Senior Director Engineering, Home Software Applications
Posted Jul 8, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Walk me through a time you drove an AI-assisted development transformation across an engineering org. What tools did you introduce, and what actually changed in velocity or quality?
What they are checking: whether they have real, hands-on experience leading AI adoption versus just endorsing it from a distance
Describe a time you had to restructure team topology, not just headcount, to get more leverage out of an engineering organization.
What they are checking: whether they think in terms of team structure and workflow design, not just staffing
Tell me about a predictive or AI-driven feature you shipped that had to work with real-world signals, like energy usage or sensor data, not just clean historical data. What went wrong before it worked?
What they are checking: experience translating AI concepts into shipped, reliable product features rather than theoretical ML knowledge
Tell me about a time you had to present a platform strategy to an executive audience that didn't buy in initially. How did you change the outcome?
What they are checking: ability to translate technical strategy into a business narrative that lands with non-technical leadership
Tell me about a hire or a promotion decision you made for a senior engineering leader that didn't work out. What did you learn about what you were actually looking for?
What they are checking: self-awareness and growth in talent judgment, since this role requires building out a leadership bench
What would you do
This role has dual ownership: dealer-facing platforms and consumer-facing platform teams, with some feature teams like Smart Thermostat and Security sitting outside your direct org. How would you set up governance so those embedded teams stay aligned with your platform without you having direct authority over them?
What they are checking: how they handle influence without authority and matrixed org design
Two business unit leaders disagree on whether a shared platform capability should be prioritized over a feature specific to their product line. How do you resolve that, and who makes the final call?
What they are checking: skill at resolving platform-versus-feature-team tension, a recurring theme in this role
A field technician using your dealer-facing commissioning tool reports it's unreliable during actual installs, but your telemetry looks fine. How do you figure out what's actually happening?
What they are checking: instinct for closing the gap between backend metrics and frontline user reality, especially for field tools
If you joined and found the platform roadmap was being driven mostly by business unit requests rather than a coherent shared infrastructure strategy, what would you do in the first ninety days?
What they are checking: how they'd actually start reshaping the org's priorities, not just diagnose the problem
About the work
Tell me specifically how you've used Claude Code or a similar LLM in a production setting, not just a pilot or demo.
What they are checking: practitioner-level depth versus buzzword familiarity with the exact tool the posting names
You're managing 25 to 50 engineers across multiple squads and disciplines. What does your operating rhythm look like so you actually know what's going on three layers down?
What they are checking: whether they have a concrete management system versus vague leadership platitudes at this scale
How would you architect data flow and update strategy for a device like PWRcell or an HSB generator, from the edge gateway up through the cloud, and where do you build in room for OTA updates without risking field reliability?
What they are checking: real IoT and device-to-cloud architecture knowledge, since these are physical products in people's homes
How would you think about integrating with utility APIs or grid operators for something like demand response, given they're often slower-moving and less documented than typical SaaS partners?
What they are checking: awareness of the friction specific to energy-sector integrations versus generic API integration experience
What's your approach to setting engineering standards and quality frameworks for connected home energy systems, where a software bug could mean someone's generator or battery doesn't work when they need it?
What they are checking: whether they understand the stakes and reliability bar are higher than typical consumer software
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As published by Generac.