Senior Toy Designer - Collectibles

About the role

As the Senior Toy Designer, Trends, you will 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 into compelling, collectible products. You will champion the entire design process from initial sketching and ideation to technical problem-solving and final production, collaborating cross-functionally with brand management and manufacturing teams to deliver user-centric play experiences while adhering to cost, quality, and timeline requirements.

Responsibilities

• Generate new toy concepts and design 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 high-quality products while ensuring they meet target cost and QA/QC requirements.
• Oversee the product design process and create systems of play centered around compatibility, usability, and superior play experiences.
• Build consensus among team members throughout the design process.
• Collaborate with branding, product management, engineering, packaging, licensors, and other internal teams to create products that align with brand and licensor requirements.
• Attend brand and licensing meetings and brainstorming sessions to gather information for product design.
• Present and communicate concepts to brand, development, management, and licensor teams.
• Ensure delivery of precise, clear, and complete product turnover specifications understood by the international team/factory.
• Work with outside vendors and support the overall strategic goals of the product.
• Provide direction and feedback during the development process attentive to licensor and brand assurance.
• Complete, review, document specification changes, submit for licensor approval, and provide comments for illustrative turns, sculpts, paint masters, and sample reviews.
• Resolve development issues with brand/management teams while ensuring designs meet target cost, schedule, and brand standards.
• Participate in the entire lifecycle of project development from concept through initial ideation, refinement, prototype execution, and turnover packages to development teams.
• Collaborate with the packaging design team to ensure product and packaging alignment.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in toy design, industrial design, industrial engineering, or a relevant field (preferred).
• 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).
• Interest and knowledge of current trends/innovations and an understanding of the competitive marketplace in the toy industry.
• Proactively observe and gain understanding of the competitive marketplace, including current trends and innovation.
• Computer proficiency in Microsoft Office & G-Suite.
• Strong proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign) or similar tools.
• Strong project management skills.
• Able to work cross-functionally and collaboratively with multiple departments.
• Able to work independently or as part of a team.
• Knowledge of materials and multiple manufacturing processes.
• Experience working with licensed brands.
• Exceptional visual, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Able to multitask, organize, prioritize, and manage time efficiently.
• Strong design sense, including a well-developed sense of aesthetics.
• Ability to adapt to shifting priorities and manage multiple projects simultaneously while meeting 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.

Preferred Qualifications

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

Benefits

• Basic medical insurance 100% company-paid for employees and their children.
• Employee basic life and AD&D insurance.
• 401(K) retirement program with Jazwares matching up to 4% of pretax or post-tax deferrals.
• Short and long-term disability coverage.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Flexible work schedule: Monday through Thursday on-site, 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 through Jazwares Cares.

Pay

The salary range for this position is $86,400 - $105,420 per year. The base salary may vary based on experience, role tenure, performance, industry, and location. Eligibility for the annual performance incentive may apply.

Schedule

• Monday through Thursday on-site.
• Optional work-from-home on Fridays.
• Up to 20 workdays fully remote each year.