Sr. Audio Software Quality Assurance Engineer

The Audio Group at Rivian is responsible for in-vehicle acoustics, media and infotainment playback, Chimes, voice UI, and custom audio hardware. We have a deep passion for sound quality and technical excellence. Rivian is seeking an Audio Software QA Engineer to design, build, and maintain our automated software test framework.

In this role, you will take full ownership of software-based audio validation, ensuring that our Audio Weaver DSP signal chains, Linux/Android audio HALs, chime systems, and media routing perform flawlessly across software releases. You will bridge the gap between software development, DSP engineering, and vehicle release management, acting as the ultimate gatekeeper for Rivian’s audio software quality.

Test Automation Framework Development:

Design, build, and maintain scalable automated test frameworks (using Python, C/C++, or Robot Framework) for vehicle audio software regression testing.

Integrate automated audio test scripts into CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab) for automated build verification and regression testing.

Develop automated audio signal analysis tools (e.g., automated THD, SNR, frequency response, and latency measurements using Audio Precision or SoundCheck APIs).

Execute functional, regression, integration, smoke, and exploratory testing

Design, author, maintain, and structure detailed test cases, test scenarios, and run lists within TestRail

Infotainment & Audio Software Validation:

Validate end-to-end audio software stacks across Android Automotive, Linux, and RTOS environments, including

• Audio HAL, Audio Weaver DSP binaries, and media routing.
• Perform functional and regression testing for critical vehicle audio features, including chime prioritization, voice assistant capture (Alexa/Rivian Voice UI), telephony, and media playback.
• Collaborate with the System Software team to debug audio driver, HAL, and platform bring-up issues on hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test rigs.
• Bug Triage, Root-Cause Analysis, & Reporting:
• Analyze automated test execution reports, triage failures, and isolate root causes between software algorithms, OS audio routing, and physical hardware.
• Provide detailed bug reports with captured audio traces, logs, and reproduction steps; work directly with DSP and Software Engineers to resolve issues.
• Define and execute software release criteria for audio software packages prior to vehicle Over-The-Air (OTA) updates.
• Cross-Functional Quality Collaboration:
• Partner with the Audio Systems Test Integration Engineer to execute software test suites on physical lab benches and rigs.
• Work alongside DSP and Hardware Engineers during new feature bring-up to establish test strategies and acceptance criteria early in the software development lifecycle.
• Familiarity with product life cycles in a fast-paced automotive environment
• Experience: a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Audio Engineering, or related discipline and 3+ years of professional experience in software QA, audio test automation, or embedded software validation.
• Programming & Scripting: High proficiency in Python and C/C++; familiarity with MATLAB or bash scripting.
• OS & Platform Depth: Demonstrated experience testing audio on Linux, Android (Android Audio HAL / ALSA), or QNX/RTOS platforms.
• Audio Tooling: Experience with Audio Weaver, Audio Precision (APx API), SoundCheck, or similar acoustic analysis software.
• Education: Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Audio Engineering, or a related field.
• * Nice to Have: Critical listening skills; experience with CI/CD automation tools; knowledge of automotive communication protocols (CAN, A2B, Ethernet).