Security Lead – Akamai CDN & WAF

About the Role

Paytm is looking for an experienced Security Lead with deep, hands-on expertise in Akamai a to spearhead our edge security and content delivery initiatives. This is a critical lead role responsible for architecting and defending the perimeter of our high-volume, transactional services. The ideal candidate will have 5+ years of dedicated experience in CDN and WAF technologies, proven expertise with Akamai suites, and a strong ability to drive complex technical projects while mentoring a high-performing team.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the comprehensive design, strategic deployment, and ongoing management of Akamai CDN and WAF solutions, ensuring robust protection and high availability for Paytms critical applications.

Own end-to-end CDN/WAF projects, from initial architecture and stakeholder planning through to successful implementation, configuration, and post-deployment support and optimization.

Mentor, guide, and technically develop a team of engineers, setting clear goals, ensuring operational excellence, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and security-first mindset.

Act as the primary technical escalation point for all complex Akamai CDN/WAF incidents, performance issues, and security events, driving root cause analysis (RCA) and implementing long-term solutions.

Proactively optimize edge delivery, performance, and security by leveraging advanced Akamai features, including intelligent caching strategies, traffic management, and sophisticated bot-fighting techniques.

Drive continuous improvement by establishing security baselines, performing regular configuration audits, automating manual processes, and standardizing configurations across all properties.

Collaborate closely with engineering, site reliability, security operations, application, and business teams to ensure seamless service delivery, secure new product launches, and embed security into the development lifecycle.

Manage the strategic relationship with Akamai, Cloudflare, and other vendors, handling technical escalations, championing feature adoption, and influencing product roadmaps to meet Paytm's evolving needs.

Qualifications & Experience

Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related field.

5+ years of progressive experience in CDN and WAF technologies, with proven hands-on expertise in architecting and managing Akamai and/or Cloudflare

Solutions in a large-scale, high-traffic environment.

Strong, in-depth knowledge of web delivery architecture, advanced caching techniques, DNS, SSL/TLS certificate management, and the nuances of HTTP/HTTPS protocols.

Solid, practical understanding of web application security, demonstrated by expertise in WAF policy tuning, false positive analysis, bot mitigation strategies, and multi-layered DDoS protection.

Verifiable experience in leading technical teams or managing complex edge delivery projects, including setting technical direction and managing deliverables.

Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills, with the ability to thrive in high-pressure situations and effectively communicate complex technical details to diverse stakeholders.

Familiarity with Agile methodologies and ITIL processes is a significant plus.

Akamai and/or Cloudflare certifications (e.g., Akamai Web Performance or Security) are highly desirable and will be given strong consideration.