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 expertisewith hands-on development engagement, acting as an embedded expertwho 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 featurebehavior before formal certification

• Identify subtle system-level artifacts, parameter interaction issues, and workflow friction during early development

• Lead structured perceptual validation strategies across complex projectsand 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 practicesfor workflow integrity validation and perceptual certification

• Mentor team membersand elevate perceptual validation capability within the team

• Collaborate with benchmarking and user research teamswhen broader statistical or panel-based evaluation is required

• Act as authorityduring 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 backgroundwith 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 feedbackduring feature maturation

• Highly developed listening expertisewith the ability to detect subtle artifacts and complex interaction effects

• Strong understanding of DSP behaviorand its perceptual consequences

• Experience influencing cross-functional teamsand driving resolution of complex quality issues

• Ability to balance innovation speed with professional integrity boundaries

• Excellent communication and negotiation skillsin technically complex environments

What Is Nice to Have

• Experience conducting statistically rigorouslistening 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