Manager of Product Design

For more than 60 years, hand2mind has inspired learning through play by creating hands‑on, classroom‑tested materials that help children learn by doing. We’re a growing, family-owned company recognized as a Chicago Tribune Top Workplace and trusted by teachers and families alike. We create a wide range of educational products—classroom tools like Hands-on Standards®, consumer products for NumberBlocks®, and innovative items like our new BubblePlush™ Yoga Balls. 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!

Position Description: 

As Manager of Product Design on hand2mind’s Design team, you will be responsible for bringing products to life. The Manager of Product Design will manage a team of industrial designers and oversee the entire product design process. This includes setting high standards for industrial design and safety standards; tracking budgets; planning resources effectively; and working cross-functionally with the Product Development and Marketing teams.

What you’ll do day to day:

• Manage and coach a team of Industrial Designers to foster creativity and ensure new products are developed within budget
• Oversee the industrial design process, encouraging innovative brainstorming, sketches, mockups, 3D CAD, and renderings
• Balance workload among the team and freelancers, adapting to the business’s evolving needs throughout the year
• Collaborate with Product Development, Marketing, and Sales to shape go-to-market strategies 
• Manage or support product revamps as needed throughout the year
• Participate as an integral part of the Product Development Leadership Team, demonstrating flexibility to take on projects as needed 

What we’re looking for (Key Performance Objectives):

• Develop fluency of project management workflow in Monday.com within 3 months
• Within in the first 90 days, assess current design projects and establish a prioritization based on company goals and key deliverables. 
• Oversee and contribute to industrial design of 25-40 new products within the first 12 months. 
• Within the first 6 months, audit the design process and propose initiatives to integrate more continuous improvement and testing. 
• Act as a primary liaison with other departments (such as Product Development, Marketing, and Sales), setting up check-ins and collaborative sessions as needed. Continually develop management skills, attending 3-5 training sessions per year.

Requirements/Preferences: 

• BS/BA in Industrial Design, Toy Design or equivalent
• 8-10 years of consumer product development experience in the toy and game industry
• Excellent sketching, rendering, and graphic design skills
• Able to meet multiple, challenging deadlines and work within budgets
• Excellent at solving problems creatively and/or knowing when to seek help
• Proficient in Adobe Creative suite, specifically Illustrator and Photoshop 
• Proficient in 3D CAD (Rhinoceros preferred), KeyShot and 3D printing
• Intimately familiar with plastic materials and general manufacturing process
• Able to effectively communicate with key stakeholders including colleagues, executive team, vendors, and customers
• Portfolio demonstrating innovative thinking with on-trend designs in consumer products, preferably with some toy design
• Travel to tradeshows 1-2 times per year
• Travel to China up to 1 time per year

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: $125,000 – $132,000 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). 

#LI-hybrid

#hand2mind