Introduction
Are you a talented engineer with a passion for ensuring software quality and a strong background in automation? Akamai Technologies, a global leader in content delivery networks (CDNs), cloud security, and web performance, is actively hiring Software Development Engineers in Test (SDETs) in India, primarily in Bangalore. Akamai’s innovative platform powers and protects digital experiences for the world’s largest companies, making reliability and performance paramount. As an SDET at Akamai, you’ll be instrumental in building robust automation frameworks and strategies to ensure the highest quality of Akamai’s complex, highly distributed systems. If you thrive on deep technical challenges, have strong programming skills, and are dedicated to shipping flawless software, Akamai offers a dynamic environment for your career growth.
Roles and Responsibilities
An SDET at Akamai is a hybrid role that combines software development expertise with quality assurance principles. You are not just a tester, but an engineer who contributes to the product’s quality from the ground up. Key responsibilities typically include:
- Test Automation Framework Development: Designing, developing, and maintaining scalable, reliable, and reusable automated test frameworks for UI, API, and system-level testing. This involves writing code to build and enhance automation infrastructure.
- Automated Test Script Creation: Writing and executing automated test scripts using programming languages (e.g., Python, Java, JavaScript) and test automation tools (e.g., Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, Postman, RestAssured).
- Test Strategy & Planning: Collaborating with developers, product managers, and architects to understand product requirements, design, and architecture to create comprehensive test strategies and test plans, ensuring robust test coverage.
- CI/CD Integration: Integrating automated tests into Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab) to enable fast feedback loops and ensure quality gates are met for continuous deployment.
- Defect Management & Root Cause Analysis: Investigating test failures, identifying root causes of defects, logging, and managing them in tools like JIRA. Working closely with developers for timely resolution.
- Performance & Reliability Testing: Contributing to performance, load, stress, and scalability testing to ensure the robustness and resilience of Akamai’s distributed systems. This includes testing aspects related to networking, HTTP, DNS, TCP/IP, and media streaming.
- Code Reviews: Participating in code reviews for both application code and test automation code to maintain high quality.
- Mentorship (for experienced SDETs): Guiding junior engineers in test automation practices, framework design, and ensuring consistent implementation across teams.
- Documentation: Maintaining clear and concise technical documentation for test plans, frameworks, and test cases.
Salary and Benefits
Akamai offers a highly competitive compensation package and a comprehensive range of benefits designed to support its employees’ well-being and career growth in India. The salary for an SDET at Akamai can vary significantly based on experience, specific skills, and performance.
- Average Base Salary (SDET):
- For a Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) (typically 1-2 years experience), the average annual CTC (Cost to Company) can range from ₹15.0 lakhs to ₹28.0 lakhs per annum. Some data indicates a range of ₹22.0 lakhs for freshers with strong skills in a Software Engineer role, so SDETs can expect similar competitive offers.
- For a Senior Software Development Engineer in Test (Senior SDET) (3+ years of experience), the average annual CTC can range from ₹22.0 lakhs to ₹40.0 lakhs+ per annum, often including a significant stock component.
- Reported data for Senior Software Development Engineer, Test (SDET) at Akamai in India shows an average base salary of around ₹20.6 lakhs, with a total compensation range of ₹9.48 lakhs to ₹40 lakhs.
- Performance-Based Pay: Annual performance bonuses and increments are standard, tied to individual, team, and company performance.
- Stock/Equity Grants: Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) are often a significant component of the overall compensation package, particularly for mid to senior-level roles, providing long-term incentives.
- Comprehensive Health & Wellness: Includes robust medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their dependents. Akamai provides wellness programs, mental health resources, and subsidies for fitness activities.
- Retirement & Financial Security: Provident Fund (PF) and Gratuity as per Indian statutory requirements.
- Learning & Development: Akamai prioritizes continuous learning and career advancement:
- Access to extensive internal and external training platforms, online courses (e.g., Coursera), and tuition reimbursement for higher education (up to $7,500/year).
- Opportunities to work on cutting-edge technologies in areas like cloud security, web performance, and media delivery.
- Mentorship programs and clear career progression paths within the SDET and broader engineering ladder.
- Work-Life Balance: Akamai is known for its flexible work environment through its “FlexBase” program, allowing employees to choose to work from home, the office, or both (in the country advertised). They offer unlimited PTO (in the US, and competitive time off in India), wellness days, and competitive parental leave.
- Employee Perks: May include commuter benefits, employee recognition programs, and various on-site conveniences (depending on office location).
Eligibility Criteria
Akamai looks for highly skilled, proactive, and curious SDETs with a strong blend of development and testing expertise.
- Educational Qualification: A Bachelor’s (B.E./B.Tech) or Master’s (M.E./M.Tech/MCA/MS) degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electronics, or a related technical field.
- Experience:
- For entry-level SDET roles, 1-2 years of relevant software testing experience with web applications is often required.
- For SDET II and Senior SDET roles, 2+ years (often 4+ or 6+ for Senior) of extensive experience in automation-focused SDET roles, creating scalable and maintainable test solutions.
- Programming Language Proficiency: Strong proficiency in at least one or more of the following: Python, Java, or JavaScript. Ability to develop test scripts and automation frameworks from scratch.
- Test Automation Tools:
- UI Automation: Expertise in tools like Selenium, Cypress, or Playwright across browsers and platforms.
- API Testing: Proficiency in API testing tools and frameworks such as Postman, RestAssured, or similar.
- Computer Science Fundamentals: Solid understanding of Data Structures & Algorithms, Object-Oriented Programming (OOPs) concepts, Database Management Systems (DBMS) (including SQL queries, especially with databases like PostgreSQL), Operating Systems (Linux proficiency is highly valued), and Computer Networking (TCP/IP, HTTP, DNS).
- Testing Methodologies: Strong knowledge of white box, black box, functional, automated, performance, and security testing methodologies.
- CI/CD & DevOps: Experience integrating tests into CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab, Azure DevOps) and familiarity with DevOps practices.
- Version Control & Agile Tools: Proficiency with Git, and experience working in Agile/Scrum teams using tools like JIRA and Confluence.
- Problem-Solving & Debugging: Exceptional debugging skills, keen attention to detail, and excellent analytical and logical problem-solving capabilities to identify root causes of complex issues in distributed systems.
- Domain Knowledge (Advantageous): Familiarity with content delivery networks (CDNs), cloud security, web performance, or distributed systems is a significant plus.
Application Process
If you’re ready to contribute to the quality and security of the internet’s most critical applications, here’s a general overview of Akamai’s application process for SDET roles:
- Online Application: Visit the official Akamai Careers website (https://www.google.com/search?q=jobs.akamai.com) or major job portals (LinkedIn). Search for “Software Development Engineer in Test” or “SDET” roles in India.
- Resume Submission: Upload a well-structured resume highlighting your automation experience, programming skills, relevant projects, and technical achievements.
- Initial Screening: A recruiter will review your application. If shortlisted, you will typically receive an invitation for the next steps.
- Online Assessment (Common): This often includes:
- Coding Challenges: 1-2 programming problems (DSA based) to assess your coding proficiency and problem-solving skills, usually on platforms like HackerRank.
- Technical MCQs/Aptitude: Questions on CS fundamentals, logical reasoning, and verbal ability.
Interview Process
The interview process for SDET roles at Akamai is rigorous, designed to evaluate your technical depth, automation expertise, and problem-solving capabilities. It typically involves multiple rounds:
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Round 1: Technical Interview (Coding & CS Fundamentals)
- Focus: Core programming, data structures, algorithms, and fundamental computer science concepts.
- Questions: You will be asked to solve coding problems live or on a shared platform. Expect questions on common DSA topics. You’ll need to demonstrate your logic, code quality, and ability to analyze time/space complexity.
- In-depth questions on OOPs, DBMS (SQL queries, database concepts), Operating Systems (Linux commands, processes, memory), and Computer Networking (TCP/IP, HTTP, DNS basics).
- Discussion about your past projects, focusing on your contributions, technical challenges, and how you ensured quality.
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Round 2: Technical Interview (Test Automation & System Design for Testability)
- Focus: Your practical experience in building and utilizing test automation frameworks, and your understanding of how to design systems for testability.
- Questions:
- Deep dive into your experience with UI automation tools (Selenium, Playwright, Cypress) and API testing frameworks (Postman, RestAssured).
- Questions on designing a scalable and maintainable automation framework from scratch.
- How you approach test data management, test environment setup, and parallel test execution.
- Discussion on integrating tests into CI/CD pipelines and optimizing test execution time.
- Scenario-based questions related to testing complex distributed systems, performance issues, or security vulnerabilities (especially relevant given Akamai’s domain).
- Specific questions about testing CDNs for performance or DDoS protection solutions.
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Round 3: Managerial/Architectural Round
- Focus: Your leadership potential (for senior roles), architectural understanding of the product, problem-solving in a team context, and behavioral aspects. This round will typically be with the hiring manager or a senior engineering leader.
- Questions: Behavioral questions using the STAR method, focusing on your experiences with challenging technical issues, teamwork, conflict resolution, and managing priorities.
- Discussion about your understanding of Akamai’s products and the CDN/cloud security space.
- Technical questions might involve higher-level system design for testing, or how you would approach testing a new feature in Akamai’s environment.
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Round 4: HR Interview
- Focus: Cultural fit, motivation for joining Akamai, long-term career aspirations, and general background.
- Questions: Standard HR questions such as “Tell me about yourself,” “Why Akamai?”, “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”, “Are you willing to relocate (if required)?”, and discussion about salary expectations and notice period.
Throughout the hiring process, Akamai looks for candidates who are curious, innovative, collaborative, and tenacious. Emphasize your ability to own quality, your strong coding skills, and your passion for tackling challenging problems in a fast-paced, high-impact environment.
Conclusion
Joining Akamai as an SDET offers an exciting opportunity to work at the intersection of development and quality engineering, ensuring the reliability and performance of critical internet infrastructure. With a focus on cutting-edge technologies in CDN, cloud security, and web performance, Akamai provides a challenging yet rewarding environment for engineers who are passionate about building robust, high-quality software. If you’re ready to power and protect life online, consider an SDET role at Akamai.
