Director Mobile Engineer (Audio)

Job Title

Founding Engineer Mobile (Audio)

Location

Bangalore, India

Employment Type

Full-time | Founding Team

Role Overview

This role focuses on building real-time, interactive audio systems for a mobile-first music learning experience. The goal is to make singing practice fun, responsive, and game-like using low-latency audio and clear feedback.

You will own everything related to voice input, audio processing, and musical feedback. This includes pitch detection, rhythm timing, and turning raw voice input into meaningful, encouraging responses for users.

As an early technical hire, you will help shape both the technical foundation and product direction.

Key Responsibilities

Real-Time Audio Systems

• Design and build low-latency audio input and playback systems for mobile and web
• Handle audio challenges such as:
• Buffers and sample rates
• Device-specific behavior
• Latency compensation
• Echo handling and headphone behavior
  
• Ensure smooth and reliable real-time audio performance across devices
  
  

Voice Analysis & Feedback

• Build or integrate systems for:
• Monophonic pitch detection for singing and simple melodies
• Rhythm, timing, and onset detection to evaluate singing in time
  
• Convert noisy real-world voice input into clear, friendly feedback such as:
• Slightly flat
• Late on the beat
• Perfect timing
  
  

Interactive Vocal Experiences

• Build and prototype interactive practice modes, including:
• Sing-back and call-and-response exercises
• Singing or clapping in time with beats or backing tracks
  
• Rapidly prototype new ideas and improve them based on feel and user feedback
  
  

Foundational Engineering Work

• Help select and design the audio technology stack, such as:
• Native mobile audio (iOS / Android)
• WebAudio
• Shared C++ or Unity-based audio cores
  
• Create clean APIs and interfaces so other engineers can use audio systems without dealing with DSP complexity
• Contribute technical input to product decisions, highlighting what is possible, delightful, or unnecessary
  
  

Required Skills & Experience

Real-Time Audio / Music Technology

• Experience building or shipping products such as:
• Singing or music learning apps
• Rhythm games
• Tuners, loopers, DAW tools, or audio-reactive experiences
  
• Strong understanding of:
• Audio buffers
• Latency and timing constraints
• Sample formats
• Real-time audio threads
  
  

Platform & Technology Experience


Hands-on experience with at least one of the following:

Native Mobile Audio

• iOS: Core Audio, AVAudioEngine, Audio Units
• Android: AudioTrack, AAudio, Oboe
  
  

Game / Cross-Platform Frameworks

• Unity with strong audio integration
• Audio frameworks such as JUCE or PortAudio
• Flutter with Flame (or similar engines), isolates, and cross-platform debugging
  
  

Web

• WebAudio APIs for browser-based prototypes
  
  

Audio DSP Fundamentals

• Practical experience with:
• Pitch detection
• Beat and onset detection
• Simple filters
• Spectral analysis
  
• Ability to read technical papers or blogs and turn concepts into working, tested code
  
  

Core Engineering Skills

• Proficiency in one or more of the following:
• C / C++
• Swift
• Kotlin
• C#
  
• Focus on performance, stability, and testable code
  
  

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Experience working on music or rhythm games, including:
• Timing windows
• Latency calibration
• Perfect / Good / Miss feedback systems
  
• Experience integrating or working with AI / ML models for audio analysis, such as:
• Pitch or beat tracking
• Timbre or style analysis
• Experience building cross-platform audio libraries used by mobile apps
• Early-stage startup experience or comfort working in small, fast-moving teams
• Ability to sing or play a musical instrument (any level)
• Understanding of musical concepts such as:
• Pitch and intervals
• Rhythm and tempo
• Beat subdivisions
• What makes feedback feel musical rather than mechanical
  
  

Please note: This position is for one of Playdawn's clients, and successful candidates will be hired directly by the client, not by Playdawn.

Our client is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. They are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, or other protected characteristics. They believe that diversity fuels innovation and creativity, and they strive to create an environment where everyone can thrive and contribute to shared success.