Senior II Software Engineer - Linux Performance

Akamai; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 146,000 - 264,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

FlexBase program

Healthcare benefits

401K savings

Job summary

Akamai Technologies GmbH is seeking a Senior II Software Engineer to join the Linux Performance team. You will analyze system performance, design enhancements, and help productize new servers and hardware, while expanding metrics and tooling for faster problem diagnosis.

The role requires deep Linux kernel knowledge, strong C programming, and experience with virtualization and hardware bring-up. This is a challenging, impactful position within Akamai's global distributed platform.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of relevant experience and a Bachelor's degree or its equivalent
• Extensive programming experience in C and in one or more of Rust, Python, Bash, or Perl
• Deep understanding of the Linux kernel, computer system architectures, and the software-hardware interface
• Experience with virtualization technologies (software and hardware)
• Hardware enablement and debugging experience, esp. board bring-up and GPUs
• Experience with performance analysis tools (perf, bcc, BPF)
• Experience with concurrent programming and data structures/algorithms
• Knowledge of PCIe, CXL, CCIX, USB interconnects

Responsibilities

• Analyze system performance
• Design and implement performance enhancements and new features
• Contribute to introducing/productizing new servers and hardware
• Extend metrics collection and create visualizations for performance
• Build tooling to identify performance issues quickly

Skills

C programming

Rust

Python

Bash

Perl

Linux kernel

Virtualization

Performance analysis

Concurrency

PCIe/CXL

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Qemu

KVM

SVM

VHE

BPF

bcc

Job description

Do you have a passion for making systems run blazingly fast?

Does it bother you when they don't?

Join our innovative team

Our Linux Performance team is a specialized group that looks to improve the performance and efficiency of Akamai's Intelligent Platform, both virtualized and bare metal. It is part of our larger Linux Engineering team, which provides the Linux kernel and operating system innovation for the Akamai global distributed network composed of 300,000+ servers deployed in 1000+ networks and 100+ countries.

Shape the future of performance at Akamai

The opportunity to significantly impact Akamai's business makes this role rewarding. Top performers embrace challenges, love learning, and fearlessly solve difficult problems. The position requires solid system design, solid programming and debugging skills, an obsession with code quality, and independence. You must be passionate about getting things done quickly and correctly.

As a Senior II Software Engineer, you will be responsible for:

• Analyzing system performance
• Identifying, designing, and implementing performance enhancements and new features
• Participating in the process of introducing and productizing new servers and hardware
• Extending metrics collection and creating visualizations to better quantify systems performance
• Building tooling to help identify system performance problems faster

Do what you love

To be successful in this role you will:

• Have 8 years of relevant experience and a Bachelor's degree or its equivalent
• Have extensive programming experience in C and experience in one or more of the following languages: Rust, Python, Bash, or Perl
• Possess a deep understanding of the Linux kernel, computer system architectures, and the intersection between software and hardware
• Have experience with virtualization technologies both in software (Qemu, KVM) and hardware (SVM, VHE)
• Have experience with hardware enablement and debugging, especially around board bring up and / or GPUs
• Have experience with debugging and performance analysis tools like perf, bcc tools, BPF, etc
• Have experience with concurrent programming, data structures, algorithms, complexity analysis
• Have knowledge of common hardware interconnects such as PCI express, CXL, CCIX, and USB

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.

Compensation

Akamai is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. For US based candidates only - the base salary for this position ranges from $146,400 - $263,600/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.