The positives: The people I spoke with were professional and clearly passionate about the product. The opportunity to engage with senior stakeholders across Singapore and Australia gave good visibility into the business, and the brief itself was interesting to work through.
Where it fell short: For candidates going into the final stage, be aware that the panel format can change at the last minute. I was confirmed for a 3:1 ratio prior, which switched to 4:1 on the day, without prior notice. With no timekeeper and panel members at different levels with varying areas of focus, the session ran over. This meant I wasn't able to complete my closing slides, felt rushed, and had no time to ask my own questions. A meaningful part of any interview to assess fit, get a feel for the culture, and to help candidates picture themselves working there. Without it, the experience felt one-sided rather than the two-way conversation it should be.
The questions during the presentation also felt as though I was being assessed against insider knowledge of the business (context that wouldn't be available to an external candidate working from a brief alone), and that felt like an unfair benchmark. Post-feedback was very general and required probing to obtain any specifics. Even then, the reasoning wasn't entirely clear, and it was difficult to determine whether the decision came down to seniority expectations, internal team structure, or both. I also never received anything in writing to formally close off the process and had to withdraw myself from the role in their portal, which is disappointing given the time and effort invested.
Overall: The experience suggested the role and hiring structure may still have been in flux during the process. If you're considering applying, it's worth knowing upfront that the final stage requires significant time and effort - it's rigorous and heavily involved. Going in, I'd recommend asking early questions about expectations, team structure, reporting lines, and how the role is being scoped.