Senior Akamai Security Engineer
Role: Senior Akamai Security Engineer
Location: Hybrid - 60% onsite / 40% remote - Knutsford, Cheshire
Contract Length: Until 30/11/2026
Rate: £550 to £600 per day Inside IR35
Role Overview
We're looking for a Senior Akamai Security Engineer to lead the design, implementation, and optimisation of Akamai security solutions across large-scale digital platforms.
This role sits at the sharp end of web security - protecting high-traffic environments from modern threats while improving performance and resilience. Expect real engineering challenges, complex environments, and zero room for checkbox security.
Key Responsibilities
Architect, configure, and optimise Akamai security solutions including Kona Site Defender, WAF, Bot Manager, and CDN
Lead end-to-end implementation of Akamai security policies and custom rules
Perform threat analysis, log monitoring, and security incident response for web traffic
Implement and manage rate limiting, bot mitigation, DDoS protection, and zero-trust controls
Partner with engineering and application teams to embed secure Akamai configurations into delivery pipelines
Manage Akamai properties, edge redirects, certificates, and traffic routing rules
Tune WAF policies to minimise false positives while maximising threat coverage
Provide technical leadership, documentation, and best-practice guidance
Required Skills & Experience
Extensive hands-on experience with the Akamai platform: Kona Site Defender, WAF, Bot Manager, EdgeWorkers, CDN
Strong understanding of web security fundamentals: OWASP Top 10, DDoS, bot protection, API security
Deep knowledge of HTTP/S, TCP/IP, DNS, TLS, caching strategies, and CDN optimisation
Experience supporting large-scale, high-traffic production environments
Scripting and automation skills (Python, Shell, Akamai APIs)
Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and performance-tuning capability
Nice to Have
Akamai certifications (ACE, Akamai Security Architect)
Cloud platform experience (Azure, AWS, GCP)
Familiarity with DevSecOps practices, CI/CD, and Infrastructure as Code
Experience with SIEM platforms and security analytics