeoffs, how I'd evaluate a proposal my team brought to me. If you're moving from a domain that isn't networking/security, study up on the business unit's domain before the loop.
Cross-functional partners (45min): this one felt like a culture fit check disguised as a competency interview. Two PMs asking about how I've handled roadmap conflicts and prioritization when engineering and product didn't agree. Be specific about process, not just outcomes.
People/performance (45min): real scenarios. 'Walk me through a performance improvement you had to manage.' 'What do you do when a strong IC doesn't want to grow.' Have real stories here, vague answers don't land.
Director / skip-level (30min): lighter, mostly about why Cisco, vision for the role, where I see the space going.
Total loop time was 4.5 hours spread over two days, which was reasonable. Debrief was fast, offer came in about 8 days after the final round which is the fastest Cisco has ever moved with me.
For new managers: this loop is probably too much. They want someone who's been in the chair for at least 3-4 years and has direct experience with hiring, PIPs, org design. Going in as a first-timer would be tough at the senior EM level.