Senior Software Engineer - Linux Kernel Development

Akamai; United States; Hybrid; USD 121,000 - 219,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

FlexBase program

Work from home or office flexibility

Job summary

Akamai is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to help build and maintain a custom Linux kernel for our Cloud Platform. You will contribute to new features focused on performance, reliability, and security, and port Akamai modifications to newer kernel versions.

You will debug complex environments, improve automation, and collaborate with cross-functional teams while engaging with the open source community. Strong C skills and Linux kernel expertise are essential.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant software experience and a Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
• 3+ years in C with Linux kernel development and scripting.
• Solid understanding of Linux kernel internals and debugging experience.
• Familiarity with kernel subsystems: memory management, filesystems, block IO, TCP/IP, KVM.
• Knowledge of concurrent programming, data structures, algorithms and networking protocols.
• Self-motivated, able to work independently and collaborate with teams.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop new features to improve performance, reliability, and security of Akamai Cloud Platform.
• Port existing Akamai kernel modifications to newer Linux versions.
• Debug and fix issues in test and production environments.
• Enhance build and test automation to support Continuous Testing.
• Collaborate with platform, app Dev and test teams and hardware teams.
• Work with open source community to upstream work.
• Stay current with upstream Linux kernel changes and industry trends.

Skills

C programming

Linux kernel development

Scripting (Perl/Python/Shell)

Linux kernel internals

Concurrency and data structures

Networking (TCP/UDP/IP, Ethernet, HTTP

Upstream collaboration

Self-motivation & collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

KVM

Job description

Are you passionate about the Linux kernel?

Want to enable and secure the foundation of Akamai Cloud Platform?

Join our Cloud Platform Infrastructure Group - Linux Infrastructure team

Our team is part of Cloud Platform Infrastructure Group, developing distributed systems that support Akamai's large global network. At the core of Akamai infrastructure, we work on complex and exciting systems that are available 24/7. Critical to Akamai, our Linux Infrastructure team develops, maintains, and ensures reliability, security, and performance of a custom Linux distribution with Akamai-specific extensions and settings.

Build the future through innovation and automation

You will be an integral part of a multi-faceted globally-distributed development team that builds, maintains, and improves Akamai's custom Linux kernel.

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

• Developing new features to improve performance, reliability, and security of Akamai Cloud Platform
• Porting existing Akamai modifications to newer versions of Linux kernel
• Debugging and fixing issues found in a variety of complex test and production environments
• Enhancing existing build and test automation to facilitate Continuous Testing
• Collaborating closely with platform and application developer and test teams as well as Akamai hardware development teams
• Working with the open source community to upstream your work
• Staying current with upstream Linux kernel and OS changes and emerging industry trends

Do what you love

To be successful in this role you will:

• Have 5 years of relevant experience and a Bachelor's degree or its equivalent
• Have 3+ years of experience in software development in C with a focus on Linux kernel development and also scripting (Perl/Python/Shell)
• Have a solid understanding of Linux kernel internals and experience with Linux kernel debugging
• Be familiar with at least two of the following subsystems required: memory management, filesystems, block IO, TCP/IP stack, KVM)
• Have a good working knowledge of concurrent programming, data structures, algorithms, complexity analysis, and network protocols (TCP/UDP/IP, Ethernet, QUIC, HTTP/TLS)
• Be a motivated self-starter who enjoys collaborating with others but capable of working independently
• Possess excellent verbal and written communication 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.

Compensation

Akamai is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. For US based candidates only - the base salary for this position ranges from $121,400 - $218,600/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.