Purpose Of The Job:
Own the audio subsystem of an automotive In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) head unit end to end — from source applications, through the audio framework, routing and mixing layers, down to the amplifier and DSP — under automotive constraints: hard latency budgets, multi-zone routing, safety-relevant chimes and start-up time targets.
The target platform is a QNX-based head unit on Qualcomm Snapdragon Automotive silicon (SA8155P / SA8295P class), with processing offloaded to the on-chip Hexagon audio DSP and external amplifiers reached over I2S/TDM and A2B. The platform is virtualized, so audio streams cross guest OS boundaries under a hypervisor. The role is hands-on, with direct exposure to OEM and Tier-1 stakeholders, acoustics teams and platform architects.
Key Responsibilities:
- Design, implement and integrate the audio software stack of a QNX-based IVI head unit: audio HAL and framework layers, audio policy, routing, mixing, ducking and volume control.
- Own the application-processor-to-DSP boundary: audio topologies, calibration data flow, and the processing chain running on the Hexagon audio DSP.
- Bring up and maintain audio hardware paths — codecs, amplifiers and external DSPs — over I2S/TDM, A2B, SPDIF and Automotive Ethernet (AVB/TSN).
- Implement and tune multi-zone, multi-source use cases: media, navigation prompts, telephony, voice assistant, warning chimes and AVAS.
- Own audio latency and synchronization: buffer sizing, sample-rate conversion, A/V sync, gPTP/PTP, and elimination of underruns and overruns.
- Route audio across guest OS boundaries on the virtualized platform, managing the latency and priority consequences.
- Integrate speech front-end processing (microphone arrays, AEC, beamforming, noise suppression) and Bluetooth audio profiles (A2DP, HFP, LE Audio / LC3).
- Define, measure and automate audio KPIs; debug intermittent field and integration issues across application, framework, driver and hardware.
- Support OEM acoustic tuning teams and interface with Tier-1 suppliers and silicon vendors on requirements, issue triage and release readiness.
Technical Requirements:
- 5+ years in embedded software development, at least 3 of them on audio subsystems.
- Proven QNX experience — io-audio, QSA and the QNX Multimedia Framework (MMF).
- Hands-on Qualcomm Snapdragon Automotive experience (SA8155P / SA8295P class): audio bring-up, board support and vendor SDK usage.
- Working knowledge of the Qualcomm audio framework (AudioReach / Elite): audio topologies, calibration data and the application-processor-to-DSP interface.
- Automotive audio DSP experience on Hexagon aDSP — or ADI SHARC, Cirrus Logic, TI C6x/C7x or DSP Concepts Audio Weaver — including fixed-point implementation and latency/MIPS budgeting.
- Delivery within an automotive program environment: requirements traceability, change management and formal releases.
- Strong C and C++ (C++14/17) in resource-constrained embedded environments; Python for tooling and test automation.
- Digital audio fundamentals: sampling, fixed- and floating-point processing, FIR/IIR filtering, resampling, mixing, gain staging and codec formats.
- Audio hardware interfaces (I2S/TDM, A2B, SPDIF); able to read schematics, datasheets and register maps.
- Latency and synchronization analysis; root-causing underruns and overruns.
- Lab debugging: oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG/Lauterbach and audio analyzers.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with Android platform or application development in embedded contexts
- Exposure to functional safety (ISO 26262) and cybersecurity (ISO 21434, UN R155/R156)
- Clear technical communication with non-audio specialists; effective in customer-facing design reviews.
- Hypervisor virtualization (QNX Hypervisor, Xen); a second audio stack (Android Automotive or embedded Linux); ANC/RNC; ISO 26262 and Automotive SPICE; acoustics or sound tuning background.
