Audio Consultant Engineer - Linux Audio Stack (Remote/Anywhere)
WFA Digital Insight
As the demand for remote digital skills continues to grow, with a 25% increase in job postings for Linux professionals in the last year, the need for skilled audio consultant engineers has never been more pressing. With Collabora's commitment to open-source solutions and community involvement, this role offers a unique opportunity for those passionate about Linux audio systems. Candidates should be prepared to showcase their expertise in PipeWire, WirePlumber, and ALSA, as well as their ability to communicate complex technical concepts to clients. With the current job market favoring those with specialized technical skills, this role is an attractive prospect for those looking to advance their careers in the field.
Job Description
## About the Role As an Audio Consultant Engineer at Collabora, you will play a critical role in designing, integrating, and shipping embedded Linux audio systems that work reliably in real-world products. Your expertise will be instrumental in contributing to and collaborating with upstream communities, including WirePlumber, PipeWire, and ALSA. This role is perfect for those who are passionate about Linux audio systems and are looking to work with a company that values open-source solutions and community involvement.
Collabora is a global company with a remote work culture, offering a unique opportunity for engineers to work on projects that have a real-world impact. As an Audio Consultant Engineer, you will be working directly with customer teams to translate requirements into robust audio architectures and solutions. Your work will involve implementing and debugging PipeWire + WirePlumber stacks, including ALSA, DSPs, and system-level interactions.
The audio engineering team at Collabora is committed to delivering high-quality solutions, and as an Audio Consultant Engineer, you will be an integral part of this team. You will be working closely with other engineers to resolve complex issues efficiently and provide technical advice to product teams. Your strong communication skills, both written and verbal, will be essential in explaining complex audio architecture decisions to clients and building trust through transparent communication.
## What You Will Do - Contribute to and collaborate with WirePlumber, PipeWire, and ALSA upstream communities to design and develop Linux audio systems - Implement and debug PipeWire + WirePlumber stacks, including ALSA, DSPs, and system-level interactions - Work directly with customer teams to translate requirements into robust audio architectures and solutions - Provide technical advice to product teams on complex audio architecture decisions - Support adjacent areas like Bluetooth audio and Linux audio tooling when required - Diagnose and resolve issues efficiently using tools like pw-cli, pw-top, alsa-utils, and tracing frameworks - Participate in the development of embedded or real-time Linux systems - Collaborate with other engineers to resolve complex issues efficiently - Communicate complex technical concepts to clients and build trust through transparent communication - Design, integrate, and ship embedded Linux audio systems that work reliably in real-world products
## What We Are Looking For - Strong hands-on experience with the Linux audio stack (PipeWire, WirePlumber, ALSA) - Strong proficiency in C and systems-level programming - Solid understanding of core audio concepts (latency, formats, synchronization, buffering, resampling) - Proven ability to debug complex issues across multiple layers of a Linux system - Comfortable working directly with customers in a consulting or support capacity - Strong communication skills, both written and verbal - Experience with ALSA kernel driver development - Familiarity with Rust - Exposure to Bluetooth audio (A2DP, HFP, LE Audio) - Basic understanding of DSP concepts, such as signal flow, filtering, and common processing blocks
## Nice to Have - Contributions to relevant open-source projects - Experience with embedded or real-time Linux systems - Familiarity with tracing frameworks and debugging tools - Experience with Linux audio tooling, such as pw-cli and pw-top
## Benefits and Perks - Competitive salary based on experience and location - Office setup budget - Sabbatical/Retention of Services after five years of continuous service - Co-working policy - support for working outside home - Wellness assessments - biannual wellbeing assessments with a trained mental health specialist - Conference attendance - we cover expenses and encourage speaking opportunities - Open source time - contribute to projects you care about - Fully remote work culture - work where you’re most productive - Global team - engineers across Europe, Americas, and Asia - No on-call rotations - this isn't support work - Sustainable pace - we're here for the long term - Flexible hours - manage your own schedule
How to Stand Out
- To stand out in your application, make sure to highlight your experience with the Linux audio stack, particularly PipeWire, WirePlumber, and ALSA.
- Be prepared to provide examples of your debugging skills and experience with complex issue resolution.
- Familiarize yourself with Collabora's open-source projects and be ready to discuss your contributions and experiences.
- Showcase your strong communication skills by providing clear and concise explanations of complex technical concepts.
- Be prepared to discuss your experience working with customers in a consulting or support capacity.
- Make sure to research the company culture and values, and be prepared to discuss how you can contribute to and thrive in a remote work environment.
This is a remote position listed on WFA Digital, the platform for professionals who work from anywhere. Browse more remote jobs across all categories.