Principal Software Engineer

Ready to architect and build the security technologies that protect the world's largest web applications? Do you want to lead the development of cutting-edge Web Application Firewall solutions that defend against sophisticated cyber threats? Join our AAP Hybrid Team

Our team is at the heart of the Application Security organization, building the core technologies that power Akamai's industry-leading security products. We protect some of the world's most critical internet infrastructure and major brands from evolving cyber threats. Working alongside talented engineers, security analysts, and product teams, you'll shape the future of web application security.

As a Principal Software Engineer, you'll be a technical leader responsible for architecting, developing, and optimizing our Web Application Firewall platform end-to-end. You'll drive innovation while mentoring teams and collaborating across the organization to deliver world-class security solutions.

As a Principal Software Engineer, you will be responsible for:

• Leading technical design and code reviews, ensuring best practices in security, performance, and maintainability across the engineering team
• Mentoring and guiding junior and senior engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning
• Collaborating closely with Security Data Analysts, Product Management, Threat Research, and Sales teams to translate business requirements into technical solutions
• Optimizing performance of proxy technologies (NGINX, Envoy) and container orchestration platforms (Kubernetes) for high-throughput, low-latency security processing
• Implementing security controls based on OWASP Top 10 and emerging threat intelligence, ensuring comprehensive protection against modern attack vectors

To be successful in this role you will:

• Have 13+ years of software engineering experience with a proven track record of building large-scale, high-performance systems
• Demonstrate expert‑level proficiency in Go (golang) understanding of concurrent programming, memory management, and performance optimization
• Possess deep knowledge of web technologies including HTTP/HTTPS protocols, TCP/IP networking (L3/L4), DNS, and TLS/SSL implementations
• Have extensive experience with proxy technologies (NGINX, Envoy), Web Application Firewalls, and security middleware development
• Have experience with Application Delivery Controllers (ADC), load balancers, and distributed system design pattern
• Demonstrate leadership capabilities with experience in technical mentoring, architecture decisions, and cross‑functional collaboration
• Possess excellent communication skills with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse stakeholders including product managers, sales teams, and customers

Flex Base, Akamai's Global Flexible Working Program, is based on the principles that are helping us create the best workplace in the world. When our colleagues said that flexible working was important to them, we listened. We also know flexible working is important to many of the incredible people considering joining Akamai. Flex Base, gives 95% of employees the choice to work from their home, their office, or both (in the country advertised).

This permanent workplace flexibility program is consistent and fair globally, to help us find incredible talent, virtually anywhere. We are happy to discuss working options for this role and encourage you to speak with your recruiter in more detail when you apply.

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