Principal Sound Designer

Absurd Ventures; Santa Monica (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Paid time off

401(k)

Job summary

Absurd Ventures is looking for a Principal Sound Designer in Santa Monica, CA to craft and implement exceptional audio for an innovative open world game. This critical role involves collaborating with leading developers to achieve the audio vision.

The ideal candidate will have over 8 years of experience in sound design, particularly in AAA titles, and be proficient in tools such as Wwise. The role offers a full-time position with competitive benefits and a salary range of $140,000 to $160,000 per year.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in sound design within the games industry.
• Strong background in collaborating with engineering teams on audio systems.
• Proven track record on shipped AAA titles.

Responsibilities

• Create exceptional and immersive sound design using commercial and proprietary tools.
• Work closely with the Audio Director to execute the audio vision.
• Collaborate to implement audio pipelines efficiently.

Skills

Sound design expertise

Collaboration

Technical communication

Mentoring

Tools

Wwise

AAA game engines

Python

Job description

Summary

We are looking for a versatile and experienced Principal Sound Designer to join our audio team to craft and implement exceptional sound design. This role is crucial in support of defining an iconic soundscape for our unique and innovative open world game. As a Principal, your mission is to use your creative and technical audio skills to inspire and evangelize the team in creating outstanding and compelling sound design. You will have the opportunity to collaborate closely with some of the greatest developers in the industry on an exciting, immersive, narrative AAA game.

Core Responsibilities

• Create exceptional and immersive sound design using both commercial and proprietary tools, software, and source material.
• Work closely with the Audio Director to help define and execute the project’s overall audio vision.
• Collaborate with engineers and fellow sound designers to build, implement, and scale audio pipelines.
• Proactively anticipate project needs and independently develop and implement solutions.
• Optimize audio assets and recommend workflow improvements to enhance efficiency and scalability.
• Diagnose and resolve complex audio issues across multiple disciplines.
• Effectively communicate technical and creative ideas through clear written and verbal communication.
• Manage time independently and drive complex, multi-phase initiatives through to completion.

Core Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional experience in the games industry as a sound designer, with some senior experience on shipped AAA titles.
• Proven track record of owning and delivering complex audio systems on shipped titles.
• Demonstrated experience collaborating with engineering and cross‑disciplinary teams on large‑scale projects.
• Strong background in recording high‑quality source material and pushing it through to final asset implementation.
• Expertise with AAA game engines and deep knowledge of audio implementation workflows.
• Advanced proficiency in Wwise and real‑time audio systems.
• Background in mentoring team members and sharing both technical and creative expertise.

Key Attributes

• A collaborative, team‑oriented mindset with a strong emphasis on cross‑discipline partnership.
• Ability to inspire and elevate others through leadership, mentorship, and craftsmanship.
• Self‑motivated, proactive, and capable of solving problems with minimal direction.
• Adaptable and responsive to feedback and evolving project requirements.

Plus if

• Experience contributing during early development and R&D phases.
• Experience designing and improving custom audio tools and workflows for large scale open‑world games.
• Scripting experience in Python, MEL, or similar languages.
• Passion for video games, storytelling, cinema, and a strong understanding of game audio.

Description

• Full‑time job with benefits.
• Role is on‑site in Santa Monica, CA.
• Office is located near downtown Santa Monica - near metro and freeways.
• The base pay range for this position is $140,000 to $160,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including paid time off, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full‑time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.

About Absurd Ventures

Absurd Ventures is a media company creating new IP across all platforms and for all formats. Absurd Ventures is building narrative worlds, creating characters, and writing stories for a variety of genres, without regard to medium, to be produced for live‑action and animation; video games and other interactive content; books, graphic novels, and scripted podcasts.