Acuity Brands, Inc

Illumination Engineer Lead

Acuity Brands, Inc • $104K — $149K *
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033In-Person
Technical Services
Less than 5 years of experience
Reposted Today
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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Optical Engineering, Illumination Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field
  • 0-3 years (Entry Level), 5-10 years (Senior Level), or 10+ years (Lead Level) of relevant experience in illumination engineering or optics
  • Proficiency with optical simulation tools (e.g., Photopia, LightTools)
  • Experience with CAD and photometric tools (e.g., Visual, AGI32, SolidWorks)
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a collaborative mindset

Responsibilities

  • Generate innovative early-stage illumination concepts through collaboration
  • Translate customer needs and business objectives into lighting solutions
  • Conduct optical design using simulation tools to optimize light distribution
  • Perform photometric calculations to establish luminaire performance
  • Prototype, test, and validate concepts leveraging lab measurements
  • Participate in ideation sessions to develop novel lighting approaches
  • Monitor industry trends to identify opportunities for new solutions

Benefits

  • Health care, dental coverage, and vision plans
  • 401K benefits
  • Generous commissions/incentive compensation depending on the role
  • Opportunity for professional growth within an innovation team
  • Collaborative and supportive work environment focused on lighting solutions
Full Job Description


Work location:
  • This position requires on-site presence in Wheat Ridge, CO, following a hybrid work model.


Job Summary

The Illumination Engineer is a core contributor to the Nexus team, Acuity Brands' lighting innovation group. This role focuses on early-stage illumination concepts, optical system design, and photometric analysis to translate customer problems and emerging trends into differentiated lighting solutions.

Operating at the front end of the product lifecycle, the role emphasizes optical exploration, performance discovery, and concept validation. The position collaborates closely with mechanical, electrical, industrial design, and product teams to shape concepts that can progress toward commercialization.

Open to considering candidates at the following skill levels:
  • Entry Level: Contributes to optical design, simulation, and analysis under guidance; develops foundational skills and supports concept development.
  • Senior Level: Independently drives optical concepts and analysis; owns key portions of projects and influences design direction.
  • Lead Level: Sets optical strategy, leads complex concept development, and influences long-term innovation direction across programs.


Key Tasks & Responsibilities (Essential Functions)

Invent Early-Stage Illumination Concepts
  • Collaboratively 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

Optical Design & Simulation
  • 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.

Photometric Calculation & Analysis
  • 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.

Prototype, Test, and Validate Concepts
  • 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.

Conduct Experiments & Design of Experiments (DoE)
  • Plan and execute experiments to explore materials, architectures, and system behaviors.
  • Use data to guide concept evolution and optimization.

Lead or Contribute to Innovation Activities
  • Participate in ideation sessions and innovation events.
  • Generate novel approaches to light delivery, visual experience, and system integration.

Research Technologies & Industry Trends
  • Monitor emerging optical technologies, research, standards, and competitors.
  • Identify opportunities for new illumination approaches.

Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Work with mechanical, electrical, controls, industrial design, manufacturing, sourcing, and product teams.
  • Balance performance, cost, manufacturability, and user experience.

Communicate Concepts and Tradeoffs
  • 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.

Support Intellectual Property Development
  • Document innovations and support patent development efforts.

Support Broader Product Development Efforts
  • Provide optical expertise across projects, including reviews, benchmarking, application and product performance analysis.


Skills and Minimum Experience Required

Education
  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Optical Engineering, Illumination Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field

Experience (by level)
  • 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

Technical Skills
  • 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

Additional Attributes
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
  • Ability to collaborate across disciplines
  • Clear communication of complex technical concepts
  • Familiarity with lighting standards and measurement practices (preferred)
  • Experience with IP or patent processes (preferred)

The range for this position is $104,200.00 to $149,500. 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 the role. For a list of our benefits, click here.

About Acuity Brands, Inc

Acuity Brands, Inc. is a lighting and building management firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, with operations throughout North America and in Europe and Asia. It currently has about 12,000 employees and recorded net sales of $3.5 billion for fiscal year 2020. The company designs, produces, and distributes lighting fixtures, controls, and related products and services for commercial, institutional, industrial, infrastructure, and residential applications. Its lighting and building management solutions are marketed under various brands, including Lithonia Lighting, Holophane, Aculux, American Electric Lighting, and others. Acuity Brands is committed to sustainability and energy efficiency, and offers a range of products that meet or exceed industry standards for energy efficiency and environmental performance.
Learn more about Acuity Brands, Inc
Size
13,000 employees
Market Cap
$5.3 billion
Industry
Manufacturing & Automotive
Net Income
$250.9 million
Founded
1898
5 Year Trend
+2.7%
Revenue
$3.2 billion
NASDAQ
AYI
* Ladders Estimates

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