Remote Contract Opportunity Security Engineering Consultant (Akamai WAF/Bot Manager Premier)

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Security Engineering Consultant with deep expertise in Akamai Web Application Firewall (WAF) and Bot Manager Premier (BMP) to support a critical migration of applications and workloads to the AWS public cloud.

This is a high-impact role requiring an individual who can enhance and optimize existing Akamai WAF and BMP policies and serve as a key responder during critical operational incidents and security events.

Responsibilities

• Lead the assessment, optimization, and continuous improvement of Akamai WAF policies to ensure robust protection against OWASP Top 10 and emerging web vulnerabilities.
• Collaborate closely with cloud, application, and security teams to align WAF/BMP configurations with evolving business and compliance requirements.
• Respond rapidly and effectively to critical security incidents, performing root cause analysis, mitigating ongoing threats, and implementing preventive measures.
• Manage day-to-day Akamai WAF operations, including policy updates, tuning, false-positive mitigation, and rule deployment.
• Conduct periodic reviews of WAF logs and alerts, generating actionable insights and recommendations.
• Assist with knowledge transfer and documentation related to WAF policies, incidents, and operational procedures.
• Provide expert guidance on integrating Akamai WAF protections within a hybrid-cloud environment, focusing on security posture during the AWS migration.
• Ensure adherence to enterprise security standards, industry best practices, and regulatory requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Proven experience (5+ years) managing Akamai Web Application Firewall (WAF) and Bot Manager Premier (BMP) in large, complex enterprise environments, including rule sets, configuration management, reporting, and alerting capabilities.
• Hands-on experience responding to real-world web application security incidents and tuning Bot Manager policies to balance security effectiveness and application usability.
• Strong knowledge of web application security threats, especially OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities, and mitigation strategies via WAF technologies.
• Familiarity with cloud network architectures, particularly AWS, and how WAF fits into hybrid/multi-cloud security postures.
• Proficiency in log analysis, SIEM integration, and security alert triage.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across cross-functional teams and produce clear technical documentation.
• Relevant certifications, such as GIAC Web Application Penetration Tester, Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP), or Akamai Certified Professional, are a plus.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in financial services or similarly regulated industries.
• Prior exposure to infrastructure-as-code tooling for WAF policy management.
• Understanding of DevSecOps principles and security automation.