Job Title: Audio Systems Engineer III Duration: 05+ months Location: Redmond, WA or Sunnyvale, CA (5x/week) Summary
The Audio Experience Team is looking for an Audio Systems Engineer to prototype and evaluate microphone arrays for next-generation Reality Labs wearable devices. In this role you will build proof-of-concept arrays, validate them through electroacoustic measurements in the lab, and work across hardware and algorithm teams to make sure capture performance holds up across the full range of product use cases.
Must-Have Skills
Acoustics and audio signal processing — demonstrated industry experience, including working knowledge of audio DSP fundamentals (filtering, spectral analysis, transfer functions, array processing).
Hands-on mic / mic-array prototyping and measurement — building and testing physical prototypes, plus practical experience with electroacoustic measurement systems and lab practice (Audio Precision, Brüel & Kjær, anechoic chambers, HATS).
Basics of Python or MATLAB — enough scripting fluency to acquire, analyze, and visualize measurement data. Deep software engineering is not required.
Nice-to-have Skills
Working understanding of acoustic simulation (explicitly a stretch, not a requirement).
Background at a big tech company, headphone maker (e.g., Bose), or hearing-aid company.
Exposure to comms, AI-assistant, hearing features, or spatial audio capture use cases.
Years of overall experience required
4-5+
Degrees/certifications required
Bachelor's degree in acoustics, electrical engineering, audio, or a related field; Master's preferred
Job Responsibilities
Design and integrate proof-of-concept mic-array prototypes for target device form factors, including mic placement, mechanical fixtures, and multichannel recording setups.
Plan and execute electroacoustic measurements — frequency response, sensitivity, directivity, and acoustic transfer functions — in anechoic and HATS-based setups.
Run acoustic simulations of device-on-head scenarios to guide design choices and predict array performance.
Compare simulated and measured results, identify and explain discrepancies, and evaluate prototype arrays against target performance metrics.
Develop Python/MATLAB tooling for data acquisition, analysis, and visualization.
Document results and present findings to acoustics, hardware, algorithm, and product partners.
Minimum Qualifications
4–5+ years of industry experience in acoustics and audio signal processing.
Hands-on experience building and testing microphone or mic-array prototypes.
Experience with electroacoustic measurement systems and lab practice (e.g., Audio Precision, Brüel & Kjær, anechoic chambers, HATS).
Working knowledge of audio DSP fundamentals: filtering, spectral analysis, transfer functions, and array processing.
Basic working proficiency in Python and/or MATLAB.
Bachelor's degree in acoustics, electrical engineering, audio, or a related field.
Preferred Qualifications
Master's degree in a related field.
Working understanding of acoustic simulation.
Prior experience with wearables or consumer audio hardware.
Surrounding team & key projects
The Audio Experience Team (AXT) is organized into three functions: audio render, audio capture, and perceptual audio evaluation. This role sits in audio capture, which designs the microphone arrays for Reality Labs devices and works across hardware and the algorithm pipeline to keep capture performance strong across every product use case — from communications and AI assistant, to hearing features, to spatial audio capture during video recording
Typical Day-to-Day in the role
Own 1–3 ongoing programs across audio capture and audio capture architecture.
Mic-array design and validation for Reality Labs devices, working between the hardware and the algorithm pipeline.
How will performance be measured
Delivery against the 1–3 assigned audio capture programs. The hiring team has opted not to discuss specific projects or milestones during the hiring process and prefers to keep interviews at a general technical level.
What makes this role interesting
This is a hands-on hardware role at the front end of Reality Labs audio: the engineer in this seat physically builds and measures the microphone arrays that determine how next-generation wearable devices hear the world. The work spans the full loop — prototype build, lab measurement in anechoic and HATS setups, and comparison against simulation — and feeds directly into shipping device architecture rather than sitting in a research track.
For a candidate coming from a headphone, hearing-aid, or big-tech audio background, the draw is scope and proximity to product: ownership of 1–3 concurrent capture programs, direct collaboration with hardware, algorithm, and product partners, and access to client's acoustic lab infrastructure. The role is onsite in Redmond or Sunnyvale precisely because the work is physical, which also means real embedment with the team. It is a strong résumé addition for anyone who wants consumer-wearable audio capture experience at scale.
Profiles that may not be the right fit:
Candidates purely focused on software-side audio algorithm development, with no hands-on device or acoustic lab testing experience.
Primarily academic or research-weighted profiles; the team wants direct product-development industry experience.
Candidates who have not worked cross-functionally across hardware and software teams.
Immediate disqualifiers / red flags:
No hands-on device testing in an acoustic environment (anechoic chambers, HATS, Audio Precision, Brüel & Kjær)
Interview Process
How many rounds of interviews: 2 rounds
Types of Interviews: More general/behavioral
Interview Duration: 45 min
Applicant Notices & Disclaimers
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At SPECTRAFORCE, we are committed to maintaining a workplace that ensures fair compensation and wage transparency in adherence with all applicable state and local laws. This position's pay range is $80.00/hr - $90.00/hr.
