Lead Architect - Unified Communications & Collaboration (UC&C)

QSC is creating exceptional, people-centric experiences with the perfect balance of technology and creativity. Q-SYS, our innovative full stack audio, video and control platform, unifies data, devices and a cloud-first architecture, empowering organizations to deliver transformative AV experiences across built spaces. Building on the QSC legacy, QSC Audio delivers audio technology that empowers live entertainers and sound reinforcement professionals with the confidence to create and deliver memorable experiences for their audiences.

Atrius, Distech Controls and QSC are part of the Acuity Intelligent Spaces (AIS) business segment. Our mission is to make spaces smarter, safer and greener through our strategy of connecting the edge with the cloud using disruptive technologies that leverage data interoperability.

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

We are looking for a Lead Architect to serve as a key engineering leader for our Unified Communications & Collaboration hardware and software portfolio, spanning Audio, Video, and Control domains. This is a senior role for someone who has spent their career at the intersection of conferencing platforms (Microsoft Teams, Zoom) and the hardware/software products certified to run on them. 

You will define system architectures, contribute to hardware and software requirements, and act as the technical authority guiding our engineering and product teams through the fast-changing landscape of Unified Communications platforms. You'll be equally comfortable in a whiteboard architecture review, a certification lab, and a conversation with product management about tradeoffs and roadmap. Your technical expertise will be required to lead teams through UC certification efforts and help define broader solution-level test strategies. 

This role has no formal direct reports but is expected to influence, mentor, and guide engineers across the organization. 

Key Tasks & Responsibilities (Essential Functions)

• Stay ahead of the ecosystem: Continuously track Microsoft Teams and Zoom platform, hardware, and certification specifications, translating changes into actionable impacts on our hardware and software roadmaps. 
• Define system architecture: Lead the specification and design of end-to-end system architectures across Audio, Video, and Control subsystems for products built for interoperability with UC platforms.  
• Determine requirements: Establish and document hardware and software requirements that satisfy Teams/Zoom certification programs, customer needs, and internal product goals.  
• Partner with product management: Provide technical input into product management decisions, helping shape feature tradeoffs, roadmap sequencing, and platform investment priorities. 
• Champion the customer voice with engineering: Develop a working understanding of the customer base and market landscape; partner with, and advocate for, product management by translating customer requirements and use-cases into terms the development team and engineering leadership can act on. 
• Certification clarity and leadership: Provide clear guidance to engineering and QA on certification test requirements; when needed, formally own and lead Teams and Zoom certification submissions and lab engagements from planning through sign-off. 
• Consult on product development: Act as a trusted technical consultant to design and engineering teams across the product portfolio, reviewing architecture and design decisions for compliance, performance, and manufacturability. 
• Cross-domain ownership: Provide architectural guidance across Audio and Video subsystems as primary areas of depth, with working knowledge of Control system integration (serial, IP-based, and third-party control ecosystems). 
• Platform integration: Guide integration efforts for Windows-based platforms (Windows IoT / Windows for Teams Rooms) and Android-based platforms under Microsoft's Device Ecosystem Platform (MDEP), ensuring compliance with OEM certification requirements. 
• Solution-level testing: Periodically help define broader solution and system-level test plans that go beyond individual certification requirements. 

Skills and Minimum Experience Required

• 10+ years of relevant industry experience in audio/video/collaboration hardware and software development. 
• Direct prior experience at a company that designed, built, and certified Teams and/or Zoom conferencing devices (e.g., cameras, speakerphones, room systems, docking/USB peripherals, or similar collaboration endpoints). 
• Deep, current knowledge of Microsoft Teams and Zoom device certification programs, hardware specifications, and platform requirements. 
• Strong architectural background across Audio and Video signal chains, including:  
• Video: USB Video Class (UVC), HDMI/HDCP, camera ISP pipelines, video codecs 
• Audio: USB Audio Class (UAC), DSP and acoustic echo cancellation (AEC)/noise suppression, Bluetooth audio 
• Networking/streaming: SIP, RTP/RTCP, PoE 
• Working knowledge of Control system integration (RS-232/IP control, third-party control system ecosystems). 
• Hands-on familiarity with Windows platform integration (Windows IoT / Windows for Teams Rooms) and Android platform integration under Microsoft's Device Ecosystem Platform (MDEP). 
• Demonstrated experience defining hardware and software requirements from certification specifications. 
• Proven ability to operate as a technical consultant/advisor across engineering, QA, and product management functions. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience presenting architecture and technical tradeoffs to both engineering and business stakeholders. 
• BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Direct experience leading or participating in formal Teams and/or Zoom certification lab engagements. 
• Familiarity with embedded Linux platforms in collaboration endpoints. 
• Experience with broader UC solution testing beyond individual device certification (multi-device, room-scale, or interoperability testing). 
• Experience mentoring engineers or acting as a technical lead without formal management authority. 
• Familiarity with USB-IF, HDMI Forum, and Bluetooth SIG specifications relevant to AV peripherals. 

Travel Requirements

• 1-20%

QSC. is owned by Acuity Inc., which is located in the United States. These companies share a global recruitment system on which the data you provide will be stored, and which will be subject to the laws of the United States of America.

The range for this position is $150,000 to $270,000. 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 role. For a list of our benefits, click here.

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. 

Please click here and here for more information.

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 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.

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