Senior Toy Designer

Designer Interiors; Ashland (OR); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary & bonus

Comprehensive health benefits

401(k)

Flexible paid time off

Employee Assistance Program

Creative, collaborative culture

Opportunity to shape iconic toy brands

Job summary

Blue Marble is seeking a Senior Toy Designer to lead development of innovative toys and play experiences from concept to commercialization. You will set creative direction, mentor designers, and collaborate cross-functionally to deliver products that delight kids and meet business goals.

You'll drive design leadership, apply user-centered design, work with engineering, licensing, and overseas manufacturing, and ensure safety and manufacturability while pushing for market-ready solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design or related field.
• 7+ years of professional experience designing toys, play experiences, children's products, or consumer products.
• Proven success leading products from concept through commercialization.
• Experience with overseas manufacturing partners and cross-functional product development teams.

Responsibilities

• Design leadership and innovation for toys and consumer products from concept through production.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to guide products to commercialization.
• Create sketches, renderings, CAD models, prototypes, and presentations communicating design intent.
• Mentor designers and lead design reviews to maintain high-level creative execution.

Skills

Toy design

Prototyping

SolidWorks

KeyShot

Adobe Creative Suite

Design thinking

User-centered design

Communication

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design / Toy Design / Product Design

Tools

SolidWorks

Rhino

Alias

ZBrush

Creo

Job description

About The Role

Senior Toy Designer

At Blue Marble, we design innovative toys and play experiences that inspire curiosity, creativity, and discovery. Our collaborative team brings ideas to life through thoughtful design, rapid iteration, and a shared passion for creating products that kids love.

We're looking for an experienced Senior Toy Designer to lead the development of innovative toys, play experiences, and consumer products from concept through commercialization. In this role, you'll establish creative direction, influence product strategy, mentor fellow designers, and collaborate cross-functional to deliver engaging products that delight consumers while achieving business objectives.

What You’ll Do

Core Responsibilities

Design Leadership & Innovation

Lead the creative vision, design, and execution of toys, play experiences, and consumer products from concept through production.

Champion innovative product concepts that balance creativity, consumer appeal, manufacturability, cost targets, and commercial success.

Apply user-centered design principles to create engaging, age-appropriate play experiences.

Conduct trend research, competitive analysis, and material exploration to identify new product opportunities and inspire portfolio growth.

Create compelling sketches, renderings, CAD models, prototypes, and presentations that clearly communicate design intent.

Mentor and provide creative guidance to fellow designers through concept development, design reviews, and product execution.

Champion design excellence by promoting best practices, continuous improvement, and a high standard of creative execution.

Cross-functional Collaboration

Partner with Product Development, Engineering, Marketing, Sales, Licensing, and overseas manufacturing teams to guide products from concept through commercialization.

Present product concepts, design strategies, and recommendations to executive leadership, licensors, retailers, and key stakeholders.

Lead brainstorming sessions, design reviews, and cross-functional collaboration throughout product development.

Drive communication and alignment between internal teams and overseas partners to ensure successful product execution.

Design Process & Product Development

Utilize design thinking methodologies to solve complex product challenges and create engaging consumer experiences.

Stay current with emerging trends, technologies, materials, manufacturing processes, and competitive products.

Translate consumer insights and product testing into meaningful design improvements and future product opportunities.

Own product development from concept approval through tooling, pilot production, and mass production while maintaining design intent.

Create and maintain detailed product documentation, including CAD files, CMF specifications, engineering support materials, and presentation assets.

Evaluate engineering samples, prototypes, and factory samples to ensure product quality, manufacturability, and cost objectives are achieved.

Collaborate with engineering and manufacturing teams to resolve technical challenges while preserving the intended consumer experience.

Technical Expertise & Compliance

Demonstrate expert proficiency in SolidWorks, KeyShot, and Adobe Creative Suite to develop production-ready CAD, renderings, presentations, and technical documentation.

Maintain and evolve CMF libraries, design standards, and specification documentation.

Apply advanced knowledge of plastics, tooling, manufacturing processes, and Design for Manufacturing (DFM).

Ensure products meet applicable safety regulations, licensor requirements, and international product standards while partnering closely with the Compliance Team.

Intellectual Property

Collaborate with patent attorneys to prepare intellectual property documentation, including claims, illustrations, and supporting materials.

Identify patentable innovations and contribute to the growth of Blue Marble's intellectual property portfolio.

Ensure products comply with licensor brand guidelines and international product marking requirements.

What You Bring

Must-Haves

• Extensive experience designing children's toys, play experiences, educational products, licensed products, or consumer products.
• Proven success leading products from concept through commercialization.
• Exceptional sketching, ideation, visualization, storytelling, and physical prototyping skills.
• Advanced knowledge of plastics, tooling, manufacturing processes, and consumer product development.
• Expert proficiency in SolidWorks, Adobe Creative Suite, and KeyShot.
• Strong understanding of design thinking methodologies and user-centered design practices.
• Excellent verbal, visual, and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to present concepts and product strategies to executive leadership, licensors, retail partners, and cross-functional teams.
• Experience mentoring designers and fostering creative growth within a collaborative environment.
• A portfolio demonstrating exceptional creativity, technical excellence, and commercially successful products is required.

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience leading licensed product development.
• Experience with rapid prototyping, 3D printing, and AI-assisted design tools such as Vizcom.
• Experience with Rhino, Alias, ZBrush, Creo, or other advanced 3D modeling software.
• Experience collaborating directly with overseas manufacturing partners throughout product development and commercialization.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design, Toy Design, Product Design, or a related field.
• Minimum 7 years of professional experience designing toys, play experiences, children's products, or consumer products.
• Demonstrated success leading products from concept through commercialization.
• Experience working directly with overseas manufacturing partners and cross-functional product development teams.

Where You’ll Work

• Location: Onsite in Ashland, Oregon
• Work Style: Collaborative, hands-on, and fast-paced
• Travel: less than 10%

Why You’ll Love It Here

• Competitive salary and performance-based bonus opportunities
• Comprehensive health benefits (medical, dental, vision, life)
• 401(k) to help you plan for the future
• Flexible paid time off—we trust you to recharge when you need it
• Employee Assistance Program
• A creative, collaborative, and yes—playful culture
• The chance to help shape iconic and emerging toy brands
• Real opportunities to develop within a dynamic, high-growth organization.

A Few More Things

This job description isn’t meant to cover everything—you may jump into other projects as we grow and evolve.

We’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can do their best work. Reasonable accommodations are available for individuals with disabilities.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Blue Marble is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building a team that reflects a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability, or any other protected status.