Principal Hardware Engineer

A Career at HARMAN

As a technology leader that is rapidly on the move, HARMAN is filled with people who are focused on making life better. Innovation, inclusivity and teamwork are a part of our DNA. When you add that to the challenges we take on and solve together, you’ll discover that at HARMAN you can grow, make a difference and be proud of the work you do every day.

About the Role

HARMAN's Luxury Audio group comprises a portfolio of the most respected brands in the audio industry – Arcam, JBL Synthesis, Mark Levinson, and Revel.

HARMAN Luxury Audio continues to set new performance standards through advancements in design and the development of innovative audio technologies. In this role, you will be responsible for the design and design oversight of high-performance, high-quality audio components from concept through production.

As a Principal Hardware Engineer within the Luxury Audio Engineering Group, you will join our team of world-class engineers who share an extraordinary passion for impeccable sound and dedication to raising the bar for high-end consumer audio. You will have a profound understanding of audio system design and possess exceptional problem-solving abilities. This role will be pivotal in designing, developing, and refining cutting-edge audio hardware equipment, supporting legacy product-embedded software, and ensuring that our products continue to lead the market in quality and performance.

Your Team

You will report to the Director, of Engineering, Mark Levinson, and be part of a cross-functional team including industrial designers, mechanical engineers, software engineers, and production teams.

What You Will Do

• Work within a small multi-disciplinary team to develop, test and verify hardware for new and existing product designs using industry best practices, track and resolve bugs in high-end audio playback systems.
• Hardware development for luxury audio components.
• Understand schematics and work to ensure proper system design and function.
• Assist in the creation of Hardware / Software Requirements Documents for audio systems including amplifiers, preamplifiers, and source components (streamers, CD players).
• Conduct rigorous hardware and software testing of platforms to ensure a luxury-class user experience, superior audio performance, and reliability.
• Develop test plans to support new and existing products.
• Prepare and present project reports, design reviews, and technical documentation.
• Drive innovation in audio system design by staying up to date with the latest technological advancements and industry trends.
• Ensure all designs meet stringent quality, compliance, and performance standards.

What You Need

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent work experience in a related technical discipline.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience working in system-level development of high-performance consumer audio systems.
• Previous experience working on discrete analog electronics in the HiFi audio industry.
• Understanding of analog audio hardware design principles and digital audio hardware design including A/D and D/A.
• Experience with serial communication protocols including RS-232, I2C, SPI, I2S, and USB.
• Debug using test equipment including oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, emulators, and simulators. In-depth knowledge of audio measurement techniques.
• Schematic capture and PCB design using Altium and the ability to carry out detailed design reviews of the PCB and schematic.
• Carry out in-depth fault investigations down to component level (i.e. Debugging and reworking of PCB).
• Knowledge of high-resolution audio formats, streaming technologies, and audio compression techniques.
• Attention to detail and a passion for achieving excellence in audio quality.

What is Nice to Have

• Familiarity with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Internet protocols (TCP/IP).
• Experience with the design of RF antennas.
• Circuit simulation, LTSpice and/or PSpice.
• EMC compliance and testing experience.
• Experience with DSP and embedded systems hardware.
• Experience developing, writing, and debugging automated test procedures (Python, Audio Precision Basic, C#, NI Labview/TestStand).
• Experience documenting parts and designs using a PLM system.
• Active participation in the audio engineering community, with published papers or patents in the field.

What Makes You Eligible

• Be willing to travel up to 10%, domestic and international travel.
• Be willing to work in an office in Northridge, CA.
• Successfully complete a background investigation and drug screen as a condition of employment.

#LI-RR3

What We Offer

• Competitive wellness benefits and 401K Retirement Savings plan.
• An inclusive and diverse work environment that fosters and encourages career development opportunities.
• Flexible work schedule with a culture encouraging work-life integration and collaboration in a global environment.
• Professional development opportunities through HARMAN University’s business and leadership academies and extensive course catalog.
• Tuition Reimbursement.
• Access to employee discounts on world-class HARMAN products (JBL, Harman/Kardon, etc.).
• “Be Brilliant” employee recognition and rewards program.

$ 129,750 - $ 190,300

HARMAN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.