As a Software Engineer at Mavenir, you are at the forefront of transforming how the world connects. You will contribute to the development of cloud-native, software-based networking solutions that power 5G, 4G, and beyond. This role is critical to the company’s mission of accelerating software network transformation, requiring you to build scalable, high-performance systems that serve telecommunications providers globally. You will work on complex, mission-critical infrastructure, ranging from Radio Access Network (RAN) software and packet core solutions to cloud-native platforms. The work is technically demanding, requiring a deep understanding of networking protocols, distributed systems, and modern software development practices. This is an environment where your code directly impacts the stability and efficiency of global communication networks, offering both high stakes and high rewards for engineers who thrive on technical depth and architectural challenges. 02 · Compensation
Assessment Phase
reportedBegin with an online test or offline written exam to gauge fundamental aptitude and technical readiness.
What to demonstrate
- Begin with an online test or offline written exam to gauge fundamental aptitude and technical readiness
- Depth in Networking Basics
How to prepare
- Answer aloud and timed: Explain the key differences between HTTP and HTTPS.
- Answer aloud and timed: How do you differentiate between SQL and NoSQL databases in a system design context?
Technical Interviews
reportedProgress through multiple rounds of technical interviews with peer engineers and technical managers.
What to demonstrate
- Progress through multiple rounds of technical interviews with peer engineers and technical managers
- Depth in Networking Basics
How to prepare
- Answer aloud and timed: Can you explain the core concepts of Linux process management and networking basics?
- Answer aloud and timed: What are the fundamental differences between C and C++ in terms of memory management?
Managerial/HR Round
reportedConclude with a managerial or HR round to assess cultural alignment and long-term career aspirations.
What to demonstrate
- Conclude with a managerial or HR round to assess cultural alignment and long-term career aspirations
- Depth in Networking Basics
How to prepare
- Prepare three examples from your own work, each with a decision you made and an outcome you can quantify.
- Re-read the description of the managerial/hr round above and write down what you would ask to confirm before it.
PracHub editorial advice for the preparation topics above.
Master the basics
Do not overlook fundamental concepts like OOPS or basic SQL joins; these are often used as "easy" filters to gauge your core competency.
Research the company
Mavenir is a leader in network transformation. Being able to discuss their specific products and their place in the 5G ecosystem will set you apart.
Be ready for depth
If you list a project on your resume, be prepared to explain the architectural decisions, the challenges faced, and the specific tools used in detail.
Stay composed
Some interviewers may push you with difficult questions to see how you perform under pressure; maintaining a calm, analytical demeanor is a sign of a senior-minded engineer.
Choose a category, try a prompt, then open its approach, worked solution or follow-up when you need it.
What are the fundamental differences between C and C++ in terms of memory management?
What are the fundamental differences between C and C++ in terms of memory management?
Approach
- Say what the runtime actually does before reasoning about the code.
- Name what is shared across threads and what owns each piece of state.
- Identify the window where an invariant is briefly untrue.
- Distinguish a value from a reference to it, and say which one you handed out.
Follow-up
- What happens if two callers reach this at the same time?
- Where could this allocate more than you expect?
Write a program to find the kth maximum element in an array.
Write a program to find the kth maximum element in an array.
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Implement a solution for reversing words in a sentence.
Implement a solution for reversing words in a sentence.
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Describe how you would handle insertion and deletion in a Binary Search Tree (BST).
Describe how you would handle insertion and deletion in a Binary Search Tree (BST).
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Can you write a function for doubly linked list deletion?
Can you write a function for doubly linked list deletion?
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Provide an implementation for a basic publisher-consumer model using Java or C++.
Provide an implementation for a basic publisher-consumer model using Java or C++.
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Denormalise tenant onto revisions and backfill it live
resource_revision (revision_id, resource_id, version, actor_user_id, change_kind, patch, request_id, created_at) has 400M rows and no tenant column; tenant_id lives only on resource. Two reads need it: a tenant-scoped audit feed ordered by created_at DESC, and an offboarding purge. Both join back to resource today. Justify adding tenant_id to resource_revision against those two reads, name the anomaly the copy introduces and the constraint that prevents it, then give the ordered migration for a live table taking 1.2k writes/second — the lock each step takes, how the backfill is batched, and where each step stops being reversible. PostgreSQL 16.
Approach
- Justify from the access path rather than from taste. Without the column, the audit feed either scans resource_revision by created_at and discards other tenants' rows, or resolves the tenant's resource_ids first and probes with them — both proportional to the tenant's whole history rather than to one page. With (tenant_id, created_at DESC, revision_id DESC) it is a seek that stops at 50 rows, and the purge becomes a ranged delete instead of a join.
- Name the cost exactly: a second copy of a fact can disagree with the first. Make the disagreement unwritable rather than documented — add UNIQUE (resource_id, tenant_id) on resource so it can serve as a foreign-key target, then FOREIGN KEY (resource_id, tenant_id) REFERENCES resource (resource_id, tenant_id) on the revision table. A revision can then only ever carry its parent's tenant.
