Optum (UHG) Interview Experience for Senior Data Engineer FTE

I applied for the Senior Data Engineer position at Optum (UHG) through a referral. Within a week, I was contacted to schedule a first-round phone interview with the hiring manager. I was asked general questions about my work experience in the phone interview and then I was invited to participate in a series of on-site interviews at their office.

Round 1: Technical Interview with Team Lead (On-site):

The first interview was with the Team Lead of the Data Engineering team. He started by introducing himself and the team’s current projects. Then, he delved into the technical part of the interview.

Question: Tell your experience with Microsoft Azure for data engineering projects.

I explained my experience working with Microsoft Azure and mentioned projects where I utilized services like Azure Data Factory, Azure Databricks, Logic Apps and Azure SQL Database to build and manage data pipelines for ETL processes.

Tip: Brush up basics.

Round 2: Behavioral+Technical Interview with Senior Data Engineer (On-site):

The second round of interviews was a behavioral one with a Senior Data Engineer from the team. This interview was focused on understanding my technical knowledge, problem-solving skills, teamwork, and adaptability.

Question: How do you ensure data security and compliance when working with sensitive healthcare data on the Azure platform?

I explained that I have a strong understanding of Azure’s security features and compliance standards. Then there were a few follow-up questions around Azure Key Vault, encryption keys, secrets, and RBAC.

Question: Can you discuss your experience with Azure Databricks? How have you used it for big data processing and machine learning tasks?

I elaborated on a specific project where I leveraged Azure Databricks to process large volumes of healthcare data and perform machine learning tasks for predictive analytics. I explained how Databricks’ collaborative workspace and integration with other Azure services facilitated a seamless data engineering and data science workflow.

Round 3: Leadership Interview with Director of Data Engineering (On-site):

The final round of technical interviews was with the Director of Data Engineering. This interview focused on assessing my leadership skills, long-term vision, and alignment with the company’s mission and values.

Question: How do you manage and optimize costs when running data workloads on Microsoft Azure?

I explained that I adopt a cost-conscious approach when designing data solutions on Azure. I use Azure Cost Management and Billing to monitor resource consumption and identify areas for optimization. Additionally, I mentioned leveraging serverless technologies like Azure Functions and Azure Logic Apps to scale resources dynamically based on workload demands.

Round 4: HR (Online):

I had an HR round on Microsoft Teams after a week which was again, very general. We also discussed about location preferences and salary.

Conclusion:

The entire interview process at Optum was not very hard. The inclusion of Microsoft Azure-related questions showcased Optum’s emphasis on cloud-based data engineering and its commitment to using cutting-edge technologies in the healthcare domain. I left the interviews with a positive impression of Optum’s work culture and the technical excellence expected of Senior Data Engineers at the company.