Head of Toy Design & Development — Fast, Market-Ready

Gilder Search Group; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Gilder Search Group is seeking a Director of Design & Development to own the execution engine behind our toy line, leading a team of designers from concept to retail-ready product in three to six months.

This role blends creative leadership with operational drive, setting the bar for design excellence, protecting brand authenticity, and accelerating workflows to deliver fast, high-quality licensed products to market.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in product design and development for toys and licensed consumer products.
• 3+ years leading and developing design teams.
• Hands-on fluency across the design process.
• Working knowledge of toy safety and quality standards.
• Experience collaborating with overseas factories on tooling, sampling, and production.
• Familiarity with licensed IP and licensor approval processes.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• A portfolio that shows the range and quality of your work.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of designers, fostering a culture of elite talent, craftsmanship, and professional pride.
• Direct, and personally participate in, the full product design process, reviewing and approving work at each stage.
• Translate licensed brands into physical products that capture each brand's authenticity and deliver on our promise of fast, focused, fun.
• Drive an accelerated design and development schedule, bringing products from concept to market in three to six months.
• Continuously improve design workflows, processes, and tools to support increasing speed and efficiency.
• Partner with cross-functional teams and overseas manufacturers to ensure products meet, or beat, target cost, achieve safety and quality standards, and satisfy retail requirements.
• Maintain expert-level knowledge of the toy landscape — what's on shelf, competing products, pricing, and emerging trends across relevant categories.

Skills

Team leadership

Product design

Licensed IP

Overseas collaboration

Toy safety

Communication

Portfolio

Design systems

Job description

Gilder Search Group is seeking a Director of Design & Development to own the execution engine behind our toy line, leading a team of designers from concept to retail-ready product in three to six months.

This role blends creative leadership with operational drive, setting the bar for design excellence, protecting brand authenticity, and accelerating workflows to deliver fast, high-quality licensed products to market.