Senior Toy Designer - Trends

Jazwares, LLC • Culver City, CA

4d • $86,400 - $105,420 • Hybrid

About The Position

As the Senior Toy Designer, Trends, you will successfully lead the design and development of innovative toy lines for market-leading brands. This role requires an expert balance of creative vision and strategic alignment to translate consumer insights and trend forecasts into compelling, high-volume products. You will champion the entire design process from initial sketching and ideation to technical problem-solving and final production. Collaboration is key: you will partner cross-functionally with brand management and manufacturing teams to deliver user-centric play experiences while strictly adhering to cost, quality, and timeline requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in toy design, industrial design, industrial engineering, or industry relevant field is a plus
• 5+ years of product design experience in the toy industry, with a proven track record across both hard goods (action figures, plastics, playsets) and soft goods (plush, textiles).
• 1+ years of experience working with global manufacturing factories (Asia preferred)
• Exhibit interest and knowledge of the current trends/innovations as well as an understanding the competitive marketplace in the toy industry
• Proactively observes and gain understanding of the competative marketplace including current trends and innovation
• Computer proficiency in Microsoft Office & G-Suite
• Strong proficiency in adobe creative suite (illustrator, photoshop, and indesign) or other similar tools
• Strong project management skills
• Able to work cross functionally and reciprocally with multiple departments
• Able to work independently or collaboratively
• Knowledge of materials and multiple manufacturing processes
• Knowledge of working with licensed brands
• Exceptional visual, verbal, and written communication skills
• Able to multitask, organize, prioritize, and manage time efficiently
• Demonstrates a strong design sense, including a well-developed sense of aesthetics
• Can easily adapt to shifting priorities, and can manage multiple priorities at one time, while also demonstrating vigilance in keeping projects moving forward and hitting deadlines
• Effective problem solver and critical thinker; proactive in resolving issues
• Expertise in control drawings and rendered illustration concepts
• Ability to deal effectively with diverse individuals at all organizational levels in a professional manner

Nice To Haves

• Experience in the toy/baby/costume/pets industry
• Knowledge of 3D modeling, sculpting, and rendering (Familiar with Zbrush/Rhino/Fusion 360) a plus
• Multilingual a plus

Responsibilities

• Instrumental in generating new toy concepts and designing new play experiences for new and/or existing brands and product lines
• Deliver end to end product design including research, concepts, prototypes, and user testing
• Champion great design in our high-quality products and help assure they are within target cost and QA/QC requirements
• Oversees the product design process
• Create systems of play centered around compatibility, usability, and superior play experiences
• Builds consensus between members throughout the design process
• Work collaboratively with your branding, product management, engineering, packaging, licensor, and other internal team partners to create product that is the best fit for the brand and meets licensor requirements
• Attend Brand and licensing meeting and brainstorming to obtain enough information for product design
• Successfully present and communicate concepts to the brand, development, management, and licensor teams
• Ensure delivery of precise, clear, and complete product turnover specifications and ensure they fully understood by the international team/factory
• Work with outside vendors
• Support the overall strategic goals of product, provide direction and feedback during the development process that is attentive to licensor and for brand assurance
• Responsible for completing, reviewing, documenting specification changes, submitting for licensor approval, and providing comments for illustrative turns, sculpts, paint masters, and sample reviews
• Work closely with brand/management teams to resolve development issues, while assuring designs meet the target cost, schedule, and brand standards
• Participate in the entire life cycle of project development from a concept through initial ideation, refinement, prototype execution, and turn over packages to development teams
• Champion high quality designs and products that are within target cost and QA/QC requirements
• Collaborate with packaging design team to assure product and packaging are aligned

Benefits

• basic medical insurance that is 100% company-paid for employees and their children
• employee basic life and AD&D insurance
• a 401(K) retirement program with Jazwares matching up to 4% of pretax or post-tax deferrals
• short and long-term disability
• tuition reimbursement
• flexible work schedule that includes Monday through Thursday on-site, with an optional WFH on Fridays
• up to 20 workdays fully remote each year
• Time Off for vacation and sick leave
• opportunity to volunteer for up to 16 hours a year on community service projects

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior