Machine Learning Senior Software Engineer

Do you want to shape how AI models are validated, optimized, and deployed at global scale?

Are you passionate about building the systems that ensure AI models perform reliably and responsibly in production

The Akamai Inference Cloud (AIC) team is part of Akamai's Cloud Technology Group. We design and operate AI platforms enabling customers to run models with unmatched performance, compliance, and economics. This team owns the end-to-end model lifecyclefrom validation and security scanning through quantization, optimization, and monitoring.

We ensure every model meets rigorous standards for quality, safety, and performance.

As an ML Senior Software Engineer, you will build and operate systems responsible for model validation, quantization, and safety across the AIC. You'll develop pipelines that scan models for vulnerabilities, apply quantization and optimization techniques, and build guardrails that enforce safety and compliance policies.

This role requires hands-on ML experience and deep understanding of modern architectures, inference optimization, and responsible

As a Machine Learning Senior Software Engineer, you will be responsible for:

- Developing and maintaining model validation and security scanning pipelines that assess models for quality, correctness, and vulnerabilities prior to deployment

- Implementing quantization, pruning, and other optimization techniques to reduce model footprint and improve inference latency across diverse hardware

- Building guardrail and content safety systems that enforce compliance policies and mitigate risks such as jail breaking and prompt injection

- Designing model routing and prompt management infrastructure that supports intelligent request handling across model variants

- Contributing to model evaluation frameworks that measure accuracy, performance, and safety metrics across the model lifecycle

- Have 5 years of relevant experience and a Bachelor's/Master's degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related field

- Demonstrate hands-on experience with modern ML frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX, including model training, fine-tuning, and inference optimization

- Show proficiency in model quantization techniques (GPTQ, AWQ, GGUF) and an understanding of how model compression impacts accuracy and latency

- Have experience working with large language models (LLMs), transformer architectures, and multi-modal AI systems

- Demonstrate familiarity with model safety and responsible AI practices, including content filtering, red-teaming, or adversarial robustness evaluation

- Show proficiency in Python and experience building production data or ML pipelines

- Have experience with containerized deployments, CI/CD practices, and cloud infrastructure (not required, but suggested)

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.

We power and protect life online, by solving the toughest challenges, together.

At Akamai, we're curious, innovative, collaborative and tenacious. We celebrate diversity of thought and we hold an unwavering belief that we can make a meaningful difference. Our teams use their global perspectives to put customers at the forefront of everything they do, so if you are people-centric, you'll thrive here.

At Akamai, we will provide you with opportunities to grow, flourish, and achieve great things. Our benefit options are designed to meet your individual needs for today and in the future. We provide benefits surrounding all aspects of your life:

Our benefit plan options are designed to meet your individual needs and budget, both today and in the future.

Akamai powers and protects life online. Leading companies worldwide choose Akamai to build, deliver, and secure their digital experiences helping billions of people live, work, and play every day. With the world's most distributed compute platform from cloud to edge we make it easy for customers to develop and run applications, while we keep experiences closer to users and threats farther away.

Are you seeking an opportunity to make a real difference in a company with a global reach and exciting services and clients? Come join us and grow with a team of people who will energize and inspire you!

Akamai Technologies is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer that values the strength that diversity brings to the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, protected veteran status, disability, or other protected group status.

If no date is displayed, applications are being accepted on an ongoing basis until the job is filled.

Akamai is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. For US based candidates only - the base salary for this position ranges from $121,400 - $218,600/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.