Software Engineering Manager Interview Experience - London, United Kingdom
February 10, 2026
Negative ExperienceNo Offer
Process
I applied online. The process took one week.
This was only a screening call with a talent agent. Later that month, a director at my workplace asked if I was looking for a new role. It happened at a social event, and he was grinning when he asked, which made me think he knew about my Monzo application. After doing some background checks, I learned that this director knew a senior leader at Monzo, and this leader had previously worked at my then-current workplace. Since that was the only role I had applied for at the time, and only Monzo and I were aware of it, I can only conclude that someone at Monzo informed my employer. This created a difficult and awkward situation for me. Given that Monzo is a bank, I expected better handling of PII data. I'm sharing this as a caution to others about how Monzo recruitment operates and how your data may be handled during the application process.
Questions
What my current circumstances were.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 3 interview experiences for the Monzo Software Engineering Manager role in London, England.
Success Rate
0%
Pass Rate
Monzo's interview process for their Software Engineering Manager roles in London, England is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Positive33%
Neutral33%
Negative33%
Candidates reported having mixed feelings for Monzo's Software Engineering Manager interview process in London, England.
Monzo Work Experiences
5.0
Great place to work
Software Engineering Manager • Current Employee
London, England
November 24, 2025
Pros: You'll work with incredibly smart and hardworking people and learn a huge amount.
Cons: Quite intense meaning it's not for everyone.
2.0
Strange, toxic workplace
Software Engineering Manager • Former Employee
London, England
September 22, 2020
Pros: There were talented and kind people working there. Free lunches pre-Covid were good. It looks great on your CV.
Cons: People with power and influence at Monzo are very quick to judge and never change their minds, even when presented with evidence.
Those with power and who are quickly promoted through the ranks tend to be "red" personalities - very outcome focussed, come across as confident and are very direct and succinct with their communication to the point of being blunt.
They can appear cold with low levels of empathy.
I have a different personality type and although I was hired for my strengths, I was constantly criticised for not having red personality attributes.
I was also hired for my experience which on joining was completely ignored.
My role was very focussed on one type of work and down the line when I raised the subject of progression and reward I was told I couldn't be promoted because I hadn't done another type of work - this was a shock!
People who have power and influence are inexperienced and promoted far beyond their experience and skill level; they've not quite realised that there are different approaches which can lead to good outcomes; only the "red" approach is valued and rewarded.
Unfortunately, because I had skills I wasn't able to use and because I could not grow my career no matter how much I put into my role, my time at Monzo started to harm my career and I found it psychologically damaging.
When the redundancies happened and people started to talk, I found that this problem was very wide reaching indeed - I previously had no idea there were so many people who had been receiving the same treatment as me.
It's such a shame - I was filled with alot of hope and enthusiasm upon joining and thought I had found a fantastic, inclusive place.
It's been a strange and very stressful journey to realise this was not the case at all.
5.0
Great
Software Engineer • Current Employee
London, England
June 27, 2025
Pros: It is a good place to learn lots.
Cons: There are not too many to be honest.
- 5.0Great place to workSoftware Engineering Manager • Current EmployeeLondon, EnglandNovember 24, 2025Pros: You'll work with incredibly smart and hardworking people and learn a huge amount.Cons: Quite intense meaning it's not for everyone.
- 2.0Strange, toxic workplaceSoftware Engineering Manager • Former EmployeeLondon, EnglandSeptember 22, 2020Pros: There were talented and kind people working there. Free lunches pre-Covid were good. It looks great on your CV.Cons: People with power and influence at Monzo are very quick to judge and never change their minds, even when presented with evidence. Those with power and who are quickly promoted through the ranks tend to be "red" personalities - very outcome focussed, come across as confident and are very direct and succinct with their communication to the point of being blunt. They can appear cold with low levels of empathy. I have a different personality type and although I was hired for my strengths, I was constantly criticised for not having red personality attributes. I was also hired for my experience which on joining was completely ignored. My role was very focussed on one type of work and down the line when I raised the subject of progression and reward I was told I couldn't be promoted because I hadn't done another type of work - this was a shock! People who have power and influence are inexperienced and promoted far beyond their experience and skill level; they've not quite realised that there are different approaches which can lead to good outcomes; only the "red" approach is valued and rewarded. Unfortunately, because I had skills I wasn't able to use and because I could not grow my career no matter how much I put into my role, my time at Monzo started to harm my career and I found it psychologically damaging. When the redundancies happened and people started to talk, I found that this problem was very wide reaching indeed - I previously had no idea there were so many people who had been receiving the same treatment as me. It's such a shame - I was filled with alot of hope and enthusiasm upon joining and thought I had found a fantastic, inclusive place. It's been a strange and very stressful journey to realise this was not the case at all.
- 5.0GreatSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeLondon, EnglandJune 27, 2025Pros: It is a good place to learn lots.Cons: There are not too many to be honest.
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