Acoustic Lab Manager

About Hark

Hark is an artificial intelligence company building advanced, personalized intelligence. One that is proactive, multimodal, and capable of interacting with the world through speech, text, vision, and persistent memory.

We're pairing that intelligence with next-generation hardware to create a universal interface between humans and machines. While today's AI largely operates through chat boxes and decade-old devices, Hark is focused on what comes next: agentic systems that interact naturally with people and the real world.

To get there, we're developing multimodal models and next-generation AI hardware together - designed from the ground up as a single, unified interface for a new era of intelligent systems.

About the Role

We're looking for an experienced Acoustics Lab Manager to run Hark's acoustic test lab and serve as lead technician for the audio team. You will own the physical infrastructure every acoustic measurement at Hark depends on: the anechoic chamber and corresponding measurement facilities, turntable and microphone arrays, and the calibration, maintenance, and inventory systems that keep the labs organized. You will design and execute test flows spanning axial and polar measurements, power response, time-domain characterization, and make sure every measurement coming out of the lab is repeatable and defensible. This is hands-on work at the center of how Hark verifies and communicates acoustic performance.

Responsibilities

Own and maintain the acoustics lab: reference room, anechoic chamber, turntable, microphone arrays, preamps, and supporting instrumentation

Set up and execute acoustic measurement campaigns: axial and polar response, power response, spinorama (CEA-2034-style), frequency response, distortion, and more

Implement automation where necessary to enhance repeated test flows

Define and maintain test procedures and SOPs so measurements are repeatable across sessions and product programs

Own the full inventory of lab equipment and supplies: track assets, manage calibration schedules and certificates, and plan procurement and replenishment

Serve as lead technician for the audio team: set testing standards, troubleshoot setups, and be the go-to resource for hands-on measurement questions

Manage vendor and service relationships for lab equipment, including calibration, repair, and new equipment sourcing

Requirements

4+ years of hands-on experience running an acoustic test lab or equivalent measurement environment

Practical experience with turntables, microphone arrays, and anechoic or hemi-anechoic chamber setups

Strong working knowledge of loudspeaker and microphone measurements

Experience with acoustic measurement software and hardware such as Klippel, SoundCheck, or Audio Precision

Excellent organizational skills; comfortable owning equipment inventory, calibration tracking, and procurement

Strong written and verbal communication skills

BS in acoustics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or equivalent industry experience

Bonus Qualifications

Experience training or mentoring lab technicians

Familiarity with calibration standards and measurement traceability (NIST or equivalent)

Programming fluency in MATLAB or Python for measurement automation and data pipelines

Background supporting acoustic R&D at a consumer hardware company

Experience with reference-grade measurement microphones and turntables (B&K, GRAS, SoundCheck or similar)

Compensation

The US base salary range for this full-time position is between $120,000 - $300,000 annually.

The pay offered for this position may vary based on several individual factors, including job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package may also include additional components/benefits depending on the specific role. This information will be shared if an employment offer is extended.