Principal Software Engineer - Linux Kernel

Do you have a passion for making systems run as efficiently as possible?

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

You can make a significant impact on Akamai's business. A successful candidate will seek challenges, be passionate about learning, and have demonstrated ability to pose and solve difficult problems. The job requires solid system design, solid programming and debugging skills, an obsession with code quality, and independence. You must have a passion to get things done quickly and correctly.

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

• Analyzing system performance, identify problems, design, develop, and implement solutions
• Extending metrics collection and create visualizations to better quantify systems performance
• Building tooling to help identify system performance problems faster
• Training other Akamai engineers to identify performance issues
• Working with teams across the company to implement your solutions

Do what you love

To be successful in this role you will:

• Have 12 years of relevant experience and a Bachelor's degree or equivalent
• Have extensive programming experience in C, as well as experience in Python, Bash, or Perl
• Possess a deep understanding of the Linux kernel and computer system architectures
• Have experience with virtualization technologies (Qemu, KVM) and hardware offload technologies (VDPA, DPDK, SR-IOV)
• Have experience with performance analysis tools like Linux perf, bcc tools, BPF, etc
• Have experience with concurrent programming, data structures, algorithms, complexity analysis
• Have proficiency with network protocols, including IP, IPv6, TCP, UDP

Benefits at Akamai

Akamai is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. For US-based candidates only, the base salary for this position ranges from $169,300 - $304,700/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 focusing on mental and financial wellness; eligibility requirements apply.