“Is there room for growth within the company?”
A quick Google search of the best interview questions for candidates to ask will almost always place this one near the top, reflecting how important career growth is in evaluating a potential employer.
And that priority is well-founded — according to a McKinsey report, more than 40 percent of individuals said they would likely turn down a job if it lacked such opportunities.
When employees sign an offer letter, they don’t want to feel like they’re rolling the dice on their future. Fortunately, at Domino Data Lab, growth isn’t left to chance; instead, opportunities for advancement are encouraged and enabled.
Built In San Francisco sat down with Engineering Manager Giulio Capolino to discuss his recent promotion and how the company supported him through every stage of his transition.
Domino Data Lab empowers businesses to build and manage smart technology at scale.
Tell us about your recent promotion or role change.
My recent promotion was from senior software engineer on the data team to engineering manager of the data and governance teams, and product manager of the data team.
What will this new role allow you to do?
As a software developer, my focus was on individual contributions — designing and developing software, with a recent emphasis on creating low-latency, lightweight microservices for data transfer. I also worked on enabling seamless data features across customer-managed data planes by leveraging Kubernetes custom resources and operator patterns.
In my new role as an engineering manager, my responsibilities have shifted significantly. While I still stay connected reviewing pull requests, my primary focus is now on project structuring, resource allocation and ensuring the team meets its delivery objectives. I bridge the gap between product requirements and engineering execution by translating customer needs into well-scoped initiatives, accurately estimating resources and collaborating with leadership to set priorities and timelines. I also play a key role in product management for the data team, working to understand customer needs and shape product requirements for future releases by evaluating and prioritizing feature requests in line with our strategic roadmap. Additionally, I partner with field teams to communicate product updates and facilitate prompt engineering support.
How would you describe Domino’s culture or attitude regarding internal mobility and upskilling?
I would describe Domino’s culture of internal mobility and upskilling as both supportive and ingrained. Throughout my career at Domino, I have experienced this firsthand, starting as a new grad software engineer after completing my master’s and progressing through the ranks to software engineer II, senior software engineer, and now engineering manager, while, in parallel, product manager. This trajectory has been relatively accelerated, and over the years, I’ve witnessed many colleagues advancing within the company, reinforcing Domino’s commitment to fostering growth and career development. It’s been exciting to be part of an environment where internal mobility is not just encouraged but actively enabled.
