Security Engineer, Web Application Security

Yum! Brands; Plano (TX); On-site; USD 107,000 - 147,000; Full time

Job summary

Yum! Brands is seeking a Security Engineer to join its Cybersecurity Engineering org. You will protect web apps and APIs across KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Habit Burger & Grill, and Yum! corporate platforms.

Responsibilities include configuring WAF/CDN protections with Akamai, monitoring security events, and assisting with incident response. Bachelor’s degree and 2–4+ years in security fields are expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, or equivalent.
• 2–4+ years in cybersecurity, networking, cloud engineering, or related field.
• Foundational understanding of web security concepts and REST APIs.
• Experience with Akamai or similar WAF/CDN platforms is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Configure and maintain WAF protections using Akamai App & API Protector.
• Monitor web security events and investigate suspicious or malicious traffic.
• Configure CDN/edge security configurations and manage TLS certificates.
• Support incident response and security investigations across web apps and APIs.
• Develop automation scripts to improve monitoring and onboarding processes.
• Collaborate with Security Operations, Compliance, and Infra teams to improve practices.

Skills

Web security concepts

REST APIs

Networking basics

OWASP Top 10

Incident response coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/IT/C cybersecurity

Tools

Akamai App & API Protector

WAF/CDN platforms

Edge DNS

Cloudlets

Bot Manager

TLS/Certificate management

Job description

Position Summary

We are seeking a Security Engineer to join Yum! Brands' Cybersecurity Engineering organization and help protect the web applications and APIs supporting our global digital ecosystem across KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Habit Burger & Grill, and Yum! corporate platforms.

Position Summary

We are seeking a Security Engineer to join Yum! Brands' Cybersecurity Engineering organization and help protect the web applications and APIs supporting our global digital ecosystem across KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Habit Burger & Grill, and Yum! corporate platforms.

Primary Responsibilities

Web Application Security

• Configure, maintain, and support Web Application Firewall (WAF) protections using Akamai App & API Protector and related security technologies.
• Monitor and investigate web security events involving:
• Other suspicious or malicious web traffic
• Layer 7 attacks
• DDoS attacks
• Credential stuffing
• Bot traffic
• API attacks
• OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities
• Assist with WAF policy tuning to reduce false positives while maintaining appropriate security protections.
• Review application traffic and security logs to identify attack patterns, application behavior, and potential security concerns.
• Implement approved WAF policy changes, exceptions, allowlists, and security configuration updates.
• Support senior engineers during complex security investigations and production incidents.

CDN & Edge Security

• Configure and maintain CDN and edge security configurations supporting internet-facing applications.
• Work with Akamai technologies including:
• Caching and delivery configurations
• Origin connectivity
• DNS integrations
• Cloudlets
• Edge Hostnames
• Property Manager
• Troubleshoot common CDN and web application issues involving:
• Application availability
• TLS/SSL
• Origin connectivity
• Routing
• DNS
• Cache behavior
• HTTP response codes
• Support the onboarding of new websites and APIs onto the enterprise WAF/CDN platform.

Certificate Lifecycle Management

• Support the lifecycle management of public TLS certificates, including:
• Replacement
• Revocation
• Renewal
• Deployment
• Issuance
• Request validation
• Monitor certificate inventories and upcoming expiration dates.
• Coordinate certificate changes and renewals with application owners and other technical teams.
• Validate certificates after deployment and troubleshoot common certificate, trust chain, DNS validation, and TLS issues.
• Maintain accurate certificate ownership and lifecycle documentation.
• Escalate certificate risks or renewal issues before they can impact production applications.

Security Operations & Incident Response

• Monitor and investigate WAF alerts, application issues, and security events.
• Analyze HTTP requests, response codes, headers, WAF logs, CDN logs, and other available telemetry to assist with troubleshooting and investigations.
• Participate in incident response activities involving WAF, CDN, DDoS, certificates, and internet-facing applications.
• Assist with troubleshooting customer-impacting production issues and determining whether issues originate from the security/CDN layer or another application component.
• Implement approved mitigations and validate application functionality following security changes.
• Follow established incident management, escalation, and change management processes.
• Participate in the team's on-call rotation supporting globally distributed applications and services.

Automation & Engineering

• Identify repetitive operational activities that could benefit from automation.
• Develop and maintain basic scripts and tools using technologies such as Python, PowerShell, Bash, or REST APIs.
• Assist with improving security monitoring, reporting, inventory management, and operational dashboards.
• Contribute to automation and standardization of application onboarding, WAF configuration, and certificate management processes.
• Learn and adopt Infrastructure-as-Code and API-driven security management practices where appropriate.

Collaboration & Continuous Improvement

• Work closely with:
• Security Operations
• Compliance
• Enterprise Architecture
• IAM
• Infrastructure
• Networking
• Cloud Engineering
• Software Engineering
• Partner with application teams during WAF/CDN onboarding, troubleshooting, security changes, and certificate activities.
• Participate in technical discussions and architecture reviews alongside senior engineers.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, troubleshooting guides, operational procedures, and runbooks.
• Share knowledge and lessons learned with other members of the team.
• Identify opportunities to improve existing processes and operational practices.

Governance & Compliance

• Follow established security standards, change management procedures, and operational processes.
• Support PCI DSS and internal audit activities by gathering technical evidence and documentation.
• Assist with periodic security reviews and control assessments.
• Maintain accurate documentation for WAF configurations, certificates, application ownership, exceptions, and operational processes.
• Support remediation activities identified through audits, vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and security reviews.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, or equivalent education and/or professional experience.
• 2-4+ years of experience in cybersecurity, networking, infrastructure, cloud engineering, application support, or a related technical field.
• Foundational understanding of:
• Reverse proxies and CDN concepts
• REST APIs
• Web applications
• TCP/IP
• DNS
• TLS/SSL
• HTTP/HTTPS
• Familiarity with Web Application Firewall technologies or web application security concepts.
• Familiarity with common web security threats and the OWASP Top 10.
• Experience troubleshooting technical issues using logs and other diagnostic information.
• Ability to analyze technical problems and follow issues through resolution.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability and willingness to learn new security technologies and platforms.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with Akamai or similar WAF/CDN platforms.
• Experience with Akamai technologies such as:
• Bot Manager
• Cloudlets
• Edge DNS
• Certificate Manager
• Property Manager
• App & API Protector
• Experience with public TLS certificate management.
• Experience working with cloud environments such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Experience with SIEM or log analysis platforms such as Splunk, Sentinel, or similar technologies.
• Basic scripting experience with Python, PowerShell, or Bash.
• Experience working with REST APIs.
• Familiarity with Git, Infrastructure-as-Code, or other DevOps practices.
• Security certifications such as Security+, GSEC, Akamai certifications, or equivalent technical certifications.

Salary Range: $106,600 to $146,500 annually + bonus eligibility. This is the expected salary range for this position. Ultimately, in determining pay, we’ll consider the successful candidate’s location, experience, and other job-related factors.