Pinterest Engineering: Meet Yasmin Khalil from Dublin

A day working in engineering at Pinterest is full of moments that move ideas forward. For Yasmin Khalil, Software Engineer II in Dublin, that can mean technical planning, project work, team collaboration and experimenting with AI. As our Engineering team grows, Yasmin shares what it’s like to help build a more inspired internet for millions of Pinterest users around the world.

Hi Yasmin! Thanks for joining us. You started at Pinterest in September 2024, what led you to a career opportunity here?

In mid-2024, I received an invitation to a recruitment event at Pinterest's new Dublin office. At the time, I wasn't aware that Pinterest had an engineering team in Dublin. The event left a great impression, so a few weeks later when I came across an open position, I decided to apply and the rest is history. In fact, my current manager was one of the panelists at that event!

It must have been insightful to hear from your future manager before even applying to a role. What does a typical day look like for you as a Software Engineer II?
I start my day by checking emails and catching up on Slack messages and threads from team members in the US. From there, my schedule varies depending on project phases and priorities:

• Technical Planning & Project Work
  • Drafting technical design documents when launching new project phases, or hosting design review meetings.
  • Hands-on feature implementation, including writing code, running experiments, and evaluating metrics or data.
• Collaboration & Operational Responsibilities
  • Reviewing pull requests and design documents for colleagues.
  • Attending team, organisation-wide and my manager 1-1 syncs.
  • Handling on-call duties by addressing incoming support requests, monitoring dashboards, and responding to system alerts.
  • Conducting interviews for engineering candidates.
• Misc & Wrap-Up
  • For a few months, we had an intern. I assigned time for mentoring them through daily check-ins to help clear blockers and refining their project roadmap every few weeks.
  • Updating my daily work journal at the end of the evening to set clear priorities for the next morning.

What a full and productive day. How would you describe the engineering culture in Dublin?

Dublin’s engineering culture is collaborative, high-ownership, and strongly focused on learning. Engineers are involved end to end, from shaping technical designs and implementing features to reviewing code and documentation, monitoring systems, supporting on-call, interviewing, and mentoring. Knowledge sharing is a visible part of the culture; Dublin Tech Talks, Lunch & Learns, Makeathons, project demos, and mentorship create regular opportunities to learn from one another and share technical expertise.

Overall, Dublin combines hands-on execution with a supportive local community, and meaningful engagement with the wider Dublin engineering ecosystem.

What new skills have you learned in your two years at the company?
Over the past two years, I’ve developed two especially important skills: experimentation and AI-assisted engineering. Pinterest taught me to approach problems through hypotheses, experiments, and measurable outcomes. I also joined during the rapid rise of agentic coding, and Pinterest’s investment in giving employees access to useful new tools helped me learn how to use them thoughtfully, evaluate their output, and integrate them into my engineering workflow. Together, these experiences have made me a more iterative, data-informed, and adaptable engineer.

How are you currently using Pinterest to find inspiration?
Recently, I discovered how much I enjoy designing and decorating spaces. I’m drawn to interiors with personality and character, not just beige-on-beige furniture. I use Pinterest to explore different styles, understand what resonates with me, and gradually develop my own taste. It also helps me discover unique furniture and décor pieces that I can shop, which make my home feel more personal and reflective of who I am.

Find your next career move. Explore job opportunities with Pinterest Engineering and apply now.