- Step one, expand: ALTER TABLE resource_revision ADD COLUMN tenant_id BIGINT NULL, with no default, so it is a catalogue change and no rewrite. It still needs ACCESS EXCLUSIVE for an instant, and that instant queues behind the longest open transaction on the table while every later query queues behind it — set lock_timeout to 2s and retry rather than wait.
- Step two, dual-write: deploy the writer that populates tenant_id on every new revision while reads still use the join. Reversible by redeploying the previous build, because nothing reads the column yet.
Follow-up
- The backfill is half finished and a rollback is required. What state is the table in, and what does the previous build do with a half-populated column?
- How do you verify the backfill actually finished, given rows are still being inserted while it runs?
Stop tag and share joins from fanning out a page
resource_tag is (resource_id, tag_id) with PK (resource_id, tag_id); resource_share is (resource_id, shared_with_user_id, permission). The tagged-and-shared listing inner-joins resource to both, filters tenant_id, tag_id = ANY($2) and shared_with_user_id = $3, orders by updated_at DESC and takes 50. Pages come back with fewer than 50 distinct resources and the total in the header is far too high. Explain the row multiplication, rewrite both the page query and the count query so each is correct, and name the index each one needs. PostgreSQL 16.
Approach
- Do the arithmetic against the predicates that are actually there. An inner join emits one row per matching child row, and both joins are filtered: tag_id = ANY($2) admits only the requested tags, shared_with_user_id = $3 admits one user's share rows. So a resource holding three of the requested tags and shared with $3 once yields three rows, not one — the multiplier is its count of matching tags times its share rows for that single user, and that second factor is 1 unless the table admits duplicate (resource_id, shared_with_user_id) pairs. LIMIT 50 then limits rows rather than resources, and COUNT(*) counts pairs — the header is the product, not the population.
- Reject DISTINCT as the fix. It deduplicates after the product has been built, so the planner must materialise and sort the fanned-out set before the LIMIT can apply, and it leaves any SUM or AVG in the same select list wrong.
- Rewrite both filters as semi-joins, keeping resource as the only row source: AND EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM resource_tag rt WHERE rt.resource_id = r.resource_id AND rt.tag_id = ANY($2)) and the same shape against resource_share. A semi-join stops at the first match per resource and preserves the driving index order, so ORDER BY updated_at DESC, resource_id DESC LIMIT 50 still stops after 50 rows.
- Count with the same predicates and no join at all: SELECT count(*) FROM resource r WHERE r.tenant_id = $1 AND r.status = 'active' AND EXISTS (...) AND EXISTS (...). Nothing multiplies a resource, so the number is the population.
Follow-up
- The filter changes from 'any of these tags' to 'all of these tags'. Rewrite it and state what it costs relative to the ANY form.
- A resource can be shared with the same user twice under different permissions. Does your count change, and should it?
Explain the key differences between HTTP and HTTPS.
Explain the key differences between HTTP and HTTPS.
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
How do you differentiate between SQL and NoSQL databases in a system design context?
How do you differentiate between SQL and NoSQL databases in a system design context?
Approach
- Fix the scope first: who calls this, how often, and what they do when it fails.
- Name the read and write paths separately; they rarely have the same bottleneck.
- Choose a partition key and say what query it makes expensive.
- State the consistency you need, and where you are willing to be stale.
Follow-up
- What breaks first when traffic grows ten times?
- How does this behave when that dependency is down for an hour?
Can you explain the core concepts of Linux process management and networking basics?
Can you explain the core concepts of Linux process management and networking basics?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
Describe the significance of MIMO and OFDM in wireless communication systems.
Describe the significance of MIMO and OFDM in wireless communication systems.
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
Read latency spikes on a sixty-second sawtooth
The cached listing read path serves about 14k reads/second at an 85% hit rate. p99 sits at 35 ms for 57 seconds, jumps to 900 ms for 3, and repeats. During each spike the primary shows several hundred identical listing queries starting within the same millisecond, all carrying one large tenant's id. Cache entries use a 60-second TTL. Give the mechanism, the ordered checks, the fix, and the correctness hazard your fix must not introduce.
Approach
- Match the period to a configured number before theorising about load. A spike every 60 seconds against a 60-second TTL is an entry expiring, and you confirm it by correlating spike timestamps with the entry's write time rather than with the traffic curve. If the period had matched a cron or a GC interval instead, this is a different investigation.
- Establish the concurrency of the miss. Several hundred identical queries in one millisecond means the miss path has no coalescing: every request that arrives between expiry and repopulation recomputes. The herd size is that key's arrival rate times its recompute time, so at 1.2k reads/second for the hot key and a 250 ms recompute you expect about 300 concurrent misses, which matches what is observed.
- Add single-flight on the miss path so one caller per key recomputes under a short-lived lock while the rest wait for its result. Prefer stale-while-revalidate where the read tolerates it: return the expired value immediately and refresh asynchronously, which removes the latency spike rather than serialising it into a queue of waiters.
- De-synchronise the keys. Write TTLs with jitter, for example 60 seconds plus or minus 10%, so a deploy or a mass invalidation does not align every key on the same second and turn a per-key herd into a fleet-wide one.
Follow-up
- The same sawtooth appears on a key that is invalidated on write rather than expired. Is that the same bug?
- How does your answer change if the recompute takes 4 seconds instead of 250 ms?
Built from the rounds and topics Mavenir candidates report.
Prepare, practise & reflect
One practical outcome each day. Spend longer where you need it.
0 / 7 done01Map the Mavenir loop
- Write out the reported sequence: Assessment Phase, Technical Interviews, Managerial/HR Round.
- For each round, write one sentence on what it is judging, from the description above, and mark the one you are least ready for.
Deliverable: A one-page map of the 3 reported rounds, with the weakest marked.
02Work Networking Basics
- Spend the session on Networking Basics, which Mavenir candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in Networking Basics and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in Networking Basics.
03Work Linux Fundamentals
- Spend the session on Linux Fundamentals, which Mavenir candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in Linux Fundamentals and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in Linux Fundamentals.
04Work Python
- Spend the session on Python, which Mavenir candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in Python and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in Python.
05Answer out loud: Technical and Domain Knowledge
- Answer aloud, timed: Explain the key differences between HTTP and HTTPS.
- Answer aloud, timed: How do you differentiate between SQL and NoSQL databases in a system design context?
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Technical and Domain Knowledge question(s), under time.
06Answer out loud: Coding and Problem Solving
- Answer aloud, timed: Write a program to find the kth maximum element in an array.
- Answer aloud, timed: Implement a solution for reversing words in a sentence.
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Coding and Problem Solving question(s), under time.
07Answer out loud: Behavioral and Experience
- Answer aloud, timed: Walk me through the most challenging technical project you have worked on.
- Answer aloud, timed: How do you handle tight deadlines and cross-team collaboration?
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Behavioral and Experience question(s), under time.
Expand any day for tasks and deliverables. Your progress is saved on this device.
Behavioural rounds judge the decision you made and what it cost.
Walk me through the most challenging technical project you have worked on.
Walk me through the most challenging technical project you have worked on.
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
How do you handle tight deadlines and cross-team collaboration?
How do you handle tight deadlines and cross-team collaboration?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
Why are you interested in the telecommunications domain and Mavenir specifically?
Why are you interested in the telecommunications domain and Mavenir specifically?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
Describe a time you had to resolve a conflict within your engineering team.
Describe a time you had to resolve a conflict within your engineering team.
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
How do you keep your technical skills updated in a fast-paced environment?
How do you keep your technical skills updated in a fast-paced environment?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
- 01
Walk me through the most challenging technical project you have worked on.
- 02
How do you handle tight deadlines and cross-team collaboration?
- 03
Why are you interested in the telecommunications domain and Mavenir specifically?
- 04
Describe a time you had to resolve a conflict within your engineering team.
How difficult are the technical rounds?
The technical rounds are generally considered challenging because they focus on implementation details rather than just theory. Expect to be pushed on your knowledge of memory management and system design.
Mavenir Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What is the best way to prepare for the written test?
Focus on practicing C/C++ coding problems, predicting code outputs, and reviewing basic networking and Linux command-line tasks. Many candidates find paper-based coding practice helpful to get used to the format.
Mavenir Software Engineer candidate reports ↗Does Mavenir value culture fit?
Yes. During the managerial and HR rounds, interviewers look for candidates who are collaborative, adaptable, and genuinely interested in the telecommunications industry.
Mavenir Software Engineer candidate reports ↗How long does the entire process take?
The timeline can vary, but many candidates report a streamlined process that can be completed within a few weeks, sometimes with multiple rounds on a single day.
Mavenir Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What topics does Mavenir test in interviews?
Mavenir interviews most often cover Python, SQL, Design Patterns, Networking Basics, and Threading / Concurrency. The exact emphasis depends on the specific role you apply for.
Mavenir Software Engineer candidate reports ↗Sources & methodology 3 sources ↗
No official company page is cited. Rounds and questions come from candidate reports and PracHub editorial material; each source shows the date it was read.
- 01Mavenir Software Engineer candidate reports ↗
Company-reported rounds, questions and FAQ.
Candidate reports · Accessed 2026-09-22 - 02PracHub Software Engineer practice ↗
PracHub practice material, not company-reported.
PracHub page · Accessed 2026-09-22 - 03PracHub preparation framework ↗
PracHub preparation guidance.
PracHub page · Accessed 2026-09-22
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