Interview prep
Program Manager interview questions
13 questions program managers get asked, grouped by type. Under each one are the skills it is really testing, so you can pick a story from your own work that shows them.
Technical
- How do you manage a dependency between two projects run by different teams within your program?Tests: delivery risk, stakeholder management
- How do you roll up status from multiple projects into a single program view for leadership?Tests: communication, process analysis
- How is managing risk at the program level different from managing it on a single project?Tests: delivery risk, process analysis
- How do you track whether a program actually delivered the business benefit it was funded for?Tests: data analysis, product strategy
Situational
- Two project teams in your program need the same limited resource at the same time. How do you resolve it?Tests: prioritisation, stakeholder management
- Midway through a program, the business strategy shifts. How do you realign the projects underneath it?Tests: prioritisation, product strategy
- How do you keep senior stakeholders aligned on a program's goals when their individual priorities differ?Tests: stakeholder management, communication
- One project in your program is consistently underperforming. What do you do?Tests: delivery risk, ownership
Behavioral
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with a coworker and how you handled it.Tests: conflict resolution, communication
- Describe a project or task that did not go well and what you did about it.Tests: ownership, reflection
- Give an example of persuading someone to adopt an idea they initially resisted.Tests: influence, communication
- Walk me through how you decided what to work on when you had more requests than time.Tests: prioritisation, judgment
- Tell me about a time you had to learn something new quickly to get a job done.Tests: learning agility, ownership
Getting the resume right first? See resume guidance for Program Managers, or browse interview questions for every role.