Prin Audio Systems Design Engineer

Lead the system-level design of next-generation hearing solutions, connecting audiology, acoustics, signal processing, and product engineering to deliver better patient outcomes. Shape technical strategy, guide cross-functional teams through complex decisions, and mentor engineers as you advance Starkey’s audio capabilities.

Starkey is a world leader in the manufacturing and distribution of advanced hearing technologies. We are in the business of connecting people and changing lives. Our teams come to work each day focused on ensuring people everywhere have the products and services they need to hear better and live better.

Founded in 1967 by Bill Austin, Starkey is known for our cutting-edge hearing health innovations, industry-leading research and development, and not being afraid to push the edge of what’s possible.

We are headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, have over 5,000 employees in 29 facilities across the globe, and do business in more than 100 markets worldwide.

Watch this video to see more of what sets Starkey apart:

JOB SUMMARY DESCRIPTION / PRIMARY PURPOSE OF JOB
The Principal Audio Systems Design Engineer provides strategic technical leadership and is a hybrid professional who bridges audiology, acoustics, signal processing, and product engineering to develop, evaluate, and audiological technologies to ensure that product designs deliver clinically effective, patient-centered hearing solutions. The engineer is a recognized subject-matter expert who leads major cross-functional initiatives, owns complex system tradeoffs and technical risks, and drives resolution of critical audio-system issues throughout the product life cycle. The role mentors technical teams and shapes practices, methods, and technology direction that support best-in-class hearing solutions. Principal level expectation: Operates with little to no supervision, influences across functions and programs, and is accountable for decisions with significant product and business impact.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES / RESULTS

• Provide strategic vision and technical leadership for audio-system architecture and end-to-end audiological performance across hearing aids and supporting tools.
  • Define system concepts, design principles, integration strategies, and measurable performance expectations that connect clinical and user needs to product architecture.
  • Establish and maintain system-level audio and audiological requirements, interfaces, assumptions, constraints, and traceability to relevant subsystem requirements.
• Lead audio and audiological architecture and design tradeoffs across acoustics, electroacoustics, DSP, hardware, firmware, fitting algorithms, connectivity, controls, and user interfaces.
  • Evaluate tradeoffs involving sound quality, speech audibility and intelligibility, listening comfort, fitting flexibility, power, latency, stability, acoustic coupling, usability, and system constraints.
  • Develop and communicate recommendations using objective measurements, clinical evidence, perceptual evaluation, field data, manufacturing data, and engineering analysis.
• Own audio-system impact analyses for product changes, scope changes, architecture decisions, and design reviews, including options, risks, dependencies, and recommendations.
  • Lead cross-functional technical risk identification, analysis, mitigation, and closure using applicable risk-management methods and program tools.
  • Identify integration gaps and emerging technical risks early, and drive prevention and containment plans across affected teams.
• Lead system integration, bring-up, characterization, and optimization across prototypes, verification builds, and pre-production systems.
  • Drive root-cause analysis of complex audio, acoustic, fitting, and cross-domain system issues; ensure problems are reproducible, clearly documented, and resolved at the appropriate architectural level.
  • Coordinate technical decision-making across DSP, software, firmware, hardware, mechanical, audiology, clinical research, verification, manufacturing, quality, and product teams.
• Define audio system-level verification, benchmarking and validation strategies for integrated audio and audiological performance in partnership with Systems Verification Engineering and audiology teams.
  • Ensure verification coverage addresses laboratory, simulated, real-world, clinical, manufacturing, and field-use conditions as appropriate.
  • Review and interpret measurement, perceptual, clinical, reliability, manufacturing, and field data to assess system performance and recommend improvements.
• Represent Audio Systems in programs, architecture reviews, design reviews, risk reviews, technical issue reviews, and leadership discussions.
  • Communicate complex technical topics, decisions, and residual risks clearly to engineering teams, program leadership, Product Management, and other stakeholders.
• Serve as Program Audio Systems Lead or equivalent for major product or technology initiatives, as assigned.
  • Plan and coordinate cross-functional technical work, dependencies, integration readiness, test strategy, issue visibility, and decision closure.
  • Provide schedule and scope impact assessments for audio-system deliverables, technical risks, and unresolved dependencies.
• Advance Audio Systems engineering capability, methods, tools, and reusable knowledge.
  • Define and promote best practices for audio-system architecture, fitting-system integration, technical reviews, test methods, data interpretation, and issue management.
  • Capture lessons learned and update requirements, design guidance, verification approaches, and development processes.
• Mentor, coach, and provide technical direction to engineers, audiologists, technicians, and interns; grow cross-functional understanding of system-level audio design.
• Provide expert consultation on complex projects and proactively identify strategic technology, capability, and process opportunities.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities commensurate with a principal engineer role, as assigned.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• BS or MS degree in Electrical Engineering, Audio Engineering, Systems Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Audiology, or a related field.
• PhD is desirable

