Research & Development Engineer – Audio Coding & Audio Production Formats

Job Description

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft currently operates 76 institutes and research institutions throughout Germany and is the world's leading applied research organization. Around 30 800 employees work with an annual research budget of 3.0 billion euros.

For over 30 years, the »Audio and Media Technologies« division of the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS has been shaping the globally deployed standards and technologies of audio and moving picture production. Almost all consumer electronic devices, computers, and mobile phones are equipped with systems and technologies from Erlangen, Germany, today.

Standing on the shoulders of giants: succeeding the MP3 and AAC formats, our Audio Department develops and deploys the latest generation of audio codecs for unsurpassed compression efficiency and next generation audio (NGA) features for an immersive and interactive user experience.

Are you interested in working with an international team on xHE-AAC and MPEG-H 3D Audio for worldwide customers? You love programming and have a passion for high-quality audio?


  • In the Audio Department our »Audio & Media Technologies« division at Fraunhofer IIS, you will develop software and algorithms for next generation audio coding and audio production formats.
  • As part of an international team, you will design, implement, and validate our formats for audio coding, metadata, and media transport, which are deployed worldwide in professional audio production workflows.
  • You will take care of improving coding efficiency and perceptual audio quality of our algorithms in our high-end sound lab infrastructure.
  • Last but not least, you will improve the coding efficiency and audio quality of our algorithms in our high-end sound lab infrastructure.

  • University degree in computer science/IT, electrical engineering, natural science or related fields
  • Strong proficiency in computer programming, ideally in C/C++
  • Expertise in digital signal processing
  • Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail
  • Good oral and written communication skills in English

Preferred additional qualifications:

  • Knowledge in psychoacoustics
  • Experience with audio coding, processing and/or audio production
  • Knowledge in the field of common multimedia and audio coding formats
  • Passion for high-quality audio

We are also happy to welcome applications of committed Junior Professionals with basic knowledge and first practical experience from internships, student research projects or final theses.


Fraunhofer is not only the largest organization for applied research in Europe, but also a top-rated employer. How so?

  • An exciting role: We offer a diverse and challenging field of work in an international environment, oriented toward state-of-the-art research and technology.
  • Room for creativity: Projects with strong practical component motivate our employees to drive innovation.
  • Personal development: With top-of-the-range company equipment and regular training, we aim to provide the best possible working conditions and development opportunities for our colleagues.
  • Flexible working hours: Due to our wide range of offers, we make it easy for our colleagues to find a comfortable balance between their private and professional lives.
  • Positive work environment: We are open-minded, we help and trust each other.
  • On our premises we offer free parking spaces, charging stations for electric cars, covered bicycle parking and we have, of course, showers at the institute.
  • We subsidize your "Deutschlandticket" – bus stops are direclty located in front of the institute.
  • Our in-house health management organizes e.g. sports courses, running groups and relaxation seminars.
View More