Systems Test Engineer (Skokie)

Responsibilities:

• System Verification Strategy & Execution: Plan and execute comprehensive end-to-end testing for client’s Professional Wireless Microphone Systems, covering transmitter-receiver pairs, RF links, audio pathways, DSP features, network/control interfaces, and broader ecosystem. Develop detailed test plans and test cases simulating real customer workflows in live sound, touring, broadcast, theater, and corporate AV use cases to validate performance, reliability, and user experience under real-world conditions.
• Quality Ownership & Defect Management: Act as the product quality champion and voice of the customer throughout the development process. Proactively identify, isolate, document, and track defects (with logs, RF spectrum captures, and audio recordings as evidence). Maintain a strong backbone in advocating for the timely resolution of quality issues, clearly articulating the customer impact and ensuring priority fixes. Collaborate with cross-functional teams – Hardware, Firmware, Software (Wireless Workbench & mobile apps), RF Systems, Audio/DSP Engineering, Product Management, and Customer Support – to ensure critical issues are resolved before product release.
• RF Performance & Wireless Link Verification: Rigorously test RF wireless performance of professional microphone systems in dense RF environments. Conduct spectrum scanning, frequency coordination, intermodulation analysis, and interference simulations to verify system resilience and coexistence with other wireless devices. Validate transmitter and receiver operation across diverse frequency bands, power levels, and regional regulations, including wide-tuning ranges and High Density modes (when applicable). Perform range testing, multipath/droput scenarios, and diversity/Quadversity performance to ensure rock-solid signal stability and coverage in large-scale events.
• Audio & DSP Feature Testing: Verify audio quality and DSP functionalities across the wireless system. Measure and analyze audio performance metrics (frequency response, noise floor, signal-to-noise ratio, dynamic range, total harmonic distortion (THD), latency, etc.) under various RF conditions to ensure crystal-clear, low-latency audio output. Test microphone acoustics (capsule frequency response, polar patterns, maximum SPL handling) in lab and stage environments. Validate DSP algorithms and processing chains (gain structure, equalization, limiter/compressor behaviors, encryption, tone/key signals for squat switching, monitoring features) to ensure all processing features operate correctly and transparently contribute to superior audio quality.
• System Integration & Networked Control Testing: Validate the seamless integration of professional wireless systems within networked audio and control ecosystems. Test network-enabled features such as Dante™/AES67 digital audio and network control & monitoring via Wireless Workbench® software, Channels mobile app, and ShowLink® remote control (for Axient Digital ADX transmitters) to ensure reliable connectivity, device discovery, firmware updates over network, remote monitoring, and control functionality (e.g., frequency coordination, real-time parameter adjustments, battery monitoring). Simulate multi-system and multi-channel deployments to ensure scalability and interoperability across multiple receivers and transmitters, and robust performance under heavy load or challenging network conditions.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Wireless Communications, Music Technology, or a related field required. A Master’s degree is a plus.
• 10+ years of experience in system verification, quality assurance, hardware testing, software testing, or related disciplines. Experience in professional audio, wireless systems, RF electronics, or similar industries is strongly preferred.
• Direct experience with professional wireless audio systems and/or RF products is highly desirable.

Technical Expertise:

• Strong knowledge of UHF RF principles, wireless microphone systems, frequency coordination, spectrum management, TV band planning, intermodulation, and wireless deployment best practices.
• Hands-on experience testing wireless transmitters, receivers, battery systems, RF performance, range, diversity systems, antenna distribution, and diagnosing RF issues such as interference, multipath, and dropouts.
• Expertise in digital wireless audio systems, including digital modulation, error correction, latency analysis, dropout recovery, audio quality validation, and AES-256 encryption verification.
• Strong understanding of microphone acoustics, including frequency response, tonal consistency, self-noise, dynamic range, SPL handling, and low-latency audio performance.
• Knowledge of audio signal processing, including companding, A/D and D/A conversion, gain structure, DSP features, encryption impacts, and maintaining audio integrity.
• Experience with networked audio and device management, including Dante™, AES67, QoS, device synchronization, remote configuration, firmware updates, and troubleshooting Ethernet/TCP/IP-based audio networks.

Testing & Quality:

• Proficient in functional, regression, exploratory, stress, reliability, and environmental testing.
• Skilled at designing real-world test scenarios and evaluating complex interactions across RF, audio, and networking domains.
• Experienced with professional test equipment such as spectrum analyzers, audio analyzers, oscilloscopes, and network analysis tools.
• Proficient with defect tracking and test management tools (e.g., JIRA), with strong documentation and defect-reporting skills.