Experience

• Minimum of 15 years of professional experience in a product and/or technology development environment with Bacheolor's degree
• Minimum of 13 years of relevant industry experience with a Master’s degree
• Demonstrated technical leadership of complex, cross-functional product or technology-development efforts involving integrated audio, audiological, or embedded systems.
• Demonstrated expertise and organizational influence consistent with a principal-level subject-matter expert.

Knowledge / Technical Requirements

• Advanced knowledge of hearing-aid system architecture, audiological features, fitting methodologies, acoustic coupling, and clinician and patient workflows.
• dvanced understanding of audiology fundamentals, hearing-loss characteristics, prescriptive fitting rationales, electroacoustic verification, outcome measures, and clinical evaluation methods.
• Advanced knowledge of audio and signal-processing concepts, including gain and compression, noise reduction, directionality, feedback management, frequency shaping, scene analysis, and sound-quality assessment.
• Strong working knowledge of DSP-based audio systems, embedded hardware and firmware, wired and wireless audio interfaces, latency, synchronization, power, memory, and real-time constraints.
• Advanced systems-engineering knowledge, including architecture, requirements development, interface definition, traceability, risk management, design tradeoffs, configuration management, issue tracking, verification, and validation.
• Working knowledge of fitting software, mobile applications, programmers, manufacturing systems, software-development processes, and version/configuration control.
• Ability to integrate objective measurements, perceptual evidence, clinical findings, manufacturing data, field data, and user feedback into system-level decisions.

Competencies, Skills & Abilities

• Exceptional technical judgment and ability to resolve ambiguous, multidisciplinary problems with broad product impact.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to align clinicians, engineers, program teams, and leaders around complex technical decisions.
• Proven ability to lead without direct authority, build cross-functional alignment, and drive decisions and actions to closure.
• Expert analytical, troubleshooting, and root-cause skills for interacting audio, acoustic, fitting, hardware, firmware, and software behaviors.
• Hands-on proficiency with relevant audio and hearing-aid measurement equipment, including audio analyzers, microphones, couplers, test boxes, probe-microphone systems, and related laboratory tools.
• Ability to balance clinical performance, sound quality, user experience, technical feasibility, regulatory and quality considerations, schedule, and business constraints.
• Ability to mentor others, establish technical direction, and raise the capability of the broader organization.
• Self-motivated, adaptable, and effective in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment; able to establish priorities and manage multiple high-impact activities.

Working Conditions

• Standard office and laboratory conditions.
• Minimal travel expected.
  

Equipment Operation

• Standard office equipment.
• Standard audio, electroacoustic, hearing-aid, and laboratory test equipment.

Salary and Other Compensation:

The target pay rate for this position is between $137,000 - $178,500 annually. Factors which may affect starting pay within this range may include: geography/market, skills, education, experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

This position is eligible for a bonus based upon performance results. There is no guarantee of payout.

The following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements, include medical, dental and vision insurance, 401(k) retirement plan with company match, company-paid life and short-term disability insurance, long-term disability insurance, employee assistance plan, hearing aid benefits, Paid Time Off, paid holidays, paid floating holidays, paid volunteer service day, paid paternity and maternity leave and tuition reimbursement.

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