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.
Job Summary
The Channel Development Sr. Manager plays a critical role in driving regional growth by strengthening the effectiveness of our independent sales agencies and improving regional performance. This role, reporting to the Regional Vice President, ensures commercial strategy is translated into clear, actionable execution across the channel, aligning agencies and internal teams around shared priorities.
By serving as the voice Acuity to the agents and the customers this role identifies growth opportunities, addresses capability gaps, and drives focused improvements that accelerate productivity, revenue growth and increase market share. The impact of this role is seen in achievement of growth goals, alignment of agency actions regarding ABL priorities and initiatives, stronger agency partnerships, improved connection with internal teams, better market coverage and increased market share.
Key Responsibilities
Regional Channel Strategy, Alignment, and Engagement
- Understand and translate customer, agency, and market dynamics into actionable regional channel strategies aligned with ABL strategy.
- Partner closely with agency stakeholders, ABL Regional Vice Presidents, and ABL matrix partners to align agency and regional team actions with ABL and regional strategies and commercial priorities by agency and account, converting strategy into clear deliverables.
- Establish and maintain a consistent operating rhythm, including calendar, cadence, and content, to drive engagement and strengthen alignment across agencies, regional teams, and ABL matrix partners. Continuously assess effectiveness and opportunities for improvement.
- Serve as the regional liaison to coordinate and communicate regional priorities, requests, and actions, ensuring awareness, alignment, and support across agencies and ABL matrix partners.
- Maintain a strong in-market presence with agencies, including attending and, when appropriate, organizing agency sales calls, customer visits, and events.
Performance Insights, Analytics, and Decision Support
- Leverage analytics and reporting to assess agency and customer performance, identify root-cause issues, and prioritize agency and regional actions and countermeasures.
- Generate data-driven, agency, account, market, and segment-specific insights to inform decision-making and influence regional and cross-functional partners.
- Support the development of executive-ready presentations and materials for operational and business reviews.
- Collect and synthesize voice of customer, agency insights, and broader channel and market inputs to support informed regional channel strategy and actions.
Agency Performance Management & Optimization
- Monitor agency performance using both qualitative insights and quantitative metrics, including SWOT assessments, root-cause analyses, Power BI reports and other performance indicators. Continue to evolve agency evaluation as the market changes.
- Serve as a strategic thought partner to Regional Vice Presidents on agency performance and strategy, market dynamics, competitive intelligence, and executive updates.
- Support development, coaching, and succession planning for Next Gen agency leaders.
- Assist with active countermeasures for underperforming or misaligned agencies to improve effectiveness and alignment.
- Work with other internal teams to align strategies and actions to accomplish goals.
- Monitor agency line card activity and alignment concerns, across the region and partner with Regional Vice Presidents and ABL matrix partners to address concerns and actions.
Channel Development & Growth Initiatives
- Support key vertical growth initiatives aligned with C&I strategy (e.g., Healthcare, Data Centers).
- Lead and support targeted projects, including:
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- Agent-to-agent collaboration
- ABL matrix partner connectivity and alignment
- Traveling EC and Developer coordination
- Design-build Contractor growth efforts
- Target vertical growth efforts
- Cross territory specification
- Support touchpoint action plans, regional forecasting and project pipeline management in SFDC.
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Leadership & Capability Expectations
This role requires a leader who:
- Operates with a competitive, growth focused mindset
- Interacts with a high degree of emotional intelligence, acting with situational awareness and an empathetic, goal-centered negotiation approach. Seen as a credible, trusted advisor to agency partners
- Acts as a strong advocate for both customers and agency partners
- Serves as a trusted thought-partner and advocate for agency and channel partners leaders and decision makers, building credibility through clear communication and aligned execution
- Operates as a trusted, transparent advisor to sales leadership and ABL matrix partners
- Brings and builds upon deep channel and market knowledge and expertise, coupled with necessary financial and operational knowledge
- Demonstrates strong business acumen and strategic thinking
- Has the ability to analyze financial data and use to influence others
- Operates with urgency and effectiveness in a dynamic, matrixed environment
- Leads through influence and develops talent across internal teams and external partners
Minimum Requirements
- 6–8 years of experience in Sales or commercial support
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
- Strong understanding of the Acuity Brands Lighting organization, C&I market and channel, and business strategy
- Tools & Systems – Power BI, Salesforce, Dodge
- Excellent problem solving, negotiation and communication skills
- Proven ability to leverage data to drive insightful decisions and actions
Travel Requirements
- 50–60% travel, varying by region and business needs
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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 (770) 922-9000, 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.
