I just went through the LinkedIn EM loop for a role managing a backend infrastructure team. 15 years of experience, have managed teams of 8-12 engineers. Sharing because the EM loop is quite different from IC loops and there's not much out there.
Six rounds total, spread across two virtual days.
Hiring manager intro: 45 minutes, exploratory. They want to know your management philosophy and how it fits the team's current state. This isn't fluff, they'll probe. I was asked: how do you handle an engineer who is technically strong but consistently late on commitments? What's your calibration process look like? What's the biggest mistake you made as a manager?
Technical system design: Yes, EMs do a system design round. It's not as deep as an IC L5/L6 but you need to be credible. Mine was designing a notification delivery system. They're checking that you can participate in architectural conversations, not that you can code it solo. Ask good questions, surface tradeoffs, don't try to over-engineer.
Cross-functional leadership: A round with a senior PM and a DS. They give you a scenario and run a mock stakeholder conversation. They're watching how you navigate competing priorities and whether you push back gracefully when asked for timelines that aren't realistic.
People leadership x2: Two behavioral rounds, each with a different senior EM or director. Heavy on STAR, but they want depth. Not satisfied with vague answers about "building culture." They pressed me on: specific PIPs I'd run, how I handle calibration disagreements, how I develop engineers who aren't aiming for management themselves.
Bar raiser equivalent: A senior engineer outside the org. Mix of technical and people questions. Purpose seemed to be checking for consistency. Are your answers now the same as your answers in round one?
Biggest advice: your stories need specific outcomes. Numbers when possible. "The team shipped on time" is not enough. "We went from 3-week to 1.5-week sprint cycles and reduced rollback rate by 40%" is the bar.
Process took about 5 weeks. Got the offer. Leveling was E6 which I expected.