About the role
Why Sony Interactive Entertainment?
Sony Interactive Entertainment isn’t just the Best Place to Play — it’s also the Best Place to Work. 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. Our role at SIE is to create and nurture the experiences under the PlayStation brand, a name synonymous with entertainment excellence and creativity.
We are building a small team to create new products for the PlayStation community. Our team recently delivered the new PlayStation Link, PULSE Explore and PULSE Elite products, recently announced the FlexStrike and PULSE Elevate products, and are hard at work on what comes next.
We are seeking a connectivity protocol engineer for design, implement, and optimize wireless connectivity features across our product ecosystem. You’ll work at the intersection of systems software, wireless standards, and hardware integration—building robust pairing and provisioning flows, debugging low-level protocols, and driving performance under real-world RF constraints. You will also support certification, field interoperability, and fleet-scale connectivity infrastructure.
Responsibilities
In this role, you will own and develop firmware for gaming peripherals. You will be responsible for technical leadership, system architecture, and execution across the firmware domain, working closely with internal teams and external partners.
- Design, implement, and debug Bluetooth/BLE features across RTOS and/or kernel drivers, systemd/D-Bus services, ALSA/ASoC, codec and DSP drivers, A2DP, HFP, AVRCP.
- Deliver robust pairing, bonding, and provisioning flows GATT/GAP, LE Audio/LC3.
- Optimize end-to-end audio latency, buffer sizing and xrun/glitch elimination, clock drift and sample-rate conversion, jitter buffer behavior, and low-power idle/wake paths, coexistence, nearby discovery.
- Reconcile wireless link clock against codec’s I2S clock without audible drift or resampling artifacts and concurrent-path operation.
- Instrument and analyze with packet captures and tooling: ALSA/PipeWire debug (pw-top, alsa-info, tinyalsa), tracepoints and perf/EBPF; logic analyzer on I2S/SoundWire, and an audio analyzer for TBHD+N, SNR frequency response, btmon.
- Drive interoperability and certification readiness (Bluetooth SIG, USB-IF, Microsoft HLK) and resolve field issues with root-cause fixes.
- Contribute to OTA-safe configuration, telemetry, and diagnostics for fleet-scale operation.
- Support manufacturing builds, per-unit acoustic calibration and coordinate firmware activities during product bring-up.
- Support products post-launch.
Skills
- Highly proficient in C/C++ with scripting experience (Python or shell) and systems debugging (gdb, strace, logs, packet traces).
- Deep knowledge of Bluetooth Classic/BLE (HCI, L2CAP, GATT/GAP, profiles).
- Hands-on experience with BlueZ, and driver bring-up on ARM64 or x86 platforms.
- Experience with A2DP, HFP, AVRCP, and BAS/ASCS/PACS for LE Audio.
- Codec familiarity – SBC, AAC, aptX, LDAC, LC3.
Qualifications
- Deep experience shipping wireless features on Mac, Windows or Linux-based and/or Console SDK experience.
- Bluetooth audio SoC vendor stacks – Qualcomm QCC, Airoha, Realtek, Nordic RnF.
- Proprietary 2.4Ghz link design (custom TDMA, low latency dongle protocols).
- Passion for gaming, digital entertainment and consumer electronics industry.
- Proven track record of improving real-world performance and reliability under RF constraints.
Nice to Have
- DSP feature integration: AEC, noise suppression, beamforming, sidetone, spatial audio/HRTF.
- Host-side audio: WASAPI/APOs on Windows, CoreAudio on MacOS.
- Secureboot, signed images, key management for OTA.
- Battery life profiling and power-state tuning.
- Yocto or buildroot.
- Direct ODM/CM engagement in Asia.
Working Conditions
- Small team environment; feels like a start-up within a large organization.
- Hybrid working policy.
Compensation and Benefits
- Estimated base pay range: $234,200 - $351,200 USD.
- Individual base pay determined based on job-related factors including knowledge, skills, experience, and location.
- Eligible for SIE’s top-tier benefits package: medical, dental, vision, matching 401(k), paid time off, wellness program, and employee discounts for Sony products.
- May be eligible for a bonus package.
- Background checks (including criminal) are conducted at the offer stage.