Job Description

Are you excited to build the next generation of cloud server architecture?

Do you enjoy hands-on bring-up and deep dives into data plane behavior?

Join our Server Team!

Our Hardware Engineering team designs, qualifies, and scales the server platforms that power Akamai Cloud. We partner closely with OEM/ODM manufacturers to deliver reliable, efficient, and secure platforms from concept through global deployment.

Partner with the best

You'll focus on the SmartNIC/DPU software and hardware that underpins our compute and GPU servers. These DPUs offload CPU resources, improve isolation, and accelerate services across Akamai Cloud. You'll help define and integrate host + DPU architectures, validate RoCE and virtualization capabilities, and drive platform offload and acceleration from early concepts through mass production and global deployment.

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

• Driving DPU hardware and software integration into Akamai compute and GPU server platforms, including PCIe, networking, storage, and manageability interfaces.
• Planning and executing validation for DPU platforms, including functional, performance, interoperability, stress, and reliability testing for data-center scale use cases.
• Implementing and validating networking and offload features such as RDMA/RoCE, L2/L3/L4 Ethernet/IP forwarding, SR-IOV/virtio-net/vDPA, overlay networks, and congestion control behaviors.
• Developing automation, scripts, and test tooling to exercise DPUs, collect telemetry at scale, and turn results into requirements.
• Collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to translate workload and SLO requirements into configurations and test plans.
• Working with vendors to evaluate new DPU generations, firmware and feature updates, and trade-offs between performance, efficiency, supply continuity, and TCO.

Do what you love

To be successful in this role you will:

• Have 8 years of relevant experience and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering or a related field
• Have experience with data center SmartNICs, or DPUs, including integration into x86/ARM servers and familiarity with PCIe, SR-IOV, and virtualization concepts.
• Have familiarity with DPU frameworks and languages such as NVIDIA DOCA/DPL, P4, DPDK, etc
• Have an understanding of networking fundamentals, and familiarity with technologies such as congestion control and load balancing in data centers.
• Have experience with platform validation, PCIe/NVMe and networking qualification, and system-level stress testing
• Have Linux skills and proficiency with scripting languages such as Python and Bash for automation and data analysis.
• Be comfortable working across HW/FW/SW boundaries, collaborating with teams to debug issues in the data path, control plane, and management stack.
• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to clearly communicate to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Work in a way that works for you

FlexBase, Akamai's Global Flexible Working Program, is based on the principles that are helping us create the best workplace in the world. When our colleagues said that flexible working was important to them, we listened. We also know flexible working is important to many of the incredible people considering joining Akamai. FlexBase, gives 95% of employees the choice to work from their home, their office, or both (in the country advertised). This permanent workplace flexibility program is consistent and fair globally, to help us find incredible talent, virtually anywhere. We are happy to discuss working options for this role and encourage you to speak with your recruiter in more detail when you apply.

Compensation

Akamai is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. For US based candidates only - the base salary for this position ranges from $126,100 - $261,900/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.