Google

Senior Staff Software Engineer, Audio Platform, XR

Google$262K — $365K *
Consumer Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Acoustics, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.
  • 8 years of experience in software development.
  • 8 years of experience in audio software systems, DSP, acoustics, or consumer electronics audio architecture.
  • 4 years of experience specifically in audio-related software systems.

Responsibilities

  • Own and drive the technical roadmap for XR audio systems, managing complex audio challenges across teams.
  • Accountable for audio quality across all XR glasses, establishing standard metrics and tuning practices.
  • Collaborate with hardware teams on micro-acoustic transducer selection and optimization under spatial constraints.
  • Evaluate and manage component and IP vendors to integrate advanced audio algorithms from various sources.
  • Architect and design low-latency, power-efficient system software, integrating key platform features.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health and wellness benefits.
  • 401(k) retirement plan with company match.
  • Generous paid time off and holiday schedule.
  • Continuous learning and professional development opportunities.
  • Access to employee resource groups and mentorship programs.
Full Job Description
Minimum qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Acoustics, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
  • 8 years of experience in software development.
  • 8 years of experience in audio software systems, digital signal processing (DSP), acoustics, or consumer electronics audio architecture.
  • 4 years of experience in audio software systems, digital signal processing (DSP), acoustics, or consumer electronics audio architecture.

Preferred qualifications:
  • Master's degree or PhD in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
  • Experience with C/C development and system-level software architecture for embedded or real-time audio systems (RTOS/Android).
  • Experience in physical acoustic design and system tuning for ultra-low-power wearables or smart glasses.
  • Experience designing and delivering high-performance, low-power voice activation systems (such as always-on hotwords) or spatial audio rendering pipelines.
  • Ability to operate with complete autonomy, leverage excellent engineering judgment to navigate extreme ambiguity, and successfully influence senior directors and VPs on critical product decisions.


About the job

With your technical expertise you will manage project priorities, deadlines, and deliverables. You will design, develop, test, deploy, maintain, and enhance software solutions.

The XR Audio team is dedicated to creating immersive audio experiences that seamlessly blend the physical and digital worlds across a portfolio of XR smart glasses spanning audio-only devices, monocular and binocular smart eyewear, and fully immersive, mixed-reality headset.

The team operates at the intersection of acoustics, hardware co-design, digital signal processing, and system software. We own the end-to-end audio pipeline, starting from raw acoustic design and physical hardware co-design up to platform-level audio frameworks and high-level conversational feature enablement. We partner closely with hardware engineering teams, algorithm designers, software architects, external silicon vendors, and key component suppliers to deliver industry-leading audio quality.

For decades, the computing revolution has reshaped our world driven by
breakthroughs in compute, connectivity, mobile, and now, AI. Google's XR team is at the forefront of the next major leap - the convergence of AI and XR. This is more than just new devices - it's about reimagining how we interact with the world around us. We're building a future where
lightweight XR devices like smart glasses and headsets pair with helpful AI to augment human intelligence, offering personalized, conversational, and contextually aware experiences.
Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $262000 - $365000 (USD) 25% bonus target equity benefits

Learn more about benefits at Google .

Responsibilities
  • Own and drive the long-term technical roadmap and strategy for XR audio systems. Decompose ambiguous, highly complex audio challenges into structured, multi-team projects.
  • Take ultimate accountability for overall audio quality across all XR glasses form factors. Establish standardized quality metrics and audio tuning practices.
  • Partner with physical hardware teams to evaluate and select micro-acoustic transducers and optimize microphone array placement/orientation and acoustic chambers under severe spatial constraints.
  • Evaluate, select, and manage key component and IP vendors. Drive the integration of advanced audio algorithms utilizing both in-house research and external vendor technologies.
  • Architect, design, and vet robust, low-latency, and power-efficient system software. Own the integration of critical platform features


About Google

Google is a multinational technology company that specializes in Internet-related services and products. These include online advertising technologies, search engine, cloud computing, software, and hardware. Google was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D. students at Stanford University. The company has grown tremendously since then and has become one of the most valuable companies in the world. Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.
Learn more about Google
Size
156,500 employees
Market Cap
$1,115.4 billion
Industry
Net Income
$40.2 billion
Founded
1998
5 Year Trend
+23.3%
Revenue
$182.5 billion
NASDAQ

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