Illumination Engineer Lead

Acuity Inc.•Wheat Ridge, CO

6d•$104,200 - $149,500•Hybrid

About The Position

Acuity Inc. is a market-leading industrial technology company focused on solving problems in spaces, light, and more. Through its business segments, Acuity Brands Lighting (ABL) and Acuity Intelligent Spaces (AIS), the company designs, manufactures, and markets products and services that improve people's lives. Acuity Inc. achieves growth through innovation in lighting, lighting controls, building management solutions, and an audio, video, and control platform. The company emphasizes customer outcomes, drives growth and productivity, and seeks to expand market share and deliver superior returns. Acuity Inc. is based in Atlanta, Georgia, with operations in North America, Europe, and Asia, and is powered by approximately 13,000 associates. The Illumination Engineer Lead role is a core contributor to the Nexus team, Acuity Brands’ lighting innovation group, focusing on early-stage illumination concepts, optical system design, and photometric analysis to translate customer problems and emerging trends into differentiated lighting solutions. This role operates at the front end of the product lifecycle, emphasizing optical exploration, performance discovery, and concept validation, and collaborates closely with mechanical, electrical, industrial design, and product teams to shape concepts for commercialization. The company is open to considering candidates at Entry Level, Senior Level, and Lead Level skill sets.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Optical Engineering, Illumination Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field
Entry Level: 0–3 years in illumination engineering, optics, or related fields
Senior Level: ~5–10 years of relevant experience with demonstrated ownership of optical design and analysis
Lead Level: 10+ years with experience leading complex optical development and influencing product direction
Experience with optical simulation tools (e.g., Photopia, LightTools, or equivalent)
Experience with CAD and photometric tools (e.g., Visual, AGI32, Dialux, Rhino, Grasshopper, SolidWorks, or equivalents)
Knowledge of photometric analysis and lighting performance metrics
Experience with prototype development and validation
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Ability to collaborate across disciplines
Clear communication of complex technical concepts

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with lighting standards and measurement practices
Experience with IP or patent processes

Responsibilities

Generate ideas for new products and develop those ideas into product concepts.
Translate customer needs, application requirements, and business objectives into illumination concepts and system-level performance targets.
Perform competitive analysis and market research to set project objectives and performance criteria.
Develop optical designs using ray trace and simulation tools to evaluate and refine light distribution, efficiency, glare, uniformity, and visual comfort.
Design optical architectures including lenses, reflectors, diffusers, and mixed systems.
Perform photometric calculations to quantify and set luminaire performance targets and application outcomes.
Interpret key metrics such as intensity, illuminance, luminance, uniformity, efficacy, and glare.
Develop, build, and evaluate proof of concept prototypes and mockups using lab measurements and group visual review of subjective criteria.
Correlate simulation results with measured performance.
Plan and execute experiments to explore materials, architectures, and system behaviors.
Use data to guide concept evolution and optimization.
Participate in ideation sessions and innovation events.
Generate novel approaches to light delivery, visual experience, and system integration.
Monitor emerging optical technologies, research, standards, and competitors.
Identify opportunities for new illumination approaches.
Work with mechanical, electrical, controls, industrial design, manufacturing, sourcing, and product teams.
Balance performance, cost, manufacturability, and user experience.
Develop clear presentations of optical concepts, simulations, test results, and tradeoffs.
Communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders how design decisions impact user experience and the lighting application.
Document innovations and support patent development efforts.
Provide optical expertise across projects, including reviews, benchmarking, application and product performance analysis.