Senior Industrial Designer

Learning Resources; Vernon Hills (IL); On-site; USD 100,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Profit sharing

401k matching

Variety of other benefits

Job summary

Learning Resources in Vernon Hills, IL is looking for a Senior Industrial Designer to join our Creative team. This hands-on role involves designing a range of educational toys and mentoring junior designers within a collaborative team.

We're seeking a highly proactive individual with over 10 years of experience in toy design and product development. Competitive compensation includes an annual salary of $100,000 – $110,000, profit-sharing bonus potential, and other benefits.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of consumer product development experience, especially in children's toys.
• Strong hands-on prototyping skills across different materials.
• Deep knowledge of plastics and manufacturing processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design of 15–20 Learning Resources toy products and 10–14 Brightkins pet toy products.
• Generate and iterate design concepts quickly from sketch through to prototypes.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to meet timelines.

Skills

Toy design

Product development

Prototyping

Collaboration

Education

BS/BA in Industrial Design or Toy Design

Tools

Rhino

KeyShot

Adobe Creative Suite

Job description

About Learning Resources

We are Learning Resources®, and learning is where we play. Voted one of the Chicago Tribune’s Top Workplaces, we’re a growing, family-owned company known for our award‑winning educational toys, including top sellers Pretend & Play® Calculator Cash Register, Farmer’s Market Color Sorting Set and multiple Toy of the Year winners! We even help pets learn and grow through our pet brand Brightkins®. If you’re curious, collaborative, and a kid at heart, you’ll feel right at home here. Join us in shaping the future of learning with our award‑winning team!

Team & Position Description

We are looking for a Senior Industrial Designer 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 high‑impact 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 senior designer who enjoys building, iterating, and solving real product challenges. 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 You’ll Do Day To Day

• Lead the design and development of 15–20 Learning Resources children toy products and 10–14 Brightkins pet toy products annually, from concept through production
• Own projects end‑to‑end, proactively driving progress, identifying risks, and moving work forward with minimal supervision
• Generate multiple concept directions and quickly iterate from sketch through 3D models and functional prototypes
• Develop CAD models, renderings, and specification documents to communicate concepts to internal teams and external vendors
• Translate concepts into manufacturable, durable, and functional products by resolving engineering, material, and assembly challenges
• Partner with cross‑functional teams (Product Management, Manufacturers/engineering, Packaging, Creative, Marketing, Sales) to maintain momentum and meet timelines
• Support user testing and incorporate feedback to refine and validate product concepts
• Mentor junior designers and contribute to a collaborative, high‑performing team environment

What We’re Looking For (Key Performance Objectives)

• Independently drive product development to deliver assigned projects on schedule with minimal oversight throughout the development lifecycle (concept through production)
• Deliver high‑quality design solutions that meet project timelines and achieve ~95% approval rate from cross‑functional partners within each project phase
• Generate and iterate multiple design concepts to arrive at strong final solutions early in each development phase (concept + refinement stages)
• Develop manufacturable, durable products by resolving design, engineering, and material challenges prior to final production handoff
• Collaborate cross‑functionally and with vendors to maintain project momentum and ensure 100% milestone alignment across development timelines

Requirements / Ideal Attributes

• Portfolio showcasing strong toy design and product development experience
• BS/BA in Industrial Design, Toy Design, or equivalent
• 10+ years of consumer product development experience, expert‑level experience 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
• Deep knowledge of plastics, manufacturing processes, and design for manufacturing
• Strong communicator and collaborator across teams and external partners
• Highly proactive, independent, and detail‑oriented with strong ownership mindset

We are a drug‑free workplace and an EEO employer.

Please note: This role will be filled by our internal recruitment team, so no assistance is needed from any outside staffing agency at this time.

Compensation Range: $100,000 – $110,000 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).