About the Role We're looking for an experienced Audio Firmware Engineer to develop and optimize embedded audio solutions on Hark's next-gen AI device. This role spans audio system bring-up, DSP algorithms development, integration and optimization, and deployment of advanced audio/AI features for consumer devices. The ideal candidate should be comfortable developing, integrating, debugging, tuning, and validating audio algorithms on an embedded production platform.
Responsibilities- Bring up audio processing stack on new hardware, drive implementation and integrations of audio processing pipeline
- Debug complex audio issues end-to-end using platform logs, working from kernel and DSP traces up through application-level symptoms
- Partner with the AI team to support audio-driven inference workloads (wake word, ASR, speech enhancement) within latency, power, and memory budgets
- Collaborate with hardware, acoustics, and product teams from prototype through production to ship audio that feels effortless to users
Requirements- 5+ years of professional firmware or embedded audio development, ideally on consumer products that have shipped at scale
- Experience with core Audio DSP algorithms and their implementations, including AEC, Beamforming, NR, AGC, VAD, DoA estimation etc.
- Experience with post processing pipelines including Audio mixing/routing, Ducking, Channel Mapping, EQ, filtering and sample rate conversion etc.
- Proficient with C/C++ in resource-constrained, real-time environments
- Strong hands-on development experience with speech and microphone-array signal processing algorithms
Bonus Qualifications- Experience with AudioReach framework and Hexagon DSP ISA
- DSP optimization experience, including fixed-point development, SIMD and VLIW.
- Experience working alongside hardware engineers during board bring-up and reading schematics for audio subsystems
- Experience deploying machine learning models on embedded platforms, especially audio models running on DSP or NPU
- Background shipping voice-first or far-field audio products
CompensationThe US base salary range for this full-time position is between $120,000 - $300,000 annually.
The pay offered for this position may vary based on several individual factors, including job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package may also include additional components/benefits depending on the specific role. This information will be shared if an employment offer is extended.
