Designer, Cook & Dine

Earthbound Brands•New York, NY

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

Earthbound is hiring a hands-on designer to develop hard kitchen products for multiple Walmart private-label home brands. The role combines original in-house design with supplier co-creation, ensuring products are brand-right, trend-forward, commercially viable, manufacturable, and aligned with cost targets. The designer will contribute to trends, concepts, and aesthetic evolution in partnership with the Design Director. The position works closely with Product Development in Bentonville and Walmart merchants and cross-functional teams, participating in line reviews and alignment meetings. The designer will track the competitive landscape, review sales data, and propose brand-appropriate innovation. Depending on workload, the role may also support kitchen textiles and broader home categories. The position reports to the Design Director. Earthbound’s office is in New York City’s Flatiron District. The company operates on a hybrid schedule, with in-office work Monday through Wednesday and remote work Thursday and Friday.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Ceramics, Surface or Textile Design, or a related field.
4–7 years of professional experience designing hard kitchen or housewares products that have been manufactured and sold at retail.
Portfolio demonstrating produced products, not only concepts.
Working knowledge of hard kitchen materials and processes, such as stoneware, porcelain, glass, melamine, plastics, stainless steel, wood, and bamboo, and decoration methods such as decals, glazes, printing, and embossing.
Awareness of food-contact safety, packaging, and set-building realities in mass-market retail.
Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop for design and artwork, and PowerPoint for presentations.
Willingness to travel occasionally to Bentonville, supplier factories, and trade shows.
Strong communication, organization, attention to detail, follow-up, adaptability, and proactive problem-solving skills.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience in tabletop, food storage, and/or decorative kitchenware.
Experience collaborating with suppliers or manufacturers through product development; direct experience with overseas factories is a plus.
Experience with kitchen textiles such as towels, oven mitts, aprons, or table linens.
Experience working with or presenting to a major retail partner such as Walmart.
Proficiency in InDesign.
3D modeling and rendering skills using Rhino, SolidWorks, or KeyShot.

Responsibilities

Design original products for hard kitchen categories, including dinnerware, hard tabletop, drinkware, serveware, food storage, and pantry organization, from concept through production-ready artwork and design specifications.
Co-create products with suppliers by sharing design direction, exploring materials and processes, and balancing design intent with cost targets and manufacturing realities.
Review and redline supplier concepts, CADs, renderings, strike-offs, and physical samples, providing specific feedback on form, proportion, color, decoration, materials, finish, and function.
Partner with the Product Development team in Bentonville to understand category needs and merchant strategy, execute design briefs, and keep timelines on track.
Represent design in alignment meetings and line reviews with Walmart, clearly presenting concepts, collections, and rationale.
Work with the Design Director, Product Development, and sourcing partners to resolve product and design issues while balancing design intent with cost, manufacturing, food-safety, and packaging requirements.
Coordinate with peers to maintain brand continuity across Walmart private-label home brands, including collaboration with kitchen textiles for a cohesive kitchen story.
Monitor competitors, analyze sales data, and research materials, finishes, decoration techniques, and housewares innovations to develop proactive design proposals.
Build trend and concept boards, line plans, spec sheets, and presentation decks.
Support kitchen textiles and other home categories as needed.