Security Specialist - Akamai

Position Overview At PNC, our people are our greatest differentiator and competitive advantage. We are united in delivering the best experience for our customers and fostering an inclusive workplace where all employees feel respected and valued. As a Security Specialist – Akamai within PNC's Enterprise Information Security organization, you will be based in Pittsburgh, PA, in an in‑office environment that supports balance and growth. Job Description Willingness to participate in on‑call, weekend, and evening support is preferred. The Akamai Security Specialist protects PNC’s external application footprint through design, implementation, and management of Akamai security controls. The role defends against advanced threats, including automated attacks, bot activity, and API abuse, while ensuring optimal performance and customer experience across digital platforms. Core Responsibilities Design, implement, and maintain Akamai security controls, including WAF and Bot Manager policies. Monitor and analyze traffic patterns to identify anomalous behavior, malicious automation, and emerging threats. Tune and enforce security policies to proactively block unauthorized access, data harvesting, and application abuse. Partner with Security Operations and incident response teams to investigate, elevate, and remediate security events. Develop and maintain detection logic, playbooks, and standardized procedures for incident response and policy management. Support onboarding of new applications by defining and validating security configurations, API protections, and endpoint coverage. Continuously optimize Akamai configurations to align with evolving threat intelligence and attack techniques. Validate protections on high‑risk business functions such as authentication flows, account management, and transactional APIs. Ensure visibility, monitoring, and reporting capabilities support operational, audit, and regulatory requirements. Contribute to documentation, knowledge transfer, and process standardization across the Akamai Security team. Preferred Technical Skills Akamai Security Suite (e.g., Kona Site Defender / WAF, Bot Manager, API Protection) SIEM and monitoring platforms Web protocols ( networking fundamentals, and application architecture Security tooling for traffic inspection, rule tuning, and incident response Ticketing and workflow systems (e.g., ServiceNow, Jira) for operational tracking and onboarding activities Preferred Skills & Experience 3+ years in cybersecurity (application, network, or perimeter security) Direct experience with Akamai Security Suite products and policy management Experience working in Security Operations, Attack Surface Management, or application protection environments Strong knowledge of web security (OWASP Top10), and application architecture Strong understanding of common web application attack vectors (OWASP Top10) Experience analyzing network traffic, logs, and security events to identify threats Ability to interpret and apply threat intelligence to security controls and detection strategies Knowledge of API security and protection against automated and high‑speed attack techniques Familiarity with cloud and web‑based application architectures Experience defending against automated threats, bots, or scraping activity Familiarity with financial services or highly regulated environments Knowledge of Zero Trust concepts and modern application security frameworks Strong problem‑solving skills with the ability to balance security enforcement and customer experience Effective communication skills and collaboration across security, infrastructure, and application teams Qualifications Access Control (AC) API Security Building Architecture Customer Solutions Disaster Recovery Planning Information Security Network Security Physical Security Risk Assessments Security Technologies ServiceNow Platform SIEM Tools Web Security Competencies Analytical Thinking Effective Communications Information Assurance Information Security Management Information Security Technologies IT Environment IT Standards Procedures & Policies IT Systems Management Problem Solving Software Security Assurance Work Experience Roles at this level typically require a university or college degree and 5+ years of industry‑relevant experience. Education & Certifications Bachelor’s degree. No specific certifications or licenses are required, though comparable education, job‑specific certification(s), and experience may be considered. Salary Base Salary: $91,000.00 – $202,800.00 (varies by location, market data, and individual skills, experience, and education). This role is incentive eligible based on company, business, and/or individual performance. Benefits Benefits include medical, prescription drug, dental, vision coverage, life insurance, disability protection, 401(k) with PNC match, pension and stock purchase plans, dependent care reimbursement, adoption and surrogate reimbursement, educational assistance, robust wellness programs, paid time off (including parental leave, holidays, vacation days), and additional benefits per eligibility. Disability Accommodations Contact View email address on click.appcast.io with subject “accommodation request” and include name, job ID, and preferred contact method. Calls to View phone number on click.appcast.io and say “Workday” for accommodation assistance. Equal Employment Opportunity PNC provides equal employment opportunity to qualified persons regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, or other protected categories. This position is subject to relevant federal act requirements. #J-18808-Ljbffr PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.