Design Engineer Principal

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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 .

Work location:

• This position requires on-site presence in Decatur, GA, following a hybrid work model.

Job Summary

The Principal Design Engineer provides technical leadership across the architecture, design, qualification, and sustaining support of LED driver products from concept through production. Serving as the subject matter expert in EMI/EMC design and FCC Part 15 Class A and Class B compliance, this role establishes design direction, guides complex technical decisions, and collaborates with product management, manufacturing, quality, and cross-functional engineering teams as well as internal and external certification laboratories. Responsible for delivering reliable, manufacturable, scalable, and cost-effective solutions while mentoring engineers, strengthening internal design standards, advising on industry standards, and driving continuous improvement throughout new product development and sustaining engineering.

Key Tasks & Responsibilities (Essential Functions)

• Applies EMI/EMC design knowledge to LED driver designs, including input filtering, PCB layout practices, grounding, shielding, and component selection to support FCC Part 15 Class A and Class B compliance targets.
• Leads EMI pre-compliance reviews and testing for conducted and radiated emissions, interprets results against FCC Part 15 limits, and drives corrective actions when design margins are not achieved.
• Troubleshoots EMI issues using simulation, lab equipment, and structured root-cause analysis, identifying noise sources and implementing practical mitigation methods that balance compliance, cost, manufacturability, and product performance.
• Collaborates with test labs, certification partners, quality, manufacturing, and cross-functional engineering teams to support successful FCC Part 15 Class A/B qualification and release of LED driver products.
• Strengthens the broader design team’s EMI/EMC capabilities through project collaboration, practical design guides, and group training.
• Leads new product development, product enhancements, and cost reduction activities, including product definition and parts selection.
• Initiates and develops concepts for new products based on Project Charters provided by the Product Manager.
• Ensures concepts align with standard manufacturing methods used in the appropriate manufacturing facility.
• Drives structured product development meetings and alignment for major projects.
• Provides guidance, support, and knowledge sharing to less experienced colleagues to help them develop skills and advance their careers.
• Develops and distributes engineering data, including schematics, layouts, and quality reports.
• Reviews competitor samples and documentation to create benchmark reports.
• Identifies and evaluates emerging technologies, industry trends, and design practices that can improve product performance, cost, reliability, or manufacturability.
• Continuously seeks process improvements in productivity, quality, and manufacturing.
• Supports continuous improvement and transformation initiatives through team participation and follow-up actions.

Skills and Minimum Experience Required

• 10+ years of experience in a similar electrical engineering, power electronics, or LED driver design role.
• Highly experienced in the practical application of EMI/EMC principles and meeting FCC Part 15 Class A and Class B requirements for conducted and radiated emissions in switching power electronics.
• Experience with EMI filter design, PCB layout mitigation techniques, grounding, shielding, component placement, and noise-source isolation to improve compliance margin and product robustness.
• Hands‑on experience with EMI troubleshooting and pre‑compliance testing using spectrum analyzers, LISNs, near‑field probes, antennas, current probes, oscilloscopes, and related lab setups.
• Strong PCB design layout knowledge and manufacturing rules, with emphasis on layout practices that support EMI performance and manufacturability.
• Demonstrated ability to define technical direction, guide product architecture, and make high‑impact design decisions for complex power electronics or LED driver platforms.
• Experience leading technical design reviews, risk assessments, and trade‑off discussions across engineering, manufacturing, quality, product management, and certification stakeholders.
• Ability to mentor engineers, establish design best practices, and influence technical standards across multiple projects or product platforms.
• Proven ability to lead resolution of complex technical issues through structured problem solving, data‑driven analysis, and cross‑functional collaboration.
• Strong understanding of engineering fundamentals, including electrical and electronic principles.
• Strong knowledge and experience with power electronics circuits such as Boost, Buck, Flyback, LLC, LCC, resonant converters, linear regulators, transient protection circuits, EMI filter design, electronic component selection, and lifetime calculations for electronic switch mode power supplies.
• Working knowledge of electrical and RF/EMI simulation environments such as Ansys and PSpice.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; able to communicate clearly to both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Familiar with the use of general electronics lab equipment, including oscilloscopes, power analyzers, AC/DC power supplies, multimeters, and electronic loads, to validate power electronics and LED driver performance.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Microcontroller programming skills and experience, including Cortex M0 microcontrollers, 8‑bit microcontrollers, C/C++, assembler knowledge, and communication protocols.
• Experience with Altium or similar PCB design tools.
• Experience with the development and use of AI agents to evaluate and predict EMI performance of a designs.
• Familiarity with LEAN and Six Sigma methodology and practices such as standard work, time study, cause‑and‑effect analysis, 5WHY analysis, and other DMAIC tools.

The range for this position is$139,600.00to$251,200.00 USD. 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.

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 in the Application Process: Acuity Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. It complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable laws requiring reasonable accommodation of persons with disabilities in employment. This includes the provision of reasonable accommodation in the application process. If you believe you need reasonable accommodation to assist with our online application system or any aspect of the application process, please contact Human Resources at View phone number on click.appcast.io, and select option 4. Please be prepared to identify the requisition / position applied for and the aspect of the application process for which you believe accommodation is needed. The company will engage in an interactive process with you to better understand the request and to determine whether reasonable accommodation is needed and available.

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.