Senior Design Engineer (Decatur, GA)

Acuity Inc. (NYSE: AYI) is a market-leading industrial technology company focused on solving problems in spaces, light, and emerging areas. Through our business segments—Acuity Brands Lighting (ABL) and Acuity Intelligent Spaces (AIS)—we design, manufacture, and deliver products and services that create meaningful customer outcomes. We drive growth through innovation in lighting, lighting controls, building management solutions, and audio/video/control platforms, emphasizing customer success, productivity, and market share expansion.

About the role

This position is part of the National Accounts and Vertical Solutions Engineering team, which rapidly delivers customer-specific, high-impact lighting solutions. The Senior Design Engineer oversees the end-to-end product development process, from concept to production, working closely with Sales, Product Management, Operations, Manufacturing, and other Engineering teams to execute time-critical, revenue-driving programs. The role requires strong problem-solving skills, rigorous validation of AI-generated insights, and accountability for final engineering decisions. AI tools are used to scale analysis and consistency, while human judgment remains central.

Work location: On-site in Decatur, GA, following a hybrid work model.

Responsibilities

• Rapidly design, adapt, and deploy lighting solutions to meet customer-specific requirements and commercial objectives.
• Execute product modifications, redesigns, and variants using existing platforms while balancing cost, performance, and schedule.
• Lead technical execution for time-critical, high-revenue customer programs in collaboration with Sales, Product Management, Operations, and Manufacturing.
• Drive cost reduction, margin improvement, and inventory-driven redesign initiatives.
• Support manufacturing readiness through DFM/DFA reviews, tooling decisions, pilot builds, and issue resolution.
• Manage Engineering change execution, including BOMs, Core Notes, ECOs, and PLM accuracy.
• Ensure regulatory and compliance requirements (UL, DLC, safety) are met with minimal disruption to schedule.
• Clearly communicate technical trade-offs, risks, and recommendations to cross-functional and leadership audiences.
• Use AI-enabled tools to accelerate design exploration, surface risks earlier, and improve decision quality across the product lifecycle.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Engineering.
• 3 to 5 years of mechanical and electrical design experience.
• Experience working with high-volume commercial or industrial products.
• Ability to move quickly from concept to prototype with sound engineering judgment.
• Strong capability in platform reuse, variant creation, and partial redesigns.
• Experience optimizing costed BOMs, component substitutions, and margin recovery strategies.
• Working knowledge of DFM, DFA, design validation, and manufacturing readiness.
• Experience supporting pilot builds, production launches, and production enablement.
• Familiarity with UL, safety approvals, and testing.
• Proficiency with 2D & 3D CAD (SolidWorks preferred), PLM software (Windchill preferred), and standard productivity tools (e.g., MS Office).
• Proficiency in LEAN/Six Sigma (DMAIC) tools (standard work, time studies, cause & effect, 5-Why).
• Strong communication skills (verbal, written, sketches, and engineering drawings); effective in cross-functional teams.
• Understanding of manufacturing methods for metals and plastics (stamping, drawing, casting, extrusion).
• Demonstrated leadership to influence and align stakeholders to deliver new product development on time and within budget.
• Knowledge of UL requirements and testing processes; adherence to industry and safety standards.
• Strong discipline in PLM, BOM accuracy, and documentation.
• Strong prioritization skills and proven ability to manage diverse project scopes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting customer-specific lighting programs.
• Experience developing and testing prototypes in a fast-paced engineering environment.
• Background in sustaining, advanced customization, lifecycle, or fast-turn Engineering roles.
• Experience with commercial or industrial lighting products.

Schedule

Up to 20% travel expected for this position.

Pay

The range for this position is $83,300.00 to $125,000.00. Placement within this range may vary based on experience and geographic location.

Benefits

• Health care, dental, and vision plans.
• 401K benefits.
• Commissions/incentive compensation depending on the role.

View full benefits list.