What are your views on data governance, security, and privacy, and how have you implemented them in your work?

Data Systems Developer Interview Questions

Sample answer to the question

I really value data governance, security, and privacy in my work as a developer. I've always made sure to follow best practices when it comes to handling data. For instance, in my previous job, I was part of a project where we had to store sensitive user data. I ensured that data encryption was used and access controls were in place to protect that information. We also had regular audits to check our compliance with the privacy policies.

A more solid answer

Data governance, security, and privacy have been integral to my role as a developer. While working on a data warehousing project, one key responsibility was ensuring the secure storage and processing of financial records. Utilizing Python and Java, I helped implement role-based access controls and encryption at rest and in transit. We followed standards like GDPR for privacy. To govern data, we created a metadata management system which helped in lineage tracking and auditing, contributing significantly to project coherence and compliance. My experience with tools like Apache Airflow also streamlined workflow to comply with the evolving governance standards.

Why this is a more solid answer:

This solid answer improves upon the basic one by aligning the candidate's previous work with the job description's emphasis on data systems development, including specific programming languages, security features, and governance practices. It demonstrates relevant experience and understanding of privacy standards. Although improvement is seen, the answer could further delve into how data governance has enabled better strategic decision-making and how the candidate's efforts improved scalability and system reliability.

An exceptional answer

Having a deep appreciation for data governance, security, and privacy, I've implemented several layers of data protection in my recent projects. For example, developing a customer data platform, I wrote Python scripts to automate data classification and tagging, ensuring that sensitive information was handled according to compliance mappings like GDPR and HIPAA. We used end-to-end encryption with Java-based APIs, and I integrated role-based access controls into our SQL and NoSQL databases. Moreover, partnering with our data science team, I leveraged my knowledge of Spark to build scalable data processing pipelines that not only enforced governance policies but also optimized performance for analytics. Recognizing the dynamic nature of data privacy, I contributed to the update of our governance frameworks to meet new international standards, working closely with compliance officers to align our architectural decisions and system development with best data governance practices.

Why this is an exceptional answer:

The exceptional answer provides a comprehensive view, integrating specific technical skills, project experiences, and compliance knowledge. It demonstrates how the candidate's efforts in data governance and security contributed to creating robust, scalable data solutions that support strategic decision-making, aligning well with the job description. This answer shows active collaboration with different teams and a proactive approach to international standards, implying an understanding of their impact on system architecture, which is key for the role described.

How to prepare for this question

Research the most recent data governance, security, and privacy frameworks and standards, and consider how they apply to the role of a Data Systems Developer.
Relate specific experiences where you implemented security measures or data governance policies. Reflect on how those experiences improved overall data system performance or contributed to strategic decisions.
Brush up on examples where you've used programming languages like Python or Java to script solutions for data protection, and how those impacted the scalability and reliability of systems.
Think about instances where you had to work with data science teams or compliance officers and how you communicated and collaborated to ensure data governance.

What interviewers are evaluating

Knowledge of data governance
Experience with implementing data security
Understanding of privacy standards
Relevance to past work projects