Senior Embedded Base Software Engineer - Audio Systems

Hashlist; Auburn Hills (MI); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Hashlist is seeking a Staff Embedded Base Software Engineer - Audio Systems in Auburn Hills, on-site, full-time. You will lead the development of low-latency, multi-zone audio software on Qualcomm Snapdragon within a QNX infotainment HPC, delivering high-quality audio across navigation, calls, media, and ADAS cues.

You will mentor engineers, drive architectural decisions, and collaborate with Qualcomm, hardware teams, and application layers to ensure robust, automotive-grade audio functionality.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of embedded software development with emphasis on audio on Snapdragon or similar SoCs.
• Hands-on QNX development: resource managers and drivers with DSP firmware exposure.
• Strong C/C++ skills across driver/HAL boundaries.
• Experience debugging audio issues across the stack (latency, synchronization, artifacts).
• Automotive or safety-regulated embedded domain experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead bring-up and integration of audio subsystems on new SoC platforms.
• Design low-latency, multi-zone, multi-stream audio routing for navigation, calls, media, and alerts.
• Debug audio issues: latency, pops, underruns/overruns, audio-video sync.
• Define quality practices: functional safety, boot budgets, power constraints.
• Collaborate with Android Automotive/AAOS teams, hardware/EE, and Qualcomm.
• Mentor engineers, run reviews, set audio-domain standards.
• Drive root-cause analysis for field/production audio issues.
• Support architecture for audio software spanning DSP, QNX drivers, and HAL/middleware.

Skills

Embedded software

Audio software

C/C++

QNX

Mentoring

Technical leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

QNX

QDSP6/ADSP

IPC (pulses)

JTAG/T32

Linux/QNX debugging tools

Job description

We are looking for a Staff Embedded Base Software Engineer - Audio Systems. This role provides technical leadership and hands-on expertise for the audio software below the application layer on a QNX-based infotainment HPC running on Qualcomm Snapdragon at a major OEM, delivering low-latency, multi-zone in-vehicle audio.

• Location: Auburn Hills, US
• Working model: On-site
• Employment type: Full-time - long-term mission via Hashlist or freelance

Responsibilities:

• Lead bring-up and integration of audio subsystems on new SoC platforms and hardware revisions, working with Qualcomm and QNX/BlackBerry support and internal hardware teams
• Design and implement low-latency, multi-zone, multi-stream audio routing to support navigation prompts, phone calls, media playback, ADAS chimes, and multi-speaker output
• Debug complex audio issues across the stack - pops/clicks, latency, synchronization, underruns/overruns, power-state transitions, and audio-video sync
• Define and enforce automotive-grade quality practices: functional safety considerations, boot-time budgets, resource/power constraints, and long-term serviceability
• Collaborate with application-layer teams (Android Automotive/AAOS or other frameworks), hardware/EE teams, and Qualcomm partner engineering
• Mentor mid-level and senior engineers, run design and code reviews, and set technical standards for the audio domain
• Drive root-cause analysis and resolution of field/production audio issues
• Support the architecture and roadmap for audio software spanning audio DSP (ADSP/QDSP6), QNX audio drivers/resource managers, and audio HAL/middleware integration

Qualifications:

• 8+ years of embedded software development, with a significant focus on audio software on Qualcomm Snapdragon (or similar) SoC platforms
• Deep, hands-on experience with the Qualcomm audio stack: ADSP/QDSP6, AudioReach (or QACT/ACDB tooling), integrated into a QNX environment
• Hands-on QNX development: resource managers (io-audio or equivalent), audio driver architecture, IPC (message passing, pulses), and BSP-level bring-up
• Strong C/C++ and comfort across QNX resource manager/driver, HAL, and DSP firmware/config boundaries
• Solid understanding of audio signal chains: codecs, amplifiers, DSPs, sample rate conversion, mixing/routing, echo cancellation, and low-latency paths
• Experience debugging with JTAG/T32, QNX Momentics/System Analysis Toolkit, oscilloscopes/audio analyzers, logic analyzers, and Qualcomm diagnostic/tracing tools
• Track record of technical leadership: driving architecture decisions, mentoring engineers, and working across hardware/software boundaries
• Automotive or another safety/quality-regulated embedded industry (automotive, aerospace, medical, industrial) preferred
• Preferred: QNX Platform for Digital Cockpits (PDC) or QNX Hypervisor, ISO 26262, AUTOSAR Adaptive, CI/CD for embedded targets, and use of generative AI tools to accelerate development