Sound Designer V

We are seeking a world-class Senior Principal Sound Designer to lead the sonic vision for our product ecosystem. This is a senior expert role for a seasoned practitioner who has shaped sound at the systems level — someone who has defined sonic identities for shipped products, architected scalable audio frameworks, and pioneered audio experiences for embodied or intelligent systems. You will own the full strategic and creative arc from sonic identity through production-ready delivery, setting the standard for how our products sound, feel, and communicate. This is not an execution-only role. You will operate as a strategic leader and subject-matter authority — advising product leadership, mentoring teams, and establishing the methodologies that define our audio practice for years to come.

Responsibilities
Sonic Strategy & Product Audio Leadership
Define and evangelize the overarching sonic identity, brand alignment principles, and product audio philosophy across the organization
Author high-level strategy briefs that translate product vision and brand intent into actionable sound design direction
Establish the sound design language — a shared vocabulary and set of principles that unify audio decisions across product surfaces
Develop scalable sound system architectures that accommodate growth, platform variation, and evolving product needs
Serve as the senior creative authority on all product audio decisions, advising leadership and cross-functional partners
Sound System Architecture & Interaction Design
Architect end-to-end sound systems including asset taxonomies, naming conventions, organizational frameworks, and version control strategies
Define adaptive and contextual audio behavior models — how sound responds dynamically to user state, environment, product mode, and system events
Develop middleware strategy and technical specifications (Wwise, FMOD, custom engines) that bridge creative intent and engineering implementation
Produce comprehensive reference materials, interaction maps, and implementation support documentation for engineering and design partners
Establish quality benchmarks, review processes, and governance for audio across the product surface
Character, Voice & Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) Audio Design
Lead character audio system design — defining the personality, emotional range, and behavioral audio logic for embodied and conversational products
Develop voice and prosody frameworks including tonal guidance, cadence models, and expressive parameter spaces
Design audio cue systems for human-robot interaction contexts — communicating intent, state, attention, and emotion through non-verbal sound
Establish design principles for embodied product audio behavior that feel intuitive, trustworthy, and alive
Lead cross-disciplinary review sessions with robotics, NLP, industrial design, and product partners; prepare comprehensive handoff packages
Final Delivery & Organizational Impact
Deliver production-grade handoff packages: final assets, working files, approved references, system documentation, and integration guides
Establish repeatable frameworks, templates, and playbooks that elevate audio design practice across the organization
Mentor and influence adjacent disciplines — helping product designers, engineers, and brand teams develop audio fluency
Contribute to long-term audio roadmaps and capability-building initiatives

Qualifications
10+ years of professional sound design experience with a significant focus on product audio, sonic branding, or interactive/embodied systems
Proven track record of defining and shipping sonic identities at the product or platform level — not just producing individual assets
Deep expertise in sound system architecture: building scalable, maintainable audio frameworks used by cross-functional teams
Advanced knowledge of audio middleware (Wwise, FMOD, or proprietary engines) and the technical pipeline from design through implementation
Demonstrated experience in adaptive/contextual audio — designing sound that responds intelligently to dynamic product states
Significant experience with character/voice design, HRI audio, or embodied product audio (robotics, smart devices, conversational AI) Exceptional documentation and communication skills — able to codify complex sonic intent into clear, actionable guidance for non-audio stakeholders
History of operating as a strategic advisor to product leadership, not just a downstream executor
A portfolio that demonstrates systems thinking, strategic vision, and world-class craft in equal measure

Preferred Experience
Published thought leadership, patents, or conference presentations in product audio, sonic UX, or HRI sound design
Experience establishing audio design practices or teams from the ground up
Background in generative or procedural audio systems
Deep familiarity with TTS/speech synthesis tuning, prosody modeling, or conversational AI audio pipelines
Experience across multiple product form factors: robotics, wearables, AR/VR, smart home, automotive, or mobile
Cross-functional leadership experience — partnering at the director/VP level across brand, product, hardware, and engineering




Pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, qualified applicants will be considered for assignment with arrest and conviction records. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness, meet client expectations, standards, and accompanying requirements, and safeguard business operations and company reputation.

This posting is for a contract assignment with Tundra Technical Solutions to provide services to Meta.

The pay range that Tundra in good faith reasonably expects to pay for this position is $56.67/hour - $70.83/hour.

Tundra’s benefits offering includes optional medical, dental, vision, retirement benefits, up to 15 Days PTO per annum and a New Child Benefit.

Tundra Technical Solutions is among North America’s leading providers of Staffing and Consulting Services. Our success and our clients’ success are built on a foundation of service excellence. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable law, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Unincorporated LA County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: client provided property, including hardware (both of which may include data) entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all portable client computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon completion of the assignment, and; maintain the confidentiality of client proprietary, confidential, or non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected client information technology systems and related data security obligations.

The Meta CWX Program is enabled by a cutting-edge software platform called TalentNet that leads the contingent labor world for technology innovation. The software platform leverages Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence to make sure the right people end up in the right job.

At Meta, we are constantly iterating, solving problems, and working together to connect people all over the world. That’s why it’s important that our workforce reflects the diversity of the people we serve. Hiring people with different backgrounds and points of view helps us make better decisions, build better products, and create better experiences for everyone.

We give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. Our products empower more than 3 billion people around the world to share ideas, offer support, and make a difference.

This posting is for a contract assignment with Tundra Technical Solutions to provide services to Meta. Please note that this is not a full-time employment opportunity. Candidates selected for this role will be engaged as contractors for the specified duration of the project. For any inquiries regarding the terms of the contract or engagement, please contact Tundra Technical Solutions directly.

Salary : $57 - $71