Acoustic Engineer

Vancouver, BC, Canada

Contract

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Job details

Job type: Contract
Apply by: Apr 11, 2027
Posting language: English
Posted: Oct 13, 2026

Original job description

MistyWest | Vancouver, BC | Contractor

About The Role

MistyWest is looking for a contract acoustic engineer to support several early-stage hardware programs where sound is central to the product. You'll advise our engineering team and client partners on microphone integration, acoustic path design, and acoustic signal processing. The work spans early feasibility studies through to enclosure design.

What You'll Work On

Help clients understand what's technically possible when developing products which capture acoustic signals in real-world, noisy environments
Help MistyWest's multi-disciplinary engineering team deliver products with excellent acoustic signal capture performance.

What you'll own

Act as MistyWest's acoustic subject-matter expert during business development, joining client calls to understand the problem and show technical credibility
Quickly judge technical feasibility: what can be achieved acoustically, what can't, and where the main risks are (e.g., sensing through a sealed enclosure, detecting target sounds in noisy environments)
Help shape the technical approach for proposals and pitches, including mic integration strategy, acoustic path concepts, array configurations and signal processing approach
Support scoping and estimation by breaking acoustic work into phases, flagging unknowns and suggesting effort and test needs, so sales can make confident, accurate quotes
Contribute to pitch materials with concept sketches, technical narratives, relevant references or prior art, and short write-ups that explain the approach in plain language
Where useful, run quick early-stage work to de-risk a deal, such as a desktop feasibility study, a literature review, simple bench recordings or a rough proof-of-concept analysis
Answer technical questions from clients and the internal team during the sales process, and help frame a sensible first phase of work
Advise our MistyWest's multi-disciplinary engineering team to ensure successful implementation of good acoustic design during the project delivery phase
Where needed, directly drive forward acoustic design as a design engineer

Requirements

What you bring

5+ years designing acoustic systems for hardware products, with at least one product that shipped or reached late-stage prototype
Broad expertise across microphone integration and acoustic path design (including sealed and waterproof enclosures), microphone arrays and acoustic signal processing
Can assess feasibility quickly and give a confident, well-reasoned point of view without a full engineering program behind it
Experience scoping acoustic work and estimating effort, risk and test requirements
Strong communicator who explains complex acoustic concepts clearly to non-specialist clients and sales teams
Comfortable in client-facing settings such as discovery calls, technical deep-dives and pitch meetings
Available on a flexible, as-needed contract basis, often with short turnaround

Nice to have

Consulting, pre-sales or technical advisory experience at an engineering services firm
Portfolio of shipped products or published work they can reference to build client confidence
Familiarity with sound-based sensing applications (e.g., flow sensing, acoustic event detection, in-vehicle audio)
Based in or near Vancouver, for occasional in-person client meetings

Benefits

Highly flexible: negotiate your own rates, hours and work location
Hardware & Software Access: MistyWest can provide equipment and software support where needed
Try us out! Find out if MistyWest would be a good permanent employer for your needs and career direction
Amazing Community: plug into a great local and global community of engineers and product design enthusiasts for events, projects, potential work & personal development

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More about this job

Responsibilities

Advise clients and MistyWest’s multidisciplinary engineering team on acoustic feasibility, microphone integration, acoustic paths, arrays, and signal processing for hardware products. Support business development through technical scoping, estimates, proposals, early feasibility work, and client discussions, and guide or directly execute acoustic design during project delivery.

Requirements

Requires at least five years of acoustic systems design experience for hardware products, including a product that shipped or reached a late-stage prototype. Candidates should have broad expertise in microphone integration, acoustic path design, arrays, and signal processing, along with strong feasibility judgment, scoping and estimation skills, and clear client-facing communication.

Skills

Acoustic System Design
Microphone Integration
Acoustic Path Design
Microphone Arrays
Acoustic Signal Processing
Acoustic Feasibility Assessment
Sealed and Waterproof Enclosure Design
Acoustic Testing
Effort Estimation
Risk Assessment
Technical Scoping
Client Communication
Technical Advisory
Proof-of-Concept Development
Sound-Based Sensing

Benefits

Flexible Rates, Hours, and Work Location
Hardware and Software Access
Engineering Community and Networking Opportunities
Personal Development Opportunities

Visa sponsorship

Not detected in the job text

Keywords

Acoustic Engineering
Hardware Products
Microphone Integration
Acoustic Path Design
Sealed Enclosures
Waterproof Enclosures
Microphone Arrays
Acoustic Signal Processing
Acoustic Feasibility Studies
Noisy Environments
Sound-Based Sensing
Flow Sensing
Acoustic Event Detection
In-Vehicle Audio
Desktop Feasibility Studies
Literature Reviews
Bench Recordings
Proof Of Concept
Technical Scoping
Effort Estimation
Risk Assessment
Acoustic Testing
Business Development
Technical Proposals
Client Discovery Calls
Technical Advisory

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