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Podcast Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Mechanize

Senior Software Engineer

San Rafael, CA

$136K - $180K/yr

What makes someone good at this Deep software engineering experience across multiple domains ... Featured in the New York Times, the Dwarkesh Podcast and Hard Fork.

Mechanize

Senior Software Engineer

Daly City, CA

$142K - $187K/yr

What makes someone good at this Deep software engineering experience across multiple domains ... Featured in the New York Times, the Dwarkesh Podcast and Hard Fork.

Mechanize

Senior Software Engineer

Alameda, CA

$142K - $187K/yr

What makes someone good at this Deep software engineering experience across multiple domains ... Featured in the New York Times, the Dwarkesh Podcast and Hard Fork.

Mechanize

Senior Software Engineer

Pacifica, CA

$141K - $186K/yr

What makes someone good at this Deep software engineering experience across multiple domains ... Featured in the New York Times, the Dwarkesh Podcast and Hard Fork.

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Podcast Engineer information

See California salary details

$20.6K

$79.7K

$155.2K

How much do podcast engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 11, 2026, the average yearly pay for podcast engineer in California is $79,657.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $44,065.00 and $105,267.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a podcast engineer do?

A Podcast Engineer is responsible for the technical aspects of producing podcasts. Their duties include recording, editing, mixing, and mastering audio to ensure high-quality sound. They may also set up equipment, troubleshoot recording issues, and optimize audio for different platforms. Podcast Engineers work closely with hosts and producers to create a polished final product that meets industry standards.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a podcast engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Podcast Engineer, you need expertise in audio recording, editing, and sound design, often supported by a background in audio engineering or related fields. Familiarity with digital audio workstations (DAWs) like Pro Tools or Adobe Audition, as well as knowledge of microphones, mixing boards, and audio plugins, is typically required. Strong attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and the ability to communicate effectively with hosts and producers make someone stand out in this role. These abilities ensure high-quality audio production, efficient workflows, and a seamless listener experience.

What are some common challenges faced by podcast engineers during recording and post-production?

Podcast Engineers often encounter challenges such as managing inconsistent audio quality from remote guests, reducing background noise, and ensuring all voices are balanced and clear. In post-production, tight deadlines and last-minute content edits can require quick turnaround without sacrificing sound quality. Effective communication with hosts, producers, and guests is essential, as is staying up-to-date with evolving audio technologies and best practices to deliver a professional final product.

What is the difference between Podcast Engineer vs Audio Technician?

AspectPodcast EngineerAudio Technician
Required CredentialsAudio engineering certifications, relevant experienceTechnical training, certifications often in audio or electronics
Work EnvironmentRecording studios, podcast setups, remote environmentsLive events, broadcast stations, studio setups
Industry UsagePodcasts, media production, broadcastingRadio, live events, broadcast media
Common Search/ComparisonYesNo

The Podcast Engineer primarily focuses on recording, editing, and producing podcast content, often working in studio or remote settings. An Audio Technician has a broader role in managing audio equipment across various media, including live events and broadcasting. While both roles require technical skills and certifications, Podcast Engineers specialize in podcast production, making them more relevant for those seeking careers in podcasting specifically.

How much do podcast engineers make?

Podcast engineers typically earn between $40,000 and $80,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and the complexity of the projects. Entry-level roles may start lower, while experienced engineers with skills in editing, mixing, and audio software can command higher salaries.

What cities in California are hiring for Podcast Engineer jobs?

Cities in California with the most Podcast Engineer job openings:

Podcast Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Podcast Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 95% Full Time, 2% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 85% Physical, 6% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $79,657 per year, or $38.3 per hour.

Senior Software Engineer

San Rafael, CA

Mechanize
See more jobs at Mechanizeexternal

$136K - $180K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life

Re-posted 10 days ago

Job description

About Mechanize

Mechanize builds reinforcement learning environments that frontier AI labs use to train and evaluate their coding models. Learn more at mechanize.work.

Why the work matters

AI models have gotten good at narrow coding tasks but still fail at the complex, judgment-heavy parts of software engineering. We build the environments that expose those failures and help models improve.

What you'll do

You'll design, build, and refine RL tasks, owning the full lifecycle from ideation through grading, failure analysis, and iteration. At this level, we expect you to work on our most complex tasks: environments involving multi-step workflows, realistic stakeholder interactions, large codebases with real conventions and technical debt, or challenging system design problems.

You will use coding agents heavily, and a large part of the job is directing them well, evaluating their output, and knowing when they are failing in subtle ways. You will also contribute to shared infrastructure and tooling, and may take on mentorship responsibilities for newer team members.

What makes someone good at this

Deep software engineering experience across multiple domains, combined with a strong intuition for AI model behavior. You need to anticipate where a model will take shortcuts, distinguish genuine capability gaps from grader issues, and design tasks that target deeper, more subtle failure modes from areas you know well: infrastructure, distributed systems, performance, security, or other specializations.

Good fit if you:

  • Have deep expertise in at least one area of software engineering

  • Can code in Python

  • Are confident working independently on complex, ambiguous problems

  • Have extensive experience working with coding agents

  • No prior ML or AI experience required

Probably not a good fit if you:

  • Want a product engineering role building features for end users

This is independent, high-ownership work. You own your tasks from start to finish, with regular feedback. Strong performers are recognized and rewarded. Benefits include health, dental, vision, and life insurance. Applying takes less than one minute.

Interview process: https://www.mechanize.work/how-our-interview-process-works

Learn more about the work: https://www.mechanize.work/what-working-here-is-like

About Mechanize. ~20 person team in San Francisco. Backed by Patrick Collison, Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, Jeff Dean, Dwarkesh Patel, and Sholto Douglas. Featured in the New York Times, the Dwarkesh Podcast and Hard Fork.

Apply