At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and develop audio quality tools for PlayStation SDK.
- Company: Join Sony Interactive Entertainment, the powerhouse behind PlayStation.
- Benefits: Enjoy a relaxed work environment, competitive salary, and global collaboration opportunities.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team that values innovation and creativity.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on audio technologies that enhance gaming experiences.
- Qualifications: Strong C/C++ and Python skills with a passion for digital audio.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is the company behind the PlayStation brand. As a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation, we’re part of a proud legacy of innovation and excellence. SIE is a dynamic technology company, delivering cutting‑edge hardware and network services to more than 100 million people and an entertainment leader, home to some of the most beloved and recognizable intellectual properties (IP) in the world.
We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer, Audio Quality Engineering to design, build, and own tools, systems, and automated analysis pipelines that help ensure the quality, correctness, and reliability of audio technologies within the PlayStation SDK. In this role, you will work closely within the QE team and with the Audio SDK team and other platform engineering groups to develop software that validates audio output, detects regressions, measures quality, and provides actionable feedback to engineers.
The ideal candidate combines strong software engineering skills in C/C++ and Python with a practical understanding of digital audio, signal analysis, test automation, and SDK quality. You should be comfortable working independently, making technical trade‑offs, collaborating across teams, and turning ambiguous quality problems into reliable engineering systems.
Based in London, our team is part of the Foundational Systems and Experiences Engineering group. We build and test low‑level SDKs and fundamental technologies used by game development partners to create PlayStation games. You will work with engineers developing PlayStation audio technologies, including SDK libraries, tools, runtime systems, and platform‑level audio features.
What you’ll be doing:
- Design, develop, and maintain audio quality tools, automated analysis systems, and test infrastructure for PlayStation SDK audio libraries and technologies.
- Write high‑quality C/C++ and Python code to analyse audio output, detect regressions, compare behaviour across SDK versions, and validate correctness against expected results.
- Build systems that support repeatable audio quality measurement, including signal analysis, spectral comparison, perceptual metrics, conformance checks, and regression detection.
- Own audio quality engineering features end to end, from requirements and design through implementation, CI integration, documentation, maintenance, and long‑term support.
- Work closely with Audio SDK engineers to understand new features, define testability requirements, and ensure quality is considered early in design and implementation.
- Develop tooling that gives engineers clear, actionable insight into audio defects, quality trends, and behavioural changes.
- Support SDK release quality by improving automated validation, build/test pipelines, reporting, dashboards, and failure investigation workflows.
- Investigate complex audio issues using a combination of debugging, data analysis, signal processing, and collaboration with domain experts.
- Help define engineering standards for audio quality tooling, including maintainability, reproducibility, performance, scalability, and documentation.
- Collaborate with platform, tools, test, release, and globally distributed engineering teams to improve audio quality processes across the SDK.
- Mentor other engineers, share technical knowledge, and contribute to a culture of high‑quality, testable, maintainable software.
What we’re looking for:
Must‑haves:
- Strong professional experience in software engineering, ideally with ownership of tools, systems, SDK components, test infrastructure, or quality‑focused engineering projects.
- Excellent C/C++ and Python programming skills.
- Practical knowledge of digital audio fundamentals, such as PCM audio, sample rates, channels, latency, dynamic range, frequency‑domain analysis, filtering, resampling, encoding, or spatial audio concepts.
- Experience designing, implementing, and maintaining automated test systems, analysis tools, or quality pipelines.
- Ability to analyse complex technical problems, evaluate trade‑offs, and deliver robust, maintainable solutions with minimal supervision.
- Strong debugging and problem‑solving skills, including the ability to investigate failures across software, tooling, data, and environment boundaries.
- Experience setting up CI/CD systems, source control, code review, and modern collaborative development workflows.
- Ability to write clear technical documentation and communicate complex topics to both audio specialists and non‑audio stakeholders.
- Strong collaboration skills, with experience working across engineering, QA, release, tools, or platform teams.
- Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Audio Technology, Mathematics, Physics, or equivalent practical experience.
Nice to haves:
- Experience developing audio analysis algorithms or automated audio quality metrics.
- Familiarity with perceptual or objective audio quality approaches such as PESQ, POLQA, PEAQ, loudness measurement, spectral comparison, NULL testing, impulse response analysis, latency measurement, or glitch/dropout detection.
- Experience with game audio, console audio, real‑time audio systems, middleware, audio engines, or SDK development.
- Experience testing or validating APIs, runtime libraries, command‑line tools, or developer‑facing SDK components.
- Experience with spatial audio, 3D audio, binaural rendering, ambisonics, HRTFs, object‑based audio, or immersive audio formats.
- Experience with automated reporting, dashboards, telemetry, or trend analysis for quality and reliability.
- Experience with GTest, CppUnit, PyTest, or similar test frameworks.
- Experience with Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or similar CI systems.
- Experience with performance profiling, numerical correctness testing, floating‑point tolerances, or cross‑platform determinism.
- Experience producing high‑quality tools, samples, or documentation used by other engineers or external developers.
- Track record of technical leadership, mentoring, or leading features across multiple teams.
What success looks like:
You will help raise the confidence, reliability, and quality of PlayStation SDK audio technologies by building tools and systems that make audio behaviour measurable, repeatable, and actionable. Your work will allow engineers to identify regressions earlier, understand quality changes faster, and deliver better audio experiences to game developers and players. At Senior Software Engineer level, we expect you to be proactive and independent, to own technical areas end to end, to influence multiple teams, and to contribute to engineering practices that improve quality beyond your immediate workstream.
Benefits of working at PlayStation:
- Technology development is not constrained by a specific game or engine; there is space to research, prototype, and develop foundational technologies used across PlayStation.
- Opportunities to collaborate with engineering and R&D teams across London, Tokyo, San Mateo, and the wider Sony group.
- Time and support to investigate new approaches, improve engineering systems, and contribute ideas that raise the quality bar.
- Opportunities to take part in global hackathons and cross‑team innovation projects.
- A relaxed working environment with a high level of trust and autonomy, where engineers are encouraged to express their views and challenge the status quo.
Please note, Sony Interactive Entertainment conducts background checks at the offer stage for all new employees (which may include criminal background checks for some roles) and will need to process personal information to support these checks.
Equal Opportunity Statement: Sony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All persons will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender (including gender identity, gender expression and gender reassignment), race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, disability, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, maternity or parental status, trade union membership or membership in any other legally protected category. We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees and embrace diversity. We encourage everyone to respond.
Sony Interactive Entertainment is a Fair Chance employer and qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for employment.
Sr Software Eng in London employer: Playstatio
At Sony Interactive Entertainment, we pride ourselves on being not just the Best Place to Play, but also the Best Place to Work. Located in the vibrant city of London, our dynamic work culture fosters innovation and collaboration, offering employees the opportunity to engage with cutting-edge technology while contributing to beloved gaming experiences. With a strong emphasis on professional growth, mentorship, and a relaxed environment that encourages creativity, SIE is committed to empowering its engineers to push the boundaries of audio quality in gaming.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Sr Software Eng in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current or former employees at Sony Interactive Entertainment on LinkedIn. A friendly chat can give you insider info and maybe even a referral, which can really boost your chances.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by brushing up on your C/C++ and Python skills. Be ready to discuss your past projects and how they relate to audio quality engineering. Show us your passion for audio tech!
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t just wait for job openings; create your own opportunities! Consider applying through our website even if there’s no specific role that fits. We love proactive candidates who are eager to join the team.
✨Tip Number 4
Follow up after interviews with a thank-you note. It’s a simple gesture that shows your enthusiasm for the role and keeps you fresh in the interviewers' minds. Plus, it’s just good manners!
We think you need these skills to ace Sr Software Eng in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV is tailored to the role of Senior Software Engineer. Highlight your experience with C/C++ and Python, as well as any relevant audio technology projects you've worked on. We want to see how your skills align with what we're looking for!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about audio quality engineering and how your background makes you a great fit for our team. Don't forget to mention your experience with automated test systems and collaboration across teams.
Showcase Your Projects:If you've worked on any projects related to audio analysis or SDK development, make sure to showcase them in your application. We love seeing real examples of your work and how you've tackled complex problems in the past.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply through our website for the best chance of getting noticed. It’s the easiest way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it reaches the right people. Plus, it shows you're serious about joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Playstatio
✨Know Your Audio Fundamentals
Brush up on your digital audio knowledge before the interview. Be ready to discuss concepts like PCM audio, sample rates, and frequency-domain analysis. This will show that you understand the core principles behind the technologies you'll be working with.
✨Showcase Your Coding Skills
Prepare to demonstrate your C/C++ and Python programming skills. You might be asked to solve coding problems or discuss past projects. Have examples ready that highlight your experience with automated test systems and quality pipelines.
✨Understand the Role of Quality Engineering
Familiarise yourself with the importance of quality engineering in software development, especially in audio technologies. Be prepared to discuss how you would approach building tools for audio quality measurement and regression detection.
✨Collaborate and Communicate
Highlight your collaboration skills during the interview. Discuss experiences where you've worked across teams, especially with QA and platform engineers. Being able to communicate complex topics clearly is key, so practice explaining technical concepts in simple terms.