- Position: Product Development Manager – Headphones
- Location: Hyderabad, Telangana
- Employment Type: Full-Time
Contact @: admin@meretaudio.com
Company Overview
At Meret Audio, our philosophy revolves around marrying cutting-edge engineering with meticulous design to produce headphones, loudspeakers, and audio equipment that set new benchmarks for fidelity, comfort, and innovation. As part of our growth strategy, we are seeking a seasoned Product Development Manager to spearhead our headphone division and guide the creation of flagship models—wired, wireless, and noise-cancelling—that delight the most discerning listeners.
Position Summary
As the Product Development Manager for Headphones, you will lead cross-functional teams to conceptualize, develop, and launch category-defining headphone products. You’ll interface with industrial design, electrical and mechanical engineering, acoustics specialists, firmware/DSP engineers, and marketing to ensure each headphone model exemplifies superior sound quality, ergonomic comfort, and modern feature sets (e.g., Bluetooth connectivity, active noise cancellation, high-resolution audio support). The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise in headphone transducer engineering, acoustic enclosure design, electronic integration (ANC and wireless), and project management, with a passion for delivering world-class auditory experiences.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Roadmapping, Technical Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Define and maintain the headphone product roadmap in alignment with corporate objectives, market trends, and competitive analysis.
- Own the end-to-end product development lifecycle for headphone families (over-ear, on-ear, in-ear), from initial concept through production.
- Partner with industrial designers to ensure ergonomic factors—cup shape, headband pressure, ear-tip materials—balance comfort with acoustic isolation.
- Work closely with electrical engineers and DSP/firmware teams to implement features such as active noise cancellation (feedforward, feedback, hybrid topologies), adaptive EQ, transparency modes, and Bluetooth protocols (e.g., SBC, AAC, aptX, LDAC).
- Coordinate mechanical engineering efforts to optimize housing materials (plastics, aluminum, composites), hinge mechanisms, swivel joints, and cable/band durability for both aesthetic and functional performance.
- Oversee acoustic tuning: select driver units (dynamic, planar magnetic, electrostatic) based on target performance (impedance, sensitivity, THD), model enclosure/backplate designs, and refine venting schemes for intended bass response and dispersion characteristics.
Prototyping & Testing
- Manage rapid prototyping workflows: 3D-printing of enclosures, CNC milling for metal parts, custom tooling for driver assembly, and iterative fit-testing with mock-ups.
- Establish and supervise in-house and third-party acoustic measurement procedures: quasi-anechoic response sweeps, impedance and phase measurements, distortion analysis, latency testing, and SEAM (shielded electroacoustic microphone) verifications for ANC performance.
- Set up environmental and durability testing: drop tests, hinge fatigue cycles, sweat/corrosion resistance, and battery cycle life assessments for wireless models.
Supply Chain & Manufacturing Alignment
- Collaborate with procurement and supply chain teams to qualify and onboard key suppliers for drivers, PCBs, microphones (for ANC and voice pickup), Bluetooth modules, batteries, cushions, and headband materials.
- Liaise with contract manufacturers (CMs) to develop efficient production methodologies, ensuring strict tolerances for driver placement, enclosure gasketing, and PCB assembly.
- Author comprehensive manufacturing documentation: Bills of Materials (BOMs), assembly drawings, Gerber files, mechanical tolerancing sheets, and QA checklists.
Quality Assurance & Compliance
- Lead durability and reliability testing programs, including mechanical stress tests (hinge life, fatigue), environmental stress screening (temperature/humidity cycling), and electrical safety checks.
- Define Quality Gates and Production Acceptance Criteria (PAC) for pilot and mass-production units; review first-off build reports and enforce corrective actions.
- Oversee electrical safety checks per BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) requirements, including insulation resistance, earthing continuity, and over-current protection.
- Ensure all wireless headphone models obtain WPC (Wireless Planning & Coordination) approval under the Indian Radio Equipment Rules. Achieve BIS Certification (ISI mark) for electrical safety and any other relevant certifications.
Team & Project Management
- Mentor and manage a multidisciplinary team of audio engineers, mechanical engineers, and firmware engineers; foster a collaborative culture focused on innovation and continuous improvement.
- Develop project plans with clear milestones (alpha prototypes, beta builds, tooling sign-off, pre-production, mass production), monitor budgets, allocate resources, and track progress using project management tools (e.g., Jira, Asana, or MS Project).
- Communicate status updates, risks, and mitigation strategies to senior leadership and stakeholders, ensuring alignment on go-to-market timelines.
Qualifications & Experience
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Acoustical Engineering, or equivalent required.
- Master’s or Ph.D. in a related field (e.g., Audio Engineering, Acoustics, Applied Physics) is advantageous.
- Professional Experience: 5+ years of hands-on experience leading headphone or in-ear audio product development in a consumer electronics, professional audio, or specialty audio equipment company.
- Proven track record of multiple headphone product launches—covering wired, wireless (Bluetooth), and noise-cancelling architectures.
- Deep technical expertise in:
- Driver Technology: Familiarity with dynamic, planar magnetic, and/or electrostatic transducer design; knowledge of diaphragm materials (PET, Mylar, Beryllium-coated, etc.), magnet assembly (ferrite vs. neodymium), voice-coil thermal considerations, and acoustic suspension topologies.
- Acoustic Enclosure Design: Enclosure resonance control, cavity tuning, damping materials selection, and acoustic port/vent placement to achieve target low-frequency extension without boominess.
- Crossover and Filtering: For multi-driver in-ear or hybrid headphone designs, understanding of passive and active crossover topologies, high-pass/low-pass filters, and impedance matching for seamless blending.
- Active Noise Cancellation (ANC): Expertise in feedforward, feedback, and hybrid ANC systems; microphone array design; adaptive algorithms; and calibration processes to minimize latency and maximize attenuation across low-frequency bands.
- Wireless Audio Integration: Knowledge of Bluetooth SoCs, antenna design, RF certification processes, codec support (aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, LDAC), Qualcomm QCC series, or similar chipsets.
- DSP & Firmware: Hands-on experience collaborating on firmware development for noise cancellation, adaptive EQ, and digital audio processing pipelines; proficiency with C/C++ and embedded system debugging tools.
- Strong familiarity with simulation and measurement tools: MATLAB/Simulink, COMSOL Multiphysics, Listen Inc. Soundcheck, Klippel Suite, Apollo Twin or similar DAW measurement setups, and Klippel’s TDK-Lambda measurement rigs.
- Excellent understanding of mechanical CAD software (SolidWorks, Creo, or equivalent) for enclosure and component design.
- Demonstrated ability to drive cost-efficient designs without sacrificing performance—balancing BOM costs, yield optimization, and aesthetic requirements.
Preferred Skills & Attributes
- Excellent leadership and mentoring capabilities; experience managing multidisciplinary engineering teams.
- Outstanding project management skills: adept at creating detailed Gantt charts, managing risk registers, and meeting aggressive time-to-market deadlines.
- Proficient communication skills—both written and verbal—capable of translating complex technical concepts to marketing, sales, and executive stakeholders.
- Passion for high-fidelity audio and strong critical listening skills; regularly participate in listening evaluations to refine sonic tuning.
- Creative problem-solver who thrives in a fast-paced environment and embraces continuous innovation.
- Exposure to user experience (UX) design considerations for headphones: intuitive controls, companion mobile apps, and voice assistant integration.
- International travel flexibility (up to 15–20%) to visit suppliers, contract manufacturers, and attend trade shows (e.g., CES, IFA, Audio Engineering Society conventions).
Compensation & Benefits
Salary: Highly competitive “Best in Industry” compensation package commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Bonus & Incentives: Eligibility for annual performance-based bonuses.
Professional Growth: Opportunities to collaborate with top acousticians, publish technical papers, and present at industry conferences.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From ₹50,000.00 per month
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
Speak with the employer
+91 9030751188Expected Start Date: 01/09/2025
