Senior Manager - System Integration Test & Product Validation - Decatur, GA

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 may be based anywhere in the United States and includes travel as part of the responsibilities.
• This position requires on-site presence in Decatur, GA, following a hybrid work model.
• This position requires on-site presence in Decatur, GA, must report to the office every business day.

 

Job Summary

The Senior Manager of System Integration Test & Product Validation leads the strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of system level testing and validation for lighting products and platforms. This role ensures that integrated hardware, firmware, software, optics, and controls meet functional, performance, reliability, stability, and regulatory requirements prior to release. This role partners closely with Engineering, Product Management, Project Management, Manufacturing, and Customer Support to enable successful launch of new product development (NPD).

Key Tasks & Responsibilities (Essential Functions)

Leadership & Strategy

• Lead and develop a high-performing team in system integration testing and product validation.

• Define validation strategy, including coverage, tools, environments, and release criteria.

• Establish scalable processes to support NPD and growing system complexity.

System Integration & Test Environments

• Oversee validation of integrated systems (luminaires, LED drivers, sensors, controls, firmware, software, IoT).

• Build and manage test environments that replicate real-world deployments and use cases.

• Develop simulators, emulators, and test harnesses for scale testing and fault injection.

• Partner with architecture teams to align test environments with system design.

Stability & Performance Testing

• Execute long-duration and performance testing to validate system behavior.

• Define benchmarks for throughput, latency, reliability, and resource use.

• Identify issues such as degradation, memory leaks, thermal and timing failures.

• Ensure results support release readiness and risk assessments.

Collaboration & Communication

• Align validation plans with Product Management and customer use cases.

• Provide clear, data-driven insights and risk assessments to support decisions.

Continuous Improvement

• Track metrics on test effectiveness, defect escape, cycle time, and stability.

• Drive improvements in automation, simulation, lab infrastructure, and documentation.

• Promote best practices in system integration testing and product validation.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field
• 10+ years of experience in system integration test, product validation, or systems engineering
• 5+ years of people management experience leading technical teams
• Strong experience with electromechanical systems, preferably in lighting or adjacent industries
• Demonstrated experience building and managing complex system test environments and scale testing capabilities
• Proven ability to lead cross‑functional initiatives and influence without direct authority

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