Head Acoustics Jobs (NOW HIRING)

About ALSO.

We’re ALSO, an electric mobility company originally conceived as a part of Rivian. We’re a passionate team of builders, dreamers, doers and innovators, focused on creating entirely new (not to mention, innovative and delightful) vertically integrated, small EVs designed to meet the global mobility challenges of today and tomorrow. Our mission is to inspire everyone to ride ALSO—replacing many local car, truck and SUV miles with ones on vehicles that are more affordable, more enjoyable and 10-50x more efficient.

ALSO is seeking a Senior or Staff NVH Engineer to join our Drive Unit team, leading the development, simulation, and validation of NVH performance for drive units and vehicles. You'll combine CAE, laboratory testing, and vehicle validation to identify noise and vibration issues, develop countermeasures, and influence product design from concept through production, working closely with design, controls, electromagnetic, manufacturing, and attribute teams to reduce NVH error states while balancing cost, mass, efficiency, and product complexity across multiple vehicle programs.

What You'll Do

• Lead NVH development of drive units, belt systems, and complete vehicles from concept through production, defining NVH targets, metrics, and acceptance criteria for drive units, belt systems, road noise, wind noise, accessories, and structural vibration

• Develop and validate CAE models for drive units and vehicle systems, including modal, forced response, transfer function, and sensitivity analyses

• Correlate simulation results with lab and vehicle measurements using techniques such as MAC and Transfer Path Analysis (TPA), and use transfer functions and source characterization to identify dominant noise and vibration mechanisms

• Conduct vehicle-, component-, and dynamometer-level NVH testing to identify source, path, and receiver contributions

• Instrument vehicles and lab test setups using accelerometers, microphones, laser vibrometers, tachometers, thermocouples, strain gauges, current probes, impact hammers, and shakers

• Recommend design improvements for motors, gears, housings, bearings, belts, mounts, and isolation systems

• Collaborate with controls engineers to reduce NVH through software optimization, including motor control angle optimization, harmonic current injection, PWM switching strategies, and related techniques

• Correlate electromagnetic, structural, and acoustic behavior to improve overall system performance

• Apply knowledge of NVH materials and supplier technologies, including acoustic barriers, absorbers, damping materials, Quiet Steel®, structural foams, vibration isolators, bushings, gaskets, drive unit covers, and acoustic encapsulation

• Develop automated analysis tools using MATLAB and/or Python to improve testing efficiency and data processing, and present technical findings and design recommendations to cross-functional engineering teams and leadership

What You'll Bring

• Strong understanding of vibration, structural dynamics, rotational acoustics, and psychoacoustic metrics including loudness, sharpness, articulation index, prominence ratio, tone-to-noise ratio, and spectral weighting

• Strong experience with NVH simulation tools such as Simcenter 3D, Abaqus, Ansys, Nastran, or equivalent, and moderate experience with NVH testing software such as Siemens Simcenter Testlab, Head Acoustics, Artemis, or equivalent

• Experience correlating CAE models with experimental measurements using MAC, modal testing, and Transfer Path Analysis

• Hands-on experience performing vehicle, component, dynamometer, modal, and source-level NVH testing

• Experience using controls development tools such as CANape, CANalyzer, or similar

• Proficiency in MATLAB and/or Python for data analysis, automation, and simulation support

• Understanding of electric motor NVH, including electromagnetic excitation, stator mounting, rotor skew, pole count, cogging torque, and harmonic excitation

• Familiarity with gear, bearing, and belt system NVH, including common excitation mechanisms and mitigation techniques

• Knowledge of vibration isolation, damping treatments, acoustic materials, and mount design, along with experience performing sensitivity studies, Monte Carlo analyses, and design optimization

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex technical information clearly to engineers and leadership

The salary for this position ranges from $180,000 - $210,000 depending on experience, qualifications, and location. This role will be based out of Palo Alto, CA.

Perks & Benefits

• Robust health coverage — excellent health, dental and vision insurance covered up to 100% by ALSO with FSA & HSA options

• One Medical membership and dedicated insurance advocates

• Rich fertility and family building benefits with Progyny

• Flexible time off

• 401(k) match

Why ALSO.

We’re passionate about helping the world find a better way to get there—wherever it is you’re headed.

We’re located in the heart of Silicon Valley and have brought together a world-class team from some of the biggest brands in the technology, automotive, cycling, outdoor recreation and retail spaces. 

Together we’re working hands-on to imagine, design and build an entirely new solution to a global set of transportation challenges.