Just wrapped up a round of EM interviews at DoorDash (interviewing candidates, not applying) so I wanted to share what we actually look for. This is for IC5/E5-equivalent managers applying to lead a team of 6-10 engineers on a product area.
The loop has 5 rounds roughly:
Intro screen (recruiter, 30 min): Mostly logistics. They'll confirm you can actually do the level. If you've been a senior IC who managed no one, this is where it shows.
Technical depth (45 min): You're not coding, but you need to architect. Expect a system design that's logistics-flavored. Last batch I saw was something like "design the order assignment system for a city launch." You need to show you can go deep on tradeoffs, not just draw boxes.
People leadership (45 min): Behavioral, but specific. They want real stories: someone you had to let go, a situation where your team missed a deadline and how you handled the postmortem, how you've grown engineers. Surface-level STAR answers don't land well here. Interviewers are experienced managers themselves.
Cross-functional collaboration (45 min): DoorDash is big on the ops/eng/product triad. Expect questions about working with non-technical stakeholders, handling conflicting priorities, and influencing without authority.
Hiring manager or director (30-45 min): More strategic. Where do you want to take your career, how do you think about team health metrics, what's your philosophy on hiring.
One thing I'll say: DoorDash does a calibration call after all panels submit feedback. Leveling is real and they will down-level you if your signals are mixed. If 3 out of 5 rounds come back "strong hire at senior IC" they'll offer you that. So make sure your people management stories are strong enough to clearly separate you.
Timeline was 3-4 weeks from screen to offer in our last cycle. Occasionally faster if there's urgency.