Sr. Industrial Designer - Hybrid

At Outward Hound, we create thoughtful, innovative products that strengthen the bond between pets and their people. We love creating products that are not only cute and full of personality, but also innovative, functional, and genuinely fun to use—bringing playful ideas to life in ways that surprise and delight customers every day.

About the role

We are looking for a Senior Industrial Designer to help lead product design and innovation initiatives across our portfolio and shape the future direction of our brands. This role is intended for a highly experienced industrial designer who can operate independently, influence cross-functional decision-making, and drive products from opportunity definition through commercialization.

We are specifically looking for a designer with deep experience across both hard goods and soft goods product design, as well as a strong ability to create emotionally engaging products through character-driven design, storytelling, and brand expression. For this role, you will combine exceptional design judgment with strong business awareness, manufacturing expertise, and the ability to lead at a systems level.

Responsibilities

• Design across multiple pet categories, including both dog and cat products, spanning a portfolio of distinct brands
• Create cohesive products across plush, textiles, molded toys, and hybrid construction products while maintaining strong emotional appeal, functionality, and manufacturable execution
• Develop initial tech pack drawings for handoff to soft goods development team and suppliers
• Maintain and develop brand identity via the established visual design language
• Integrate consumer safety standards and risk mitigation throughout the design process, partnering closely with Product Integrity (PI) teams to evaluate materials, testing protocols, and product performance
• Demonstrate adaptability and flexibility by quickly shifting between projects and evolving business priorities while maintaining high-quality design execution
• Independently drive momentum and product design initiatives with minimal day-to-day direction in fast-moving environments
• Proactively identify risks, gaps, and development challenges before they escalate
• Lead ideation efforts that push beyond incremental improvements toward meaningful product innovation
• Actively identify whitespace opportunities, emerging consumer needs, and unmet market opportunities across categories
• Mentor other design staff and influence design outcomes
• Thrive in a fast-paced product development environment with the resilience and initiative needed to push projects forward

Requirements

• Exceptional storytelling skills—clearly communicating vision, impact, and rationale to leaders and partners
• Strong ability to create emotionally engaging, character-driven products with broad consumer appeal, particularly for female-driven purchasing audiences
• Strong understanding of form, proportion, usability, and emotional product experience
• Strong eye for color, print/pattern, and material finish, with the ability to create cohesive palettes that enhance brand identity
• Ability to distinguish between meaningful innovation and unnecessary complexity
• Experience with safety-focused product design for toys and accessories
• Demonstrated adaptability and flexibility in handling evolving business priorities
• Comfortable handling detailed, repetitive production tasks at times

Skills

• Design storytelling and visual communication
• Injection molding design principles and DFM/DFA (Design for Manufacturing & Assembly)
• Plastics material selections and tooling/manufacturing process knowledge
• Durability and performance-driven product design
• Cost-conscious design and development collaboration
• Prototype evaluation and iterative refinement
• Soft goods construction methods, plush and textile product development
• Fabric/material specification and sourcing
• Hybrid soft/hard goods integration
• Trim, embroidery, appliqué, and character detailing
• CAD modeling (Fusion 360 preferred) and 3D printing skillset
• Knowledge of AI tools used to expedite workflow
• Rapid prototyping and physical prototyping/model-making
• Keyshot or equivalent rendering software
• Adobe Creative Suite proficiency

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; degree in Industrial or Toy Design required
• 6+ years of design experience; experience in consumer products preferred
• Personal interest and experience as a pet owner is a plus
• Familiarity with IP/patent process is a plus

Pay

$105,000–$125,000 depending on experience

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, and accident insurance
• HSA (Health Savings Account)
• 401K with 100% employer match (fully vested after 1 year)
• Flexible paid time off (includes vacation and sick time)
• Paid family leave
• Basic term life and AD&D (employer-paid)
• Voluntary term life and AD&D
• Pet insurance
• Tuition reimbursement
• Annual bonus potential

This is a hybrid role; all candidates must reside or be willing to relocate to the Denver, CO metro area.