Security Engineer, Web Application Security (5583)

YUM; Plano (TX); Remote; USD 107,000 - 147,000; Full time

Job summary

Yum! Brands is seeking a Security Engineer to join its Cybersecurity Engineering team to protect web applications and APIs across the global digital ecosystem.

The role focuses on WAF, CDN, API security, and certificate management with Akamai technologies, collaborating with cross-functional teams to onboard sites and respond to security events.

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.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability and willingness to learn new security technologies and platforms.

Responsibilities

• 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 suspicious or malicious web traffic and bot traffic.
• Assist with WAF policy tuning to reduce false positives while maintaining security protections.
• Review application traffic and security logs to identify attack patterns and security concerns.
• Implement approved WAF policy changes, exceptions, allowlists, and security configuration updates.
• Support senior engineers during complex security investigations and production incidents.
• Configure and maintain CDN and edge security configurations using Akamai technologies.
• Troubleshoot TLS/SSL, origin connectivity, DNS, caching, and HTTP response issues.
• Onboard new websites and APIs onto the enterprise WAF/CDN platform.
• Validate certificates after deployment and troubleshoot TLS issues.
• Perform pre-production validation, testing, and post-change verification.
• Monitor lifecycle management of public TLS certificates and renewals.
• Develop basic scripts and tools using Python, PowerShell, Bash, or REST APIs.
• Create and maintain technical documentation and runbooks.
• Work with Security Operations, Compliance, IAM, Infrastructure, Networking, Software Engineering teams.

Skills

Web application security concepts

Networking fundamentals

REST APIs

TCP/IP

TLS/SSL

WAF/CDN platforms

Scripting (Python/PowerShell)

Incident response

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent

Tools

Akamai WAF/App & API Protector

Akamai CDN

Certificate Manager

Job description

Building global, iconic brands people trust and champion

Security Engineer, Web Application Security

YUM!

Remote

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.

This role will support the operation and continuous improvement of Web Application Firewall (WAF), Content Delivery Network (CDN), API security, and digital certificate management services. The engineer will work with technologies such as Akamai App & API Protector, Akamai CDN, Certificate Manager, and other web security platforms to help protect internet-facing applications from cyber threats while maintaining application availability and performance.

The ideal candidate has a strong technical foundation in networking, web technologies, or cybersecurity and is interested in developing deeper expertise in web application security, CDN technologies, APIs, and certificate management.

This role will work closely with senior engineers and cross-functional teams to troubleshoot issues, onboard applications, respond to security events, implement security changes, maintain certificates, and improve operational processes.

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
• Bot traffic
• 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:
• 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.

Perform pre-production validation, testing, and post-change verification.

Certificate Lifecycle Management

• Support the lifecycle management of public TLS certificates, including:
• Replacement
• Renewal
• Deployment
• Issuance
• 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.
• 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.
• Work closely with:
• Security Operations
• Compliance
• IAM
• Infrastructure
• Networking
• 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

Experience in all of the following areas is not required. Candidates with a strong technical foundation and demonstrated ability to learn are encouraged to apply.

• 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
• 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.

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