Senior II Software Engineer

Akamai•Cambridge, MA

8h•$146,400 - $263,600

About The Position

Akamai’s API Team builds scalable platform services that enable internal partner teams to deploy robust applications. The Senior II Software Engineer will lead the architecture, design, and implementation of high-performance backend systems and contribute throughout the full product life cycle. The role focuses on high-throughput, low-latency REST APIs and service layers, improving system performance, establishing API standards, and designing fault-tolerant services. The engineer will collaborate across teams to define API contracts, architecture patterns, and integration workflows, while leading design reviews and mentoring engineers.

Requirements

10+ years of relevant experience and a bachelor's degree.
Experience with backend development using Python, Flask, SQLAlchemy, and relational databases.
Deep expertise in RESTful architecture, HTTP protocols, API versioning, and security best practices.
Proficiency in Git workflows, CI/CD pipelines, cloud platforms, and containerization technologies.
Understanding of distributed systems, event-driven architectures, automated testing, and observability tooling.
Knowledge of AI tooling, agentic workflows, transformer architectures, and background processing systems.

Responsibilities

Architect, build, and evolve scalable, low-latency REST APIs and service layers using Python and Flask.
Design robust schemas and optimize database queries using SQLAlchemy to maintain high system availability.
Lead technical design reviews, establish engineering best practices, and mentor junior and mid-level engineers.
Implement authentication, rate limiting, and observability across distributed backend services.
Design fault-tolerant backend services that fail gracefully under load using circuit breakers and defensive validation.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define API contracts, architecture patterns, and integration workflows.