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