The Surface Audio team is currently recruiting an audio test engineer with a passion to develop world-class audio solutions for Microsoft Surface Accessories. As a member of the audio team, you will assist the lead audio system architect from product conception to product launch in developing Surface headphone and earbud products.
As an audio test engineer, you will be responsible for executing hardware and software testing in both anechoic and real-word environments, collecting data using a variety of hardware and software tools, assisting with specification development, facilitating user experience studies, building and modifying prototype hardware and test fixtures, and compiling and presenting test result data using software tools such as Excel, Power Point, JMP, and/or MatLab. The candidate will also help evaluate and tune audio DSP pipelines which include noise suppression, beam forming, AEC, AGC, and enhanced output rendering with dynamics and EQ. Some assistance with lab maintenance is also required.
Excellent communication, collaboration, and documentation skills are a must as you will work closely with team members across many disciplines as well as internal and external partner organizations. Attention to detail is critical to ensure accurate and repeatable results.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Demonstrated experience in delivering audio solutions for high-volume consumer electronics products within a fast-paced product development environment
- Hands-on test experience using traditional electroacoustic and audio electronic test equipment with solid understanding of test system metrics and methodologies
- Knowledge of HW and SW audio systems architecture, including electromechanical transducers, codecs, and capture/render processing algorithms and implementation methods
- Critical listening skills including ability to subjectively evaluate sound quality, communicate subjective impressions accurately to others, and identify and the means to their remediation
- Knowledge of miniature speaker and microphone capabilities and limitations, internal construction, and system integration techniques
- Excellent interpersonal skills for cross-group and cross-culture collaboration
- Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail
- Self-driven and motivated; must be able to work without extensive supervision
- Willing to travel internationally up to 15%
Preferred candidates will possess many of the following technical capabilities:
- 2+ years’ experience delivering consumer or professional audio systems
- Fundamental knowledge of physical acoustics (wave propagation, room acoustics, environmental noise, operating principles of microphones and speakers)
- Hands-on experience performing E2E testing of audio systems (comprised of electroacoustic transducers, codecs, amplifiers and signal processing chains) using Audio Precision APx series analyzers, B&K and GRAS measurement microphones, artificial mouths and ear simulators, and reference loudspeakers; experience with Head Acoustics ACQUA and Microsoft Teams qualification testing a plus
- Ability to develop and execute audio system test plans from design specifications with minimal input from others
- MatLab coding experience for data analysis or data presentation, and/or scripting experience in other relevant languages
- Facility with fabricating/modifying small electromechanical prototypes and test jigs to facilitate audio testing
- Understanding of audio electronic design, circuit layout, and PCB construction and fabrication
- Ability to read schematics and perform basic circuit analysis with oscilloscopes, DMMs and other electronic test equipment
- Understanding of how voice processing and speaker protection/enhancement algorithms work, and basic experience using them to tune a complete pipeline
- Experience solving acoustic noise, buzz and rattle problems in loudspeaker integrations
- Knowledge of DSP audio pipelines and architecture, including Windows 10 pipeline architecture
- Awareness of audio modeling software and its use and application in system design and problem analysis
- Familiarity with digital audio editing tools (e.g. Adobe Audition, ProTools, CueBase/Nuendo, etc.), USB audio interfaces, ADCs/DACs, power amplifiers, and portable recording devices
Education:
A BS in electrical, mechanical, or acoustical engineering, or a BS in physics is required with demonstrated working experience as an audio engineer.
How to Apply:
Please send resume and cover letter to:
Dana Bourke
Microsoft Corporation
