Staff Data Engineer (Audio/ML) - Skywalker Sound

What You'll Do: Design, implement, and maintain scalable, automated data pipelines for the ingestion, preprocessing, and transformation of large-scale audio datasets. Ensure pipelines support efficient model training and retraining workflows, enabling continuous improvement of AI/ML models. Collaborate with AI/ML researchers to define data requirements and integrate feedback to improve data pipeline functionality. Develop advanced preprocessing techniques for immersive and multichannel audio formats (e.g., Dolby Atmos, high-order ambisonics).Automate data cleaning, normalization, and augmentation processes to prepare datasets for various model architectures, including foundational models and transformers. Integrate external datasets and APIs while ensuring compliance with legal and ethical data usage standards. Monitor and optimize pipeline performance to handle complex and dynamic data structures effectively. Create tools and workflows for annotating, labeling, and curating datasets, including the use of active learning methods. Perform exploratory data analysis to uncover trends, validate dataset quality, and identify data gaps.

What We're Looking For: Master's Degree with preference for PhD in Data Engineering/Science, Computer Science, Signal Processing, or a related field.8+years of experience in data engineering or data science with a focus on building pipelines for AI/ML applications. Proficiency in Python, with expertise in data manipulation libraries such as Pandas, Num Py, and PyTorch's data utilities. Hands-on experience with audio processing libraries and tools (e.g., Librosa, FFmpeg, SoX) for handling complex audio formats. Familiarity with scalable pipeline tools like Git Lab, Apache Spark, Airflow, or Luigi, and experience with containerized workflows (Docker, Kubernetes).Strong understanding of data pipeline requirements for model training, retraining, and evaluation in iterative research workflows. Experience with immersive and multichannel audio formats. Knowledge of cloud-based platforms and tools for storage and processing, such as AWS S3, Redshift, or Google Big Query. Strong problem-solving skills, with a proactive mindset for addressing evolving data challenges. The hiring range for this position in Nicasio, CA is $170,500 to $228,600 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.