Sr. Embedded Validation & Tools Engineer - Audio & Wireless

ALSO • Palo Alto, CA

5d • $140,000 - $175,000

About The Position

We’re ALSO, an electric mobility company originally conceived as a part of Rivian. We’re a passionate team of builders, dreamers, doers and innovators, focused on creating entirely new (not to mention, innovative and delightful) vertically integrated, small EVs designed to meet the global mobility challenges of today and tomorrow. Our mission is to inspire everyone to ride ALSO—replacing many local car, truck and SUV miles with ones on vehicles that are more affordable, more enjoyable and 10-50x more efficient.
As an Embedded Validation & Tools Engineer - Audio & Wireless you will own validation for Bluetooth/BLE, Wi-Fi, wireless connectivity, media streaming, and audio subsystems for smart helmets. You’ll design and execute test plans that ensure high-quality audio (voice and media), reliable wireless connectivity, robust app integration, and excellent in-helmet user experience — across firmware, mobile apps, and cloud services. This role combines hands-on hardware and acoustic test work with automation, debugging, and cross-functional coordination with firmware, RF, DSP, and mobile teams.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Acoustics, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 5+ years hands-on experience validating embedded audio and wireless systems (Bluetooth/BLE, Wi-Fi, or similar).
• Strong practical knowledge of Bluetooth profiles (A2DP, HFP, AVRCP), BLE GATT and provisioning flows, and Wi-Fi streaming behaviors.
• Experience with audio signal processing concepts and validation of AEC, noise reduction, AGC, echo control, and latency measurement.
• Proficiency with scripting/automation using Python (preferred) or shell; experience integrating tests into CI pipelines.
• Hands-on experience with audio measurement tools (audio analyzers, HATS/head simulators, APx or similar), RF/protocol sniffers, and network emulators (netem, WAN emulators).
• Strong debugging skills with embedded systems: serial/UART logs, JTAG/SWD, logic analyzers, firmware flashing, and log correlation across devices and mobile apps.
• Experience testing mobile app integrations for Android and iOS (using ADB, Xcode tools, instrumentation) and understanding of Bluetooth stacks on mobile platforms.
• Excellent problem solving and written/verbal communication; able to write clear test plans, bug reports, and postmortems.

Nice To Haves

• Background in consumer audio/headset validation, ANC, or helmet/automotive audio.
• Familiarity with audio codecs and streaming formats (SBC, AAC, aptX/aptX HD, LDAC, Opus) and voice codecs (CVSD, mSBC, Opus).
• Experience with DSP toolchains, MATLAB/Octave, or C/C++ signal processing code.
• Experience with cloud-connected telemetry, analytics stacks (Grafana, ELK), and deriving KPIs for fleet audio/connectivity quality.
• Experience performing field tests (on-road, varying environments) and designing safety-conscious test procedures for helmets.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute validation plans for Bluetooth Classic + BLE profiles (A2DP, AVRCP, HFP/HSP, BLE GATT), Wi-Fi streaming, and cross-stack interactions.
• Validate media streaming quality (audio codecs, buffering, latency, jitter, packet loss recovery), multi-stream scenarios, and simultaneous voice/media use cases.
• Test and tune audio processing: echo cancellation (AEC), noise reduction / suppression (NR), beamforming, automatic gain control (AGC), bass/treble tuning, and ANC/ANC-like features tailored for helmet acoustics.
• Validate headset/headphone behaviors: microphone routing, sidetone, voice call quality (MOS scores), wind noise mitigation, and handset/helmet ergonomics that affect audio performance.
• Develop and run automated test harnesses for firmware + mobile app integration (Android/iOS), including provisioning, reconnection, firmware upgrades, and profile/feature parity across platforms.
• Build and maintain hardware testbeds: HIL rigs, device farms, head & torso simulators (HATS), RF chambers or RF-shielded boxes, audio analyzers, and network emulators.
• Use RF and protocol sniffers (Ellisys/Frontline, Nordic/BlueZ tools) and network tools to diagnose Bluetooth/Wi-Fi connectivity, coexistence, throughput, and interference issues.
• Characterize and measure audio metrics (SNR, latency, frequency response), including subjective metrics (MOS, user studies)
• Reproduce and debug complex field issues: capture logs, packet traces, audio samples, and telemetry; perform root-cause analysis and drive fixes with firmware/DSP/RF teams.
• Create and maintain validation artifacts: test plans, automation scripts, acceptance criteria, failure-mode matrices, runbooks, and release readiness checklists.

Benefits

• Robust health coverage. Excellent health, dental and vision insurance covered up to 100% by ALSO with FSA & HSA options.
• One Medical membership and dedicated insurance advocates.
• Rich fertility and family building benefits with Progyny.
• Flexible time off.
• 401(k) match.

What This Job Offers

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