Sr Audio Digital Signal Processing Engineer

Job ID 10132312 Location Nicasio, California, United States Business Lucasfilm Date posted Nov. 04, 2025

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Job Summary:

The Skywalker Sound Development Group is seeking an innovative and experienced Audio Digital Signal Processing Engineer to develop and implement advanced audio processing solutions that integrate seamlessly into modern media production pipelines. This role bridges deep DSP expertise with practical engineering skills, enabling the creation of tools and algorithms that meet the demanding standards of the film and entertainment industries.

As an Senior Audio DSP Engineer, you will design and optimize audio processing algorithms while collaborating with cross-functional teams to deploy solutions using modern development practices. Your work will focus on enabling high-quality, efficient, and reliable audio workflows for applications such as speech enhancement, dynamics processing, noise reduction and spatial audio processing.

This role is considered Hybrid, which means the employee will work 2-3 days onsite at our San Francisco office and occasionally from home.

What you'll do

Develop, implement, and optimize DSP algorithms for audio applications.
Collaborate with AI/ML researchers, data scientists, and engineers to combine traditional DSP techniques with machine learning approaches.
Ensure compliance with film and media audio standards, including channel formats (e.g., 5.1, 7.1, Atmos), bit depth, sample rates and timecode.
Utilize collaborative development workflows, including GitLab, to manage source control and ensure clean, maintainable codebases.
Leverage CI/CD pipelines for building, testing, and deploying DSP applications.
Integrate DSP solutions into scalable, containerized environments using tools like Docker.
Write and execute unit tests to validate algorithm accuracy and performance.
Work with media-specific file containers (e.g., MXF, WAV, AIFF) and codecs, ensuring compatibility across workflows.
Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to ensure solutions meet both technical and creative needs.
Stay informed of emerging trends in audio technology, DSP, and media workflows to guide future development efforts.

What we're looking for

Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field; equivalent professional experience considered. Master’s degree is preferred
5+ years of experience in DSP development, with applications in media, film, or entertainment industries.
Strong knowledge of digital signal processing principles, including analog and digital filtering, audio effects, spectral and spatial analysis/synthesis, perceptual audio coding, parametric audio coding and dynamics processing.
Proficiency in programming languages such as C/C++, Python, or MATLAB, with experience using collaborative Git workflows.
Experience with containerized deployments (e.g., Docker)
Experience with optimization of processing for cloud and on-prem application deployment.
Familiarity with modern CI/CD tools (e.g. GitLab CI/CD) for building and deploying software.
Solid understanding of film audio standards and formats, including multichannel and immersive audio (e.g., Dolby Atmos, Ambisonics).
Experience with unit testing frameworks and automated test pipelines.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience working with media production pipelines, including audio post-production workflows.
Familiarity with audio processing libraries and plugin frameworks such as JUCE, CoreAudio, or PortAudio.
Knowledge of machine learning frameworks and how they interact with DSP, such as using neural networks for audio effects.
Expertise with audio file formats and metadata, including WAV, AIFF, and MXF containers.
Contributions to open-source projects or published research in the field of audio DSP.
Understanding of GPU acceleration for audio processing tasks.
Knowledge of machine learning techniques, tools and libraries such as Pytorch

The hiring range for this position in San Francisco, CA is $117,100 to $156,900 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

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About Lucasfilm:

Lucasfilm is a global leader in film, television and digital entertainment production. In addition to its motion-picture and television production, the company's activities include visual effects, audio post-production and cutting-edge digital animation, interactive entertainment software, and the management of the global merchandising activities for its entertainment properties including the legendary STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES franchises. Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in northern California.

About The Walt Disney Company:

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

This position is with Lucasfilm Ent Co Ltd, LLC Payroll Svc, which is part of a business we call Lucasfilm.

Lucasfilm Ent Co Ltd, LLC Payroll Svc is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military or veteran status, medical condition, genetic information or disability, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world.

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