Staff / Sr. Staff Electro Acoustic Engineer – Receivers

Knowles Corporation; Itasca (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Knowles Corporation in Itasca, IL is seeking an Electro-Acoustic Engineer (level to be determined by experience) to join our product development team. The role focuses on miniature electro-acoustic components, guiding designs from proof-of-concept to mass production.

You will create CAD concepts, run SPICE/Modelica and FEA simulations, perform lab tests, and collaborate with senior engineers and customers to meet specifications and drive innovation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering, Acoustics, or Physics.
• Master’s or Doctorate preferred.
• Minimum 7 years' experience in developing electro-mechanical, electro-acoustic products.
• Experience with hearing aids, audio or acoustic product development preferred.
• Experience with lumped parameter modeling in SPICE, Modelica, or other software preferred.
• Experience with lab measurements in frequency and time domain using spectrum/audio analyzers and oscilloscopes preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead development from proof-of-concept to mass production.
• Create CAD concepts and perform simulations.
• Perform FEA and lumped parameter modeling.
• Conduct lab experiments to validate designs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional and remote engineering teams on design concepts.
• Interface with customers to address technical challenges and ensure success.
• Identify patent opportunities and innovate design methodologies.
• Assist manufacturing and QA considerations to ensure manufacturability.

Skills

Electro-acoustic engineering

Lab measurements

Cross-functional collaboration

Remote engineering teamwork

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering

Master's or Doctorate preferred

Tools

Creo CAD

SPICE

Modelica

Job description

Business: MedTech and Specialty Audio (MSA)

https://www.knowles.com/

POSITION SUMMARY:

We are seeking an Electro-Acoustic Engineer (level to be determined by experience) to work with our dynamic product development team. Industry experience in miniature electro-acoustic and mechanical components is desired. We seek a person who will assist in the development of new designs through proof of concept and prototypes. Detailed modification or iterations of existing designs will also be required. The successful candidate will be expected to achieve exceptional results through his/her contribution to product introduction, and innovation. This individual will work closely with Senior and Principal Engineers on design and technology concepts that are aligned with customer needs and business goals.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES :

• Engage closely in multiple product development phases through proof-of-concept / prototypes to mass production
• Help achieve design concepts that meet or exceed internal specification and/or customer requirements
• Create CAD concepts to communicate designs and perform simulations
• Perform single-physics and multi-physics simulations using finite element analysis (FEA) and lumped parameter models (SPICE, Modelica).
• Conduct experiments in the lab to prove out principals and test design concepts using a broad array of lab equipment with off-the-shelf and custom software applications.
• Help investigate the most innovative design methodologies, materials, tools, and practices to achieve the most competitive products in the market.
• Identify and innovate new or derivative products through collaboration with subject matter experts
• Continually look for patent opportunities to further help Knowles distinguish itself in the industry
• Adopt a fail-fast strategy to early evaluations of technologies and optimize new technologies that show promise.
• Assist Application Engineering with technical support escalations that require deeper subject matter expertise
• Successfully multi-task between multiple projects
• Learn and understand manufacturing and QA challenges to assure highly manufacturable products
• Interface with customer, solving technical challenges in partnership to ensure continued success
• Effectively dissect large open-ended engineering challenges into smaller parts and conduct root-cause analysis

POSITION/TRAINING REQUIREMENTS :

• Bachelor's Degree (Master's or Doctorate preferred) in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering, Material Science, Acoustics, or Physics
• Minimum of 7 years' experience in developing electro-mechanical, electro-acoustic products
• Experience and knowledge of hearing aids, audio or acoustic product development is strongly preferred.
• Experience with circuit analogies for mechanical and acoustic systems is preferred.
• Experience with lumped parameter modeling in SPICE, Modelica, or other software is preferred.
• Experience with making lab measurements in the frequency and time domain using equipment like spectrum analyzers, audio analyzers, and oscilloscopes is strongly preferred.
• Strong written and oral communication skills are essential.
• Experience working with cross-functional and remote engineering teams is essential.
• Proven track record of successfully launching products preferred
• Experience with CAD modeling. Creo is the preferred CAD software.
• Experience designing fixtures to aid in assembly and test is a plus.
• Experience with piezo transduction and MEMS technologies is nice to have.
• Experience with manufacturing processes including 3D printing, machining, stamping, and plastic molding is nice to have.
• Experience working with customers is a plus.

REPORTING STRUCTURE:

Reporting to Sr. Manager Receiver Development