simple, straight forward and pleased with the entire process and was relatively very quick. at the end, they got back to me and made me an offer and i accepted the offer. Initially, thought, the process would take longer as they were about to interview other candidates at the same time

Be careful with your time and network with PIMCO! I met with hiring manager and got great feedback on call. Then 3.5 hours of interviews, all with great feedback. Another round w/ hiring manger, then a round with his manager, all with good feedback on the call. Between each round the recruiter provided positive feedback. Before final interview I was asked to provide current manager contact info and if ok to contact, along with 3 references. I complied as I wanted the role. Only after providing these details was I informed there was another candidate and the choice was between me and them. What recruiters don't realize is that for experienced hires, it takes years of blood sweat and tears to build the network to provide references. The candidate seriously exposes themself by providing these. PIMCO is clearly not taking candidates career development seriously - this is a bad practice.