Staff Data Engineer (Audio/ML) - Skywalker Sound

1421 Lucasfilm Ent Co Ltd, LLC Payroll Svc; California (MO); Hybrid; USD 171,000 - 229,000; Full time

Job summary

Skywalker Sound is seeking an experienced Staff Data Engineer focusing on Audio/ML to design and optimize data pipelines for AI research in immersive audio. You will enable model training, retraining, and evaluation with high-quality datasets and collaborate with researchers on data requirements.

The role is hybrid, requiring 2-3 onsite days at the Nicasio, CA office with occasional remote work, and involves advanced audio processing and data engineering for state‑of‑the‑art speech, style

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Data Engineering/Science, CS, Signal Processing or related field.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain scalable data pipelines for ingestion, preprocessing, and transformation of large-scale audio datasets.

Skills

Python

Pandas

NumPy

PyTorch

Audio processing

Spark

Airflow

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

BigQuery

Education

Master's Degree

PhD preferred

Tools

GitLab

Apache Spark

Airflow

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Job Posting Title: Staff Data Engineer (Audio/ML) - Skywalker Sound Req ID: 10129825 Job Description

The Skywalker Sound Development Group is seeking an experienced Data Engineer with a focus on Audio/ML to specialize in the creation, management, and optimization of data pipelines to support cutting‑edge AI/ML research. This is a critical role in preparing high‑quality datasets for the training, retraining, and evaluation of machine learning models tailored to immersive and multichannel audio applications. As a Data Engineer (Audio/ML), you will focus on developing robust pipelines for processing complex media datasets, enabling AI/ML researchers to build transformative solutions for speech processing, style transfer, and source separation. Your work will directly contribute to creating innovative soundtrack workflows for global media production.

This role is considered Hybrid, which means the employee will work 2-3 days onsite at our Nicasio, CA office and occasionally from home.

What You’ll Do

• Design, implement, and maintain scalable, automated data pipelines for the ingestion, preprocessing, and transformation of large‑scale audio datasets.
• Ensure pipelines support efficient model training and retraining workflows, enabling continuous improvement of AI/ML models.
• Collaborate with AI/ML researchers to define data requirements and integrate feedback to improve data pipeline functionality.
• Develop advanced preprocessing techniques for immersive and multichannel audio formats (e.g., Dolby Atmos, high-order ambisonics).
• Automate data cleaning, normalization, and augmentation processes to prepare datasets for various model architectures, including foundation models and transformers.
• Integrate external datasets and APIs while ensuring compliance with legal and ethical data usage standards.
• Monitor and optimize pipeline performance to handle complex and dynamic data structures effectively.
• Create tools and workflows for annotating, labeling, and curating datasets, including the use of active learning methods.
• Perform exploratory data analysis to uncover trends, validate dataset quality, and identify data gaps.

What We’re Looking For

• Master’s Degree with preference for PhD in Data Engineering/Science, Computer Science, Signal Processing, or a related field.
• 8+years of experience in data engineering or data science with a focus on building pipelines for AI/ML applications.
• Proficiency in Python, with expertise in data manipulation libraries such as Pandas, NumPy, and PyTorch’s data utilities.
• Hands‑on experience with audio processing libraries and tools (e.g., Librosa, FFmpeg, SoX) for handling complex audio formats.
• Familiarity with scalable pipeline tools like GitLab, Apache Spark, Airflow, or Luigi, and experience with containerized workflows (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Strong understanding of data pipeline requirements for model training, retraining, and evaluation in iterative research workflows.
• Experience with immersive and multichannel audio formats.
• Knowledge of cloud‑based platforms and tools for storage and processing, such as AWS S3, Redshift, or Google BigQuery.
• Strong problem‑solving skills, with a proactive mindset for addressing evolving data challenges.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience integrating data pipelines with AI/ML workflows, including active learning and model retraining.
• Familiarity with audio‑specific datasets and metadata management strategies.
• Knowledge of machine learning principles and how data quality impacts model performance.
• Experience with distributed training pipelines and large‑scale dataset processing.
• Contributions to open‑source projects or published research in the fields of data science or audio processing.
• Experience with visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Matplotlib) for quality assurance and exploratory data analysis.
• Expertise in designing systems to support AI/ML model monitoring and retraining over time.

Salary and Benefits

The hiring range for this position in Nicasio, CA is $170,500 to $228,600 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long‑term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

Job Posting Details

Job Posting Segment: Skywalker Sound Job Posting Primary Business: Skywalker Sound‑Engineering Primary Job Posting Category: Data Engineering Employment Type: Full time Primary City, State, Region, Postal Code: Nicasio, CA, USA Alternate City, State, Region, Postal Code: Date Posted: 2025‑09‑16 Learn more about us.