Principal Engineer, Perceptual & Workflow Validation (m/f/d)
About the Role
As Principal Engineer, Perceptual & Workflow Validation, you serve as the authority for Sonic Trust and Workflow Trust within the Audio Performance & Integrity (API) Team.
You combine deep perceptual expertise with hands-on development engagement, acting as an embedded expert who guides feature maturation through structured alpha validation and professional audio judgment.
You influence complex projects across Domain and Cross Brand teams, ensuring that new technologies scale without compromising professional credibility.
You act as both methodological authority and experiential expert in the development process.
What You Will Do
Act as the expert alpha validator embedded in development teams, providing high-impact, experience-based guidance throughout implementation
Deliver detailed, actionable perceptual feedback that shapes feature behavior before formal certification
Identify subtle system-level artifacts, parameter interaction issues, and workflow friction during early development
Lead structured perceptual validation strategies across complex projects and release trains
Design and oversee formal listening experiments, including controlled comparisons and statistically supported evaluations
Interpret complex perceptual findings and drive resolution of systemic audio quality issues
Define and evolve best practices for workflow integrity validation and perceptual certification
Mentor team members and elevate perceptual validation capability within the team
Collaborate with benchmarking and user research teams when broader statistical or panel-based evaluation is required
Act as authority during final Anchor-stage validation and release readiness discussions
What You Need
Extensive professional experience (10+ years) in audio engineering, tuning, mastering, or equivalent high-level domain
Academic background with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Sound Engineering / Electrical Engineering / Signal Processing or equivalent
Demonstrated ability to guide development teams through expert perceptual feedback during feature maturation
Highly developed listening expertise with the ability to detect subtle artifacts and complex interaction effects
Strong understanding of DSP behavior and its perceptual consequences
Experience influencing cross-functional teams and driving resolution of complex quality issues
Ability to balance innovation speed with professional integrity boundaries
Excellent communication and negotiation skills in technically complex environments
What Is Nice to Have
Experience conducting statistically rigorous listening studies
Background in psychoacoustics or applied audio research
Experience mentoring or leading technical specialists
Experience working in automotive or embedded audio systems
Exposure to benchmarking or large-scale listener panel methodologies
Valid driver's license
Proficiency in on site native language
What We Offer:
HARMAN offers a diverse and inclusive work environment that fosters and encourages career development opportunities, professional training and competitive market base compensation
You will also receive top-notch employee discounts on Harman’s Consumer Audio (JBL, AKG, HARMAN Kardon) and Samsung products
Flexible work environment with a culture encouraging work-life integration and collaboration in a global environment.
Attractive salary package based on the Metall & Elektro Tarif Baden Wurttemberg and an Employer contribution towards a company pension plan
Professional development opportunities through HARMAN University’s business and leadership academies which also includes extensive technical trainings
Internal talent management leadership acceleration programs
“Be Brilliant” employee recognition and rewards program