Engineering Manager - Linux Kernel Development

Akamai Technologies; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 152,000 - 273,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare

401K savings plan

Parental leave

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

Akamai Technologies is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead a team delivering Akamai's custom Linux kernel across a planetary-scale fleet of servers. You will guide performance, reliability, and security strategies, with hands-on contributions as needed.

Requirements include 8+ years in C/Linux kernel environments and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field. The role sits in the Cloud Platform Infrastructure Group, with opportunities to influence cross-functional teams and

Qualifications

• 8 years of relevant experience and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field.
• Experience managing or leading technical teams within C development or Linux kernel environments.
• Solid understanding of Linux kernel internals including KVM, network stacks, memory management, and file systems.
• Understanding of vulnerability management, performance benchmarking, and kernel debugging tools.
• Strong communication, technical leadership, and collaborative problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering team to design, build, and scale custom Linux kernel solutions.
• Drive team execution on new feature development, performance tuning, vulnerability management, and new hardware support.
• Guiding engineers in debugging, isolating, and resolving low-level system issues across complex environments.
• Mentoring team members, setting quality standards, and fostering continuous career growth.
• Collaborating with cross-functional technical teams and open-source communities to deliver results.

Skills

Linux kernel

C development

Technical leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

KVM

Kernel debugging tools

Performance benchmarking

Job description

Job Description

Are you passionate about low-level system performance, reliability, and security?

Can you lead a team of world-class engineers delivering Linux kernel to a planetary-scale fleet of servers?

Join our team

Our team is part of the Cloud Platform Infrastructure Group, providing Linux kernel for Akamai's Compute, Delivery, and AI platforms. At the core of Akamai infrastructure, we work on complex systems that are available 24/7. We focus on developing, testing, and optimizing custom Linux kernel infrastructure to ensure performance, reliability, and security of the Akamai platform.

Job Description

Are you passionate about low-level system performance, reliability, and security?

Can you lead a team of world-class engineers delivering Linux kernel to a planetary-scale fleet of servers?

Join our team

Our team is part of the Cloud Platform Infrastructure Group, providing Linux kernel for Akamai's Compute, Delivery, and AI platforms. At the core of Akamai infrastructure, we work on complex systems that are available 24/7. We focus on developing, testing, and optimizing custom Linux kernel infrastructure to ensure performance, reliability, and security of the Akamai platform.

Partner with the best

You will lead an engineering team building, maintaining, and testing Akamai's custom Linux kernel. You will guide system performance, reliability, and security strategies for a key component underpinning Akamai's global platform. You should be willing and able to provide hands‑on technical contributions when needed.

As An Engineering Manager, You Will Be Responsible For

• Leading an engineering team to design, build, and scale custom Linux kernel solutions
• Driving team execution on new feature development, performance tuning, vulnerability management, and new hardware support
• Guiding engineers in debugging, isolating, and resolving low-level system issues across complex environments
• Mentoring team members, setting quality standards, and fostering continuous career growth
• Collaborating with cross-functional technical teams and open-source communities to deliver results

Do What You Love

To be successful in this role you will:

• Have 8 years of relevant experience and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field
• Have experience managing or leading technical teams within C development or Linux kernel environments
• Possess a solid understanding of Linux kernel internals including KVM, network stacks, memory management, and file systems
• Have understanding of vulnerability management, performance benchmarking, and kernel debugging tools
• Demonstrate effective communication, technical leadership, and collaborative problem-solving skills

About Us

At Akamai, we make life better for billions of people, trillions of times a day. Whether you're streaming live events, scrolling social media, watching your favorite series, or managing your savings, we're the engine behind the scenes. We provide the world's most distributed platform from Cloud to Edge to help the giants of the digital world work faster and stay more secure, making the internet a better experience for everyone.

Our Focus Is Simple

Cloud and Edge: Running apps closer to users for instant performance.

Security: Neutralizing threats before they ever reach your data.

Content Delivery: Scaling the world's biggest moments without a glitch.

AI: Enabling our customers to build, secure, and scale AI apps on the world's most distributed cloud platform.

At Akamai, we don't just support the internet; we power and protect it, because behind every great digital experience is a massive hidden challenge. And we're the ones who solve it. When millions of people hit play or pay, Akamai ensures it just works.

Benefits at Akamai:

We support your health, well-being, finances, and life beyond work. See our benefits.

FlexBase adapts to your job's needs

Akamai's FlexBase program is yet another way we show our commitment to providing employees with an exceptional workplace experience. It's not about telling employees where to work; it's about supporting employees to do their best work.

We trust our incredible employees to work in ways that suit them best: at home, in an office, or a combination of both.

Connect with us on social and see what life at Akamai is like!

Compensation

Akamai is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. For US based candidates only - the base salary for this position ranges from $151,800 - $273,200/year; a candidate’s salary is determined by various factors including, but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications and location. Compensation for candidates outside the US will vary. The compensation package may also include incentive compensation opportunities in the form of annual bonus or incentives, equity awards and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP). Akamai provides industry-leading benefits including healthcare, 401K savings plan, company holidays, vacation (in the form of PTO), sick time, family friendly benefits including parental leave and an employee assistance program including a focus on mental and financial wellness; Eligibility requirements apply.