About Akamai and the Role
Akamai is at the forefront of digital transformation, providing businesses with advanced solutions to deliver, secure, and optimize online experiences. As a Senior Enterprise Security Architect, you will play a critical role in empowering organizations to protect their API ecosystems while achieving their business objectives. You’ll act as a trusted advisor, showcasing Akamai’s cutting-edge solutions in API discovery, posture management, and threat mitigation.
This role bridges technology and business, combining deep technical expertise with strategic thinking to create real-world value for our clients. You’ll engage with enterprise customers, shaping their API security strategies, and act as a subject matter expert for both customers and internal teams, ensuring the highest level of understanding and excellence in API security. You will be part of a global team of experts that have been over achieving their objectives in the last few years.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership in Pre-Sales
- Own the technical sales lifecycle, including discovery, solution design, and delivery of compelling product demonstrations.
- Translate complex technical concepts into practical, impactful use cases for diverse audiences, from technical engineers to C-level executives.
- Develop and lead technical Proofs-of-Values (PoVs) to showcase product capabilities in real-world scenarios.
Subject Matter Expertise
- Serve as the go-to expert on API security for customers, internal teams, and partners.
- Educate sales teams and other stakeholders on API security trends, threats, and best practices.
- Contribute to internal training initiatives to enhance team knowledge and technical expertise.
Customer Advocacy
- Act as the technical point of contact for customers during their pre-sales journey, ensuring their success and satisfaction.
- Gather customer requirements and work closely with product and engineering teams to align solutions to customer needs.
- Foster long-term relationships with prospects and customers, positioning Akamai as a strategic partner.
Evangelism and Enablement
- Present Akamai’s API security vision and best practices at industry conferences, webinars, and customer workshops.
- Create and maintain high-quality solution design documentation, presentations, and other technical sales assets.
- Stay ahead of trends in API security, contributing to internal knowledge sharing and external thought leadership.
Collaboration Across Teams
- Partner with sales, product management, and engineering teams to drive alignment and continuously improve the customer experience.
- Support RFP responses with clear, concise, and accurate technical insights.
What We’re Looking For
Technical Expertise
- Strong knowledge of APIs, API gateways, web application firewalls (WAF), and API security practices.
- Proficiency in internet technologies, including TCP / IP, DNS, HTTP / HTTPS, SSL / TLS, and RESTful APIs.
- Hands-on experience with scripting languages such as Python, JavaScript, or Bash.
Cloud and Kubernetes Experience
- Familiarity with cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, GCP) and cloud-native architectures.
- Experience deploying and managing Kubernetes clusters and containerized applications.
- Familiarity with Kubernetes networking, ingress controllers, and service mesh technologies (Istio, NGINX).
Experience
- 3+ years in a technical pre-sales, solution architecture, or related role in cybersecurity or API-related fields.
- Proven track record of designing and presenting technical solutions to customers and stakeholders.
Communication Skills
- Exceptional presentation skills with the ability to explain complex concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Strong written communication skills, including email correspondence, technical documentation, and RFP responses.
Problem-Solving and Collaboration
- Proven ability to analyze customer challenges and creatively design tailored solutions.
- Collaborative mindset, working effectively across sales, product, and engineering teams.
Nice-to-Have Qualifications
- Experience in vulnerability management, penetration testing, or incident response.
- Knowledge of regulatory requirements such as PCI DSS, GDPR, APPI and SOC-2.
- Certifications in relevant technologies or familiarity with OWASP API Top 10.
- Familiarity with DevOps practices and tools (CI / CD pipelines, Helm, Terraform).
Why Join Akamai?
At Akamai, you’ll join a collaborative and innovative team dedicated to solving some of the most pressing cybersecurity challenges facing enterprises today. You’ll have the opportunity to work with industry-leading solutions, engage with high-profile customers, and grow as a thought leader in API security.
You’ll also play a key role in empowering your colleagues, acting as a subject matter expert on API security to ensure that the entire team stays ahead of evolving threats and technologies.