Principal Network Architect

Do you have a passion for network automation?

Do you want to help scale a global platform?

Be part of Akamai's Core IP Networking team!

We support the design, deployment and operational needs of Akamai connectivity infrastructure. We combine software engineering with system architecture to ensure our services are reliable, performant, and scaling efficiently. As a Principal Network Architect, you will lead SRE-style development to solve complex operational challenges through code.

Partner with the best

Network Architecture at Akamai is responsible for establishing Akamai's position in the global Internet. In this principal role, you will guide software development and reliability engineering to align, exceed and define industry standards. You will architect scalable infrastructure, eliminate manual toil, and mentor engineering teams across the organization.

As a Principal Network Architect, you will be responsible for:

• Leading the architectural design and development software supporting Akamai's global connectivity platform
• Driving software-defined automation to eliminate operational toil and improve network infrastructure reliability
• Establishing cutting-edge telemetry systems and observability stacks for real-time monitoring of global network traffic and security services
• Championing software engineering best practices, CI/CD pipelines, and SDLC standards across multidisciplinary architecture and engineering teams
• Steering capacity planning strategies and cost optimization across distributed routing, fabric, and edge security systems

Do what you love

To be successful in this role you will:

• Have 15 years of relevant experience and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field
• Demonstrate 10+ years of experience in network and software engineering
• Possess expert proficiency in Python, Ansible, Kubernetes and Source of Truth platforms
• Thrive in an ever-changing environment with rapidly evolving requirements, adapting quickly and leading with a focus on agility
• Showcase proven expertise in large‑scale IP routing and network fabric architectures
• Display experience designing cloud-native infrastructure, container orchestration, and infrastructure-as-code deployment frameworks

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.

Connect with us on social and see what life at Akamai is like!

Compensation

Akamai is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. For US based candidates only - the base salary for this position ranges from $159,600 - $287,400/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.