SoC Audio Engineer, Platform Architecture

Apple • Austin, TX

1d

About The Position

Do you love crafting elegant solutions to the hardest problems in audio and acoustics? Are you a big-picture, forward-thinking engineer who understands how audio subsystems integrate into a SoC and a system? At Apple, our Architecture group is responsible for connecting the hardware and software that bring sound to life across our products. Join this team, and you'll collaborate with engineers across Apple to design how our audio technologies work in unison! We are looking for a SoC Audio Architect to join our team defining the audio subsystem architecture for Apple's SoCs — technology that powers experiences across nearly every Apple product, from ultra-low-power keyword detection to high-fidelity spatial audio. This is primarily an audio subsystem architecture role, not an audio IP design role; experience designing audio IP is valued as background but is not the core function of the position. In this highly visible role, you will own the multi-generational subsystem architecture and roadmap for audio subsystems, collaborating closely with Silicon Engineering, Software Engineering, and Hardware Engineering teams to size subsystems and optimize trade-offs between performance, power, and area. You will have visibility across every product line and be accountable for architectures that scale across the portfolio, from early concept through tape-out and into shipping product.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
• Experience with SoC architecture principles
• Experience with SoC audio processing
• Master"s degree with 10+ years of relevant industry experience
• Experience defining architecture specifications for audio, DSP, or signal processing subsystems within an SoC
• In-depth understanding of SoC architecture concepts, such as on-chip fabric protocols, memory concepts, and clocking, reset, and power management
• Skilled in digital signal processing algorithms, including audio algorithms
• Understanding of SoC power modeling and Power/Performance/Area (PPA) optimization
• Understanding of SoC audio interfaces (e.g., I2S, PDM, TDM, MIPI SWI3S)
• Proficiency in hardware/software co-design, including familiarity with RTL design concepts (e.g., System Verilog)
• Excellent interpersonal, leadership, and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence across organizations.

Nice To Haves

• Experience designing audio IP is valued as background but is not the core function of the position.

Responsibilities

• Define and own architecture specifications for audio subsystems across multiple Apple SoC product lines
• Author and maintain multi-generational technical roadmaps for audio subsystems, securing executive buy-in
• Contribute to performance and power modeling of audio workloads to determine subsystem sizing and partitioning across interfaces, accelerators, DSPs, and software
• Collaborate with Silicon Engineering, Software Engineering, Hardware Engineering, and Firmware teams from concept through tape-out
• Present architecture and performance study results to cross-functional and executive audiences to inform technical decisions
• Mentor engineers and support onboarding and talent development within the team

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior