About
I build things that work. Then I prove they work.
From circuit boards to cloud apps — if you can measure it, I've tested it.
Joshua Levy
Test engineer by day, founder by night. Senior Test and Validation Engineer at Sonance, running Josh Levy Labs and The Builder's Frequency on the side. Father of two boys, husband to an incredibly patient wife, and someone who believes you don't have to quit your job to build something meaningful.
My work sits at the intersection of hardware, software, and data — building systems that measure, validate, and scale. Deeply process-oriented, but pragmatic about what actually matters.
Companies I've Worked With
Core Skills
Test Strategy & Validation
- Structured test plans with clear pass/fail criteria
- Requirements traceability (PRD/FRD → test cases)
- Verification & validation methodologies
- Audio test standards & conformance
Automation & Tooling
- Python scripting for test automation
- API integrations & data pipelines
- CI/CD thinking for test infrastructure
- Custom measurement & analysis tools
Hardware/Software Intersection
- Firmware coordination & debugging
- Manufacturing liaison & build validation
- Component change impact analysis
- Hardware bring-up & system integration
Product Architecture
- Systems thinking & modular design
- Full-stack development (TypeScript, React, Node)
- Database design & analytics systems
- MVP → scale product roadmaps
Career Timeline
Side Projects & Product Platforms
Building measurement-driven platforms and AI-powered tools while continuing professional work in audio test engineering.
- Lyceum: Cloud test-data and analytics platform with traceability
- JoshuaOS: Personal operating system with RAG and multi-model AI agents
- Today's Plays: AI-powered trading signals with regime detection
- The Builder's Frequency: Weekly podcast for builders
Audio Test Engineer
Led validation for smart displays and audio products, coordinating firmware workflows and building test infrastructure.
- Facebook Portal: Far-field microphone array validation, AEC testing
- Smart audio devices: Speaker validation, beamforming test systems
- Built automated test rigs (Python, APx, custom measurement systems)
- Manufacturing coordination: DVT, build validation, production handoff
Audio Validation Engineer
Contributed to Alexa smart speaker validation, focusing on wake word detection and voice recognition quality.
- Wake word detection testing: automated batch testing across firmware builds
- Microphone array validation: beamforming, noise suppression
- Test automation: Python scripts for high-velocity firmware iteration
Test Engineer - VR/AR Audio
Audio validation for VR headsets, including spatial audio, microphone arrays, and latency measurement.
- Spatial audio validation: HRTF accuracy, head-tracking synchronization
- Built custom latency measurement systems (under 20ms end-to-end)
- Automated test rigs: HATS, APx analyzers, motion controllers
- Firmware collaboration: tight debugging loops with audio DSP team
Audio Test Engineer
Acoustic validation for premium WiFi music player, focusing on high-fidelity audio performance.
- Anechoic chamber testing: frequency response, THD, max SPL
- Streaming audio quality validation (WiFi/Bluetooth)
- Manufacturing acceptance criteria and tolerance bands
Foundations
Electronics engineering education and early test engineering roles, building core skills in measurement, validation, and systems thinking.
- Electronics & audio fundamentals
- Test equipment mastery: APx analyzers, oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers
- Python automation and data analysis
How I Work
The condensed version of my engineering philosophy — the things that actually matter when you're shipping real products.
- Requirements-first: PRD/FRD → test methods → traceability. If you can't trace a test back to a requirement, it shouldn't exist.
- Data-driven: Structured test data, dashboards, statistical analysis. "It works" isn't a test result.
- Manufacturing-ready: Build validation, firmware coordination, handoff documentation. The factory doesn't read your mind.
- Pragmatic: MVP ruthlessly, ship fast, iterate on evidence. Process matters, but so does velocity.
- Systems thinking: How does this scale? What's the data model? What breaks at 10x? Always thinking one level up.
The Builder's Frequency
Weekly insights on engineering, building products, and thinking in decades.