Checkout.com

Engineering Manager Interview Experience - London, United Kingdom

September 1, 2023

Negative ExperienceGot Offer

Process

My journey with Checkout.com was one filled with hope, anticipation, and ultimately, disappointment.

Last September, I embarked on what I hoped would be an exciting opportunity with Checkout.com, only to encounter a series of frustrating setbacks and a lack of communication.

After successfully clearing the interview process, I received a verbal confirmation from the recruiter, which understandably filled me with anticipation and excitement for what lay ahead. However, this excitement quickly turned to confusion and frustration when I was informed that the offer had been rescinded by the CTO due to a decision not to invest in the team I was being hired for.

Despite this setback, I was redirected to other teams within Checkout.com, where I underwent follow-up interviews with hiring managers and engineering leadership. To my relief, these teams expressed interest in bringing me on board. However, my hopes were dashed once again when I received a call from the recruiter stating that the company had decided they were no longer hiring for the year and that they would reach out to me when a new role became available.

What followed was a period of silence and unanswered inquiries as I waited for any updates on potential roles. Unfortunately, my attempts to reach out to the recruiters were met with silence, leaving me feeling disregarded.

This experience had a significant impact on me, both professionally and personally. Having quit my job in anticipation of joining Checkout.com, I found myself in a precarious situation with no clear path forward.

Throughout this experience, what struck me the most was the lack of transparent communication and empathy from Checkout.com. As someone who values honesty and respect, I found the company's handling of the situation deeply disappointing. It wasn't just about a missed opportunity; it was about feeling valued and respected as a candidate.

Questions

How do you manage a team's and its respective individual success?

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Interview Statistics

The following metrics were computed from 2 interview experiences for the Checkout.com Engineering Manager role in London, United Kingdom.

Success Rate

100%

Pass Rate

Checkout.com's interview process for their Engineering Manager roles in London, the United Kingdom is incredibly easy as the vast majority of engineers get an offer after going through it.

Experience Rating

Positive50%

Neutral0%

Negative50%

Candidates reported having mixed feelings for Checkout.com's Engineering Manager interview process in London, United Kingdom.

Checkout.com Work Experiences

Great Culture, Slow Salary

Engineering Manager • Current Employee

London, England, United Kingdom

October 3, 2025

Pros: Great culture and team, great office.

Cons: Slow salary progression and grind

Great Culture, Slow Salary

Engineering Manager • Current Employee

London, England, United Kingdom

October 3, 2025

Pros: Great culture and team, great office.

Cons: Slow salary progression and grind

Eggs and Omelettes

Engineering Manager • Current Employee

Pros: Never a dull moment. Fast-paced, ambitious, out to win the game – so lots of opportunity and great rewards for those willing to put in the effort.

Cons: The fast pace can be somewhat stressful from time to time. Growing pains and related cross-team collaboration remain challenging. Little to no space for innovation beyond company roadmap work.

Eggs and Omelettes

Engineering Manager • Current Employee

Pros: Never a dull moment. Fast-paced, ambitious, out to win the game – so lots of opportunity and great rewards for those willing to put in the effort.

Cons: The fast pace can be somewhat stressful from time to time. Growing pains and related cross-team collaboration remain challenging. Little to no space for innovation beyond company roadmap work.

A steady decline

Engineering Manager • Current Employee

London, England, United Kingdom

Pros: Nothing major. There are a lot of opportunities for this company, given the funds raised in their Series D. They can do very well with that money, only if they get their act right sooner. Read on.

Cons: I'll try not to sound too cynical. 1. The culture is getting increasingly toxic, and the will to wake up and come to work is not there anymore. I have given it a year myself. Others are not wrong to point out that there is a lot of favoritism here. 2. You'll notice a lot of people who were hired earlier have been promoted to be 'leaders' and 'managers.' It's probably the first company they ever worked for, but their approach to 'people' is lacking. If you've worked in other places, you will feel the difference. 3. Senior leaders (as they call themselves) have been hired based on friendships, and you can see that they are way out of their depth in managing their roles. 4. Very disjointed ways of working. It's mostly commercially driven, and PMs are only delivering the solutions. 5. The E-team, as they call themselves, attends regular monthly meetings, but for me, I can sense they enjoy that pedestal from a point of view of not fixing things, but more advising and 'leading' from the back rather than from the front. 6. Career progression conversations are driven off templates, so you cannot have a decent mentor-based conversation about career growth.

A steady decline

Engineering Manager • Current Employee

London, England, United Kingdom

Pros: Nothing major. There are a lot of opportunities for this company, given the funds raised in their Series D. They can do very well with that money, only if they get their act right sooner. Read on.

Cons: I'll try not to sound too cynical. 1. The culture is getting increasingly toxic, and the will to wake up and come to work is not there anymore. I have given it a year myself. Others are not wrong to point out that there is a lot of favoritism here. 2. You'll notice a lot of people who were hired earlier have been promoted to be 'leaders' and 'managers.' It's probably the first company they ever worked for, but their approach to 'people' is lacking. If you've worked in other places, you will feel the difference. 3. Senior leaders (as they call themselves) have been hired based on friendships, and you can see that they are way out of their depth in managing their roles. 4. Very disjointed ways of working. It's mostly commercially driven, and PMs are only delivering the solutions. 5. The E-team, as they call themselves, attends regular monthly meetings, but for me, I can sense they enjoy that pedestal from a point of view of not fixing things, but more advising and 'leading' from the back rather than from the front. 6. Career progression conversations are driven off templates, so you cannot have a decent mentor-based conversation about career growth.

Great Culture, Slow Salary

Engineering Manager • Current Employee

London, England, United Kingdom

October 3, 2025

Pros: Great culture and team, great office.

Cons: Slow salary progression and grind

4.0
Great Culture, Slow Salary
Engineering Manager • Current Employee
London, England, United Kingdom
October 3, 2025
Pros: Great culture and team, great office.
Cons: Slow salary progression and grind

Eggs and Omelettes

Engineering Manager • Current Employee

Pros: Never a dull moment. Fast-paced, ambitious, out to win the game – so lots of opportunity and great rewards for those willing to put in the effort.

Cons: The fast pace can be somewhat stressful from time to time. Growing pains and related cross-team collaboration remain challenging. Little to no space for innovation beyond company roadmap work.

4.0
Eggs and Omelettes
Engineering Manager • Current Employee
June 26, 2025
Pros: Never a dull moment. Fast-paced, ambitious, out to win the game – so lots of opportunity and great rewards for those willing to put in the effort.
Cons: The fast pace can be somewhat stressful from time to time. Growing pains and related cross-team collaboration remain challenging. Little to no space for innovation beyond company roadmap work.

A steady decline

Engineering Manager • Current Employee

London, England, United Kingdom

Pros: Nothing major. There are a lot of opportunities for this company, given the funds raised in their Series D. They can do very well with that money, only if they get their act right sooner. Read on.

Cons: I'll try not to sound too cynical. 1. The culture is getting increasingly toxic, and the will to wake up and come to work is not there anymore. I have given it a year myself. Others are not wrong to point out that there is a lot of favoritism here. 2. You'll notice a lot of people who were hired earlier have been promoted to be 'leaders' and 'managers.' It's probably the first company they ever worked for, but their approach to 'people' is lacking. If you've worked in other places, you will feel the difference. 3. Senior leaders (as they call themselves) have been hired based on friendships, and you can see that they are way out of their depth in managing their roles. 4. Very disjointed ways of working. It's mostly commercially driven, and PMs are only delivering the solutions. 5. The E-team, as they call themselves, attends regular monthly meetings, but for me, I can sense they enjoy that pedestal from a point of view of not fixing things, but more advising and 'leading' from the back rather than from the front. 6. Career progression conversations are driven off templates, so you cannot have a decent mentor-based conversation about career growth.

1.0
A steady decline
Engineering Manager • Current Employee
London, England, United Kingdom
March 13, 2023
Pros: Nothing major. There are a lot of opportunities for this company, given the funds raised in their Series D. They can do very well with that money, only if they get their act right sooner. Read on.
Cons: I'll try not to sound too cynical. 1. The culture is getting increasingly toxic, and the will to wake up and come to work is not there anymore. I have given it a year myself. Others are not wrong to point out that there is a lot of favoritism here. 2. You'll notice a lot of people who were hired earlier have been promoted to be 'leaders' and 'managers.' It's probably the first company they ever worked for, but their approach to 'people' is lacking. If you've worked in other places, you will feel the difference. 3. Senior leaders (as they call themselves) have been hired based on friendships, and you can see that they are way out of their depth in managing their roles. 4. Very disjointed ways of working. It's mostly commercially driven, and PMs are only delivering the solutions. 5. The E-team, as they call themselves, attends regular monthly meetings, but for me, I can sense they enjoy that pedestal from a point of view of not fixing things, but more advising and 'leading' from the back rather than from the front. 6. Career progression conversations are driven off templates, so you cannot have a decent mentor-based conversation about career growth.

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