Portfolio showcasing strong toy design and product development experience
BS/BA in Industrial Design, Toy Design, or equivalent
5+ years of consumer product development experience, preferably in children's toys (pet product experience also a plus)
Proficiency in Rhino, KeyShot, Adobe Creative Suite, and 3D prototyping tools
Strong hands-on prototyping skills across materials and methods
Knowledge of plastics, manufacturing processes, and design for manufacturing
Strong communicator and collaborator across teams and external partners
Proactive, detail-oriented, and comfortable owning projects with guidance
Responsibilities
Manage and support the development of 10-15 children's and pet toy products annually
Deliver high-quality design solutions on schedule with 90% approval from partners
Generate and advance multiple concept directions for user testing
Develop manufacturable, durable products by resolving design and engineering challenges
Collaborate with cross-functional teams and vendors to maintain project momentum
Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives within the design process
Benefits
Profit sharing bonus potential
401k matching
Variety of other benefits
Full Job Description
Team & Position Description:
We are looking for an Industrial Designer II to join our Creative team in Vernon Hills, IL. This role offers the opportunity to design across a diverse range of toy and pet brands, including products for both Learning Resources and Brightkins. You'll work on a collaborative, fast-paced team that values creativity, ownership, and bringing products to life quickly-from early concept exploration through production. This is a hands-on role for a designer who enjoys building, iterating, and solving real product challenges with guidance from the Manager of Product Design. If you're passionate about toy design and want to make a direct impact in a growing, family-owned company, we'd love to hear from you.
What we're looking for (Key Performance Objectives):
Manage and support the development of 10-15 Learning Resources children's toy products and/or Brightkins pet toy products annually, delivering assigned work against agreed project milestones from concept through production.
Deliver high-quality design solutions on schedule and achieve approximately 90% approval from cross-functional partners within each project phase, incorporating feedback promptly when revisions are needed.
Generate multiple concept directions for assigned projects and advance strong solutions within the agreed concept and refinement timelines; prepare 5-10 concepts annually for user testing through prototypes or renderings.
Develop manufacturable, durable products by identifying and helping resolve design, engineering, material, and assembly challenges before final production handoff.
Collaborate cross-functionally and with vendors to maintain project momentum and achieve 100% alignment with agreed development milestones and deliverable dates.
Contribute to 1-3 continuous improvement initiatives annually within the Product Design or broader product development process.
Requirements/Ideal Attributes:
Portfolio showcasing strong toy design and product development experience
BS/BA in Industrial Design, Toy Design, or equivalent
5+ years of consumer product development experience, preferably in children's toys (pet product experience also a plus)
Proficiency in Rhino, KeyShot, Adobe Creative Suite, and 3D prototyping tools
Strong hands-on prototyping skills across materials and methods
Knowledge of plastics, manufacturing processes, and design for manufacturing
Strong communicator and collaborator across teams and external partners
Proactive, detail-oriented, and comfortable owning projects with guidance
Compensation Range: $77,000 - $87,000 annual salary - Actual compensation may vary due to other factors such as: years of experience, skill set and location. Total compensation includes profit sharing bonus potential, 401k matching, and a variety of other benefits (details can be found here).
