Audio Test Automation Engineer

We made history and now we work to transform the future - for our customers, our communities and our families. You'll see your work on the road every day, helping people move freely and pursue their dreams. At Ford, you can build more than vehicles. Come build what matters.

Ford’s Electric Vehicles, Digital and Design (EVDD) team is charged with delivering the company’s vision of a fully electric transportation future. EVDD is customer-obsessed, entrepreneurial, and data-driven and is dedicated to delivering industry-leading customer experience for electric vehicle buyers and owners. You’ll join an agile team of doers pioneering our EV future by working collaboratively, staying focused on only what matters, and delivering excellence day in and day out.

Join us to make positive change by helping build a better world where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams.

We are seeking an experienced staff Audio Test Automation Engineer to lead the automated validation of next-generation In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) audio systems. In this role, you will design, build, and maintain scalable test suites using Python and pytest to validate multi-channel audio routing, DSP pipelines, external sound systems (AVAS), hands-free calling, and onboard amplifier performance.

• Framework Development:
  Develop and scale automated test libraries in Python (pytest) running on Linux/Ubuntu to interface with multi-channel audio hardware (e.g., Behringer UMC series, Audio Control line converters, DAQs).
• Audio Analysis & DSP Validation:
  Implement signal-processing algorithms to validate frequency response, channel separation, ducking, mixing, and dynamic gain control.

• Validate IVI media playback across multi-channel vehicle configurations (e.g., 3-channel, multi-speaker surround, subwoofers).
• Validate Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems (AVAS) pitch/frequency modulation tied to vehicle telemetry.
• Validate Hands-Free Profile (HFP/VoIP) voice quality, downlink/uplink routing, and acoustic behavior.
• Execute platform-level amplifier and DSP stress tests, monitoring diagnostics, clipping, and fault handling.

• Setup, calibrate, and maintain bench-level audio hardware, signal routing, gain staging, and electrical isolation.

• Integrate audio test suites into automated build and regression pipelines.

• Education:
  
  Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Audio Engineering, Acoustics, or related field.
• Familiarity with AVAS (UN ECE R138 / FMVSS 141) acoustic safety regulations.
• Test Automation: 3+ years of professional experience building automated test frameworks in Python using pytest.
• Audio Signal Processing:
  Strong theoretical and practical foundation in digital signal processing (DSP) using Python scientific libraries (numpy, scipy, sound device, PyAudio).
• Audio Hardware & Instrumentation:
  Hands-on experience with multi-channel audio interfaces, line-output converters, microphone/speaker calibration, and gain staging.
• Audio Metrics:
  Deep familiarity with core acoustic and audio measurements:
  Frequency analysis / FFT spectral analysis, THD / THD+N (Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise), Dynamic range, SNR, and crosstalk/isolation, RMS / Loudness / Audio ducking ratios.

• Platform & OS:
  Strong experience working in Linux (Ubuntu) environments, including ALSA/Pulse Audio/Pipe Wire audio routing and configuration.
• Experience with automotive communication buses (CAN, CAN-FD, Automotive Ethernet) and automotive audio buses (Analog, A2B).
• Prior experience with automotive IVI systems (Android Automotive OS, QNX, or Automotive Grade Linux).
• Familiarity with speech quality standards (PESQ, POLQA, 3
  
  GPP/ITU-T…