Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Engineer

Applause is raising the bar for digital quality and employee experience. Recognized as a Top Workplace, Applause provides award-winning software testing and UX research solutions to top brands. Our fully managed services leverage a global team and the world's largest independent testing community. We improve digital experiences for global innovators like Google, Microsoft, PayPal, Starbucks, Vodafone, and BMW.

The Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Engineer serves as the critical technical bridge for our global Privacy, AI Governance & Risk Center of Excellence. This role is designed to navigate the tactical, day-to-day issues facing our nascent data protection and broader risk programs. The successful candidate will act as the translation layer for the business, taking identified privacy and AI governance risks and converting them into actionable, technical solutioning items for our engineering teams. This role requires a dynamic professional who can seamlessly transition between working with the Director of Privacy & Compliance, business stakeholders, and IT (Engineering and Information Security).

Key Responsibilities:

● Risk Assessment Review: Review business risks identified during the Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) and AI Impact Assessment (AIA) workflows.

● Risk Translation: Translate legal, compliance, and privacy risks into actionable, technical requirements and user stories for Engineering and Information Security teams.

● Technical Solutioning: Design and recommend technical solutions to mitigate risks identified in vendor intake and sub-processor management workflows.

● Compliance Documentation: Document DPIAs and Records of Processing Activities (RoPA).

● Privacy & AI by Design: Partner closely with Product and Engineering to embed technical privacy controls (e.g., data minimization, encryption, anonymization) directly into product development lifecycles.

● AI Architecture Evaluation: Evaluate the technical architecture of internal AI adoption, third-party AI features, and agentic workflows to ensure they align with our governance wrappers.

● Data Mapping Initiatives: Drive data mapping initiatives alongside the Senior Privacy & AI Governance Analyst to ensure an accurate, technically sound Record of Processing Activities (RoPA).

● Cross-Functional Liaison: Serve as the primary technical liaison connecting Legal/Compliance, the Business, and IT.

● Information Security Support: Support Information Security with technical control testing coordination against the ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and SOC 2 control sets.

● Tooling Operationalization: Assist in operationalizing technical tooling for data inventory and Data Subject Access Request (DSAR) fulfillment operations to improve SLA adherence.

Required Qualifications

• 4–7 years of experience in privacy engineering, software engineering, security architecture, or a closely related technical field.

• Experience translating obligations under GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and emerging regimes like the EU AI Act into technical system controls.

• Working knowledge of the NIST Privacy Framework and NIST AI RMF as an operating model.

• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex legal and regulatory concepts to technical audiences, and conversely, explain technical system limitations to legal stakeholders.

• Experience operating within a B2B SaaS, technology, or similarly regulated high-velocity environment.

• Strong written communication in English, capable of producing stakeholder-ready materials.

• Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT) or demonstrable equivalent technical knowledge and familiarity with ISO 27701 and an understanding of how it extends ISO 27001 from a technical implementation standpoint is preferred.

• Prior experience evaluating the technical architecture of customer-facing AI capabilities and experience integrating technical requirements into agile development processes and sprint cycles is preferred.

Why Applause?

We’re proud to cultivate an inspiring, engaging employee culture that’s consistently reflected in high employee retention rates and satisfaction. Our talented team – known as Applause Nation – is set up for success with the latest collaboration and learning tools, opportunities for career advancement, and more.

• We have a flexible work environment with top talent from across the globe

• Collaborate with an international team of 450+ passionate, talented co-workers

• Expand your portfolio with exciting, hands-on projects providing exposure to well-known, global brands

• Learn and grow through structured onboarding, in-house knowledge sessions and access to thousands of virtual courses available on demand

• Incorporate AI and other exciting technologies into your work, to help you prioritize and boost productivity

• Experience a supportive culture that emphasizes teamwork, innovation and transparency

• Share your voice! Contribute and integrate creative and innovative ideas across roles and departments

Applause Core Values:

As a global employee community, we strive to uphold the following core values, which are critical to business success and how we measure individual and team performance. Do you share our core values?

• Be Accountable: You love to take ownership, and hold yourself and others accountable to increase empowerment and success.

• Celebrate Authenticity: You love bringing your true self to work and creating genuine and trustful relationships within a diverse environment.

• In It Together: You have a team-first mindset and love collaborating with your peers.

• Create Value for Our Customers: You love delivering meaningful business impact and being a release partner for all aspects of digital quality.

• Crush Your Goals: You always strive for excellence and constantly seek ways to be better, more effective and more efficient.