Senior Design Engineer (Decatur, GA) 1

Acuity; Decatur (GA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Acuity Inc. is seeking a Senior Design Engineer to lead end-to-end rapid product development for lighting solutions across Indoor, Industrial, and Commercial portfolios.

This on-site role collaborates with Sales, Product Management, Operations, Manufacturing, Certification and Testing, and other Engineering teams to deliver time-critical programs. You will oversee concept to production, including BOM creation, detailed drawings, and adherence to cost, quality, compliance, and scheduling.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Engineering required with 3–5 years in mechanical and electrical design.
• Experience with high-volume commercial or industrial products.
• Strong knowledge of DFM, DFA, validation and manufacturing readiness.
• Experience using AI-enabled tools to accelerate design exploration and improve decision quality.

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.

Skills

Mechanical design

Electrical design

2D CAD

3D CAD

LEAN / Six Sigma

Cross-functional communication

BOM management

Project leadership

Education

Bachelor of Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Windchill

MS Office

Job description

Acuity Inc. (NYSE: AYI) is a market-leading industrial technology company. We use technology to solve problems in spaces, light and more things to come. Through our two business segments, Acuity Brands Lighting (ABL) and Acuity Intelligent Spaces (AIS), we design, manufacture, and bring to market products and services that make a valuable difference in people’s lives.

We achieve growth through the development of innovative new products and services, including lighting, lighting controls, building management solutions, and an audio, video and control platform. We focus on customer outcomes and drive growth and productivity to increase market share and deliver superior returns. We look to aggressively deploy capital to grow the business and to enter attractive new verticals.

Acuity Inc. is based in Atlanta, Georgia, with operations across North America, Europe and Asia. The Company is powered by approximately 13,000 dedicated and talented associates. Visit us at www.acuityinc.com.

Work location

This position requires onsite presence in [[location_obj]], following a hybrid work model.

Job Summary

The National Accounts and Vertical Solutions Engineering team rapidly delivers customer-specific, high-impact lighting solutions. This team works closely with Sales, Product Management, Operations, Manufacturing, Certification and Testing, and other Engineering teams to execute time-critical, revenue-driving programs across Indoor, Industrial, and Commercial portfolios.

The Senior Design Engineer oversees the end-to-end rapid product development process, managing projects from initial concept through production. Responsibilities include new product development, sustaining engineering, and addressing field-related issues. This position leads electro-mechanical product design and redesign activities, encompassing building & maintaining Bills of Material and preparation of detailed component drawings, while ensuring adherence to performance, cost, quality, compliance, and scheduling requirements. The role demands strong problem definition skills, rigorous validation of AI ‑ generated insights, and human ownership of final engineering decisions. AI is used to scale analysis and consistency while human judgment, intent, and accountability remain central to the role.

Key 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.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor of Engineering
• 3 to 5 years of mechanical and electrical design experience
• Prior 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 re-use, 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
• Proficient with 2D & 3D CAD (Solidworks preferred), PLM software (Windchill preferred), and standard productivity tools (e.g., MS Office)
• Proficient 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 UL testing processes; understands and follows applicable industry and safety standards.
• Strong discipline in PLM, BOM accuracy, and documentation
• Strong prioritization skills and proven ability to manage diverse project scopes
• Experience using AI‑enabled tools to accelerate design exploration, surface risks earlier, and improve decision quality across the product life cycle.

Preferred Requirements

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

Travel Requirements

• up to 20% of travel expected for this position

Salary & Benefits

The range for this position is [[salaryMin]] to $125,000. Placement within this range may vary, depending on the applicant’s experience and geographic location. Acuity offers generous benefits including health care, dental coverage, vision plans, 401K benefits, and commissions/incentive compensation depending on role.

We value diversity and are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regards to race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, ethnicity or national origin, disability, pregnancy, religion, covered veteran status, protected genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Accommodation for Applicants with Disabilities: As an equal opportunity employer, Acuity Inc. is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in its application process for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans. If you have difficulty using our online system due to a disability and need an accommodation, you may contact us at [phone], select option 4. Please clearly indicate what type of accommodation you are requesting and for what requisition.

Any unsolicited resumes sent to Acuity Inc. from a third party, such as an Agency recruiter, including unsolicited resumes sent to an Acuity Inc. mailing address, fax machine or email address, directly to Acuity Inc. employees, or to Acuity Inc. resume database will be considered Acuity Inc. property. Acuity Inc. will NOT pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume.

Acuity Inc. will consider any candidate for whom an Agency has submitted an unsolicited resume to have been referred by the Agency free of any charges or fees. This includes any Agency that is an approved/engaged vendor but does not have the appropriate approvals to be engaged on a search.